Roger Merralls

[Roger Merralls]

SHIPS NAME AND SERVICE RECORD

Full Name

Roger Merralls

Discharge Book Number

R808261

Department

Deck & General Purpose

Your Rank/Rating

CPO (Bosun)

Which Ships were you on and When

British Honour 30.01.65 -31.04.65 Deck Boy
Mauritania 28.05.65 - 19.11.65
Regent Eagle 20.12.65 - 13.02.66 JOS
British Admiral 08.04.66 - 18.07.66
British Ensign 27.09.66 - 07.12.66
Llanishen 14.01.67 - 15.04.67 SOS
British Commodore 16.05.67 - 17.08.67
Regent Falcon 07.09.67 - 12.11.67 EDH
Hermiston 27.11.67 - 24.04.68
Gleddoch 28.05.68 - 25.08.68
Naess Trader 24.09.68 - 19.12.68
British Willow 15.01.69 - 29.07.69
British Admiral 06.09.69 - 08.03.70 GP1
British Captain 09.05.70 - 23.11.70
British Commodore 23.01.71 - 06.03.71
British Tenacity 29.03.71 - 21.09.71
British Inventor 31.10.71 - 17.11.71
British Navigator 24.11.71 - 11.04.72? PO
British Loyalty 03.06.72 - 19.11.72
British Humber 20.02.73 - 17.07.73
British Commerce 01.09.73 - 06.01.74
British Dragoon 04.02.74 - 31.05.74
British Explorer 20.04.77 - 23.08.77 CPO
British Liberty 12.10.77 - 06.11.77
British Purpose 17.01.78 - 23.06.78
British Promise 10.09.78 - 23.12.78
British Forth 29.01.79 - 10.03.79
British Renown 13.04.79 - 28.05.79
British Resolution 22.06.79 - 09.10.79
British Trident 27.11.79 - 23.03.80
Minab 09.05.80 - 19.09.80
British Tay 14.11.80 - 16.12.80
British Patience 29.04.81 - 20.08.81
Minab 02.10.81 - 28.11.81
Mokran 28.11.81 - 23.01.82
British Tenacity 05.04.82 - 13.08.82
Vic Bilh 19.10.82 - 23.02.83
British Dart 15.04.83 - 15.08.83
British Tamar 15.10.83 - 09.03.84
British Avon 05.05.84 - 27.08.84
British Wye 10.10.84 - 27.01.85
BP Vigour 21.03.85 - 20.07.85
British Ranger 08.09.85 - 13.01.86

Notes:

Took Redundancy in 1986

[Andrew Lock]

Hello Roger,
I doubt if you remember me but I was on the British Trident and the Minab with you back in 27.11.79-23.3.80 and 09.05.80-19.9.80 I was a seaman 3 on both trips. This is so weird the fact that I have just registered and started looking. They were the best trips that I did I remember we paid off in Antifer and then signed on again staight away on the Trident. I also remember when we paid off the Minab in Dar Es Salaam the hotel was on a beach and was made up like pods. Well I thought I would just say Hello again I cannot belive it has been all this time it only feels like yesterday.

[Doc Vernon]

Hello Roger M

Welcome to the site and thank you for listing your details and Ships !
Quite a nice line up you had there!
And some good Sea Time too!
Hope that the site will provide lots for you to keep you interested and busy!
Nice to have you aboard!
Relax and enjoy!
Cheers

[Richard Quartermaine]

Crikey Roger, you can't get much more British than that. And you should not be charged freight on that lovely Caerphilly cheese. Welcome aboard and it didn't long for your first shipmate to make contact. The same happened to me in 2010 when I joined and a pal I sailed with on the Port St John in 1949/50 and the Gothic 1952/53 made contact.
Cheers, Richard

[Roger Merralls]

Hello Andrew,
Hey thanks for getting in touch, & sorry for my late reply. Do you remember the Trident picking up the crew of the 'Salem'? A lot of Greeks who sank their own ship. There is a book about it, called 'Fraud of the Century', by A J Klinghoffer. The Trident gets a mention. According to my discharge book, we paid off by helicopter off Capetown. Did that thing rattle and shake? Hell yes!

I couldn't remember Paying off the Minab at Dar es Salaam, but according to my book you are right. Vague recollections of little palm roofed huts on the beach.

I left BP in February 1986, and ended up working for Panasonic for twenty odd years, retired now.

Thanks for getting in touch,

All the best,

Roger.

[j.sabourn]

Hi Roger, it amazes me the number of people who come on here that took redundancy in 1986. I know because it was the same time as I received the treatment, I took from the BSF and it was coppers. A mate of mine an engineer who had been at sea for about 30 years as an engineer they got rid of as being colour blind, they failed me on eyesight as couldn't read the bottom line of the card, to my knowledge no one ever has, any way I went and got glasses went back and read. Then told me they couldn't offer any work, so finally took 1137 pounds and some pence for 30 odd years service. So much for the British owner. I am still waiting to hear what if any BSF workers are on this site what they received in Redundancy settlements. However if you were with BTC as a permanent employee believe they received good settlements. However welcome to the site, most of us are now in mothballs. Cheers JS

[Roger Merralls]

Hi JS,
Thanks for the post, the main reason I took redundancy, was that at the time I had a young family, and was getting cheesed off with having to be away most of the time. I did get a nice payout from BP, I seem to think it was around 17 grand, can't remember exactly. Something like a years salary plus three months in lieu of notice, they were a good company to work for, getting a pension from them now!

I remember from that time that the way to take best advantage of it was to go with one of the agency manning firms, and live in Rotterdam or Hamburg! That way you could claim tax free wages, but only if you spent less than sixty days per year in the UK. OK for a single guy I guess.

Like I say, with three young daughters, that was not a real option for me. It took me a while to settle down, but got the hang of it eventually!

It's all a long time ago now, doesn't time fly by as you get older? Reminds me of a helter skelter, the further down you go, the faster it gets! (look out for the bump at the bottom!)

Well cheers for now,

All the best,

Roger.

[j.sabourn]

#7.... Had the same problem re-family missed them all growing up, saw the writing on the wall in 78 so went offshore to try and kill 2 birds with one stone, closer to home and saw the demise of British Shipping, that is under the Red Ensign, the shipowner is still there. For all the talk about the dangers of foreign flag and the way he penalized those for going there years ago he soon did an about face. Whats good for the goose is good for the gander must be his excuse. A lot of offshore workers lived in Spain mainly for tax purposes, even one of the engineers I worked with on the ships lived in the Philipines and did a double header 8 weeks and flew back there, think he was married to a philipino lady. Americans flew in and out regular one of the skippers from Hawaii. Any part of the world nowadays is only hours away, before used to be weeks, sometimes months on some of the old wrecks that passed for shipping. All the best JS