Robert (Yorkie) Cook

[Robert E Cook]

SHIPS NAME AND SERVICE RECORD

Full Name

Robert (Yorkie) Cook

Discharge Book Number

UK 037222

Department

Deck

Your Rank/Rating

Deck Boy / Seaman 1B

Which Ships were you on and When

El Lobo 20/4/76 - 17/6/76
Booker Venture 26/7/76 - 15/11/76
Strathirvine 16/3/77 - 25/6/77
Letchworth 26/7/77 - 20/7/78
Teviot 11/9/78 - 20/9/78
Varangfell 28/11/78 - 5/6/79
Pointsman 17/7/79 - 31/7/79
Bamenda Palm 26/8/79 - 27/8/79 (H.T. run )
Ixia 6/9/79 - 23/1/80
Begonia 18/2/80 - 17/4/80
Suffolk Shore 29/9/80 -10/11/80
Suffolk Shore27/12/80 - 20/3/81
Cumbria Service 22/6/81 - 4/8/81
Mercia Service 20/9/81 - 1/11/81
Begonia 6/6/82 - 7/2/83

Notes:

The best days of my life, but sadly had to get out due to shortage of ships and no fun waiting for the ships on the pool. Offshore Marine taken over by Zapata and sadly Stag Line (best company I sailed with) folded.

[Marian Gra]

Welcome to the site Robert and for listing your ships, any memories most welcome.

[cappy]

###stag line a good tyneside shipping company...pleased you knew brian ..he was well thought of in shields as a seaman and a bosun ...best wishes cappy

[Doc Vernon]

Hello Yorkie

Thank you for joining and listing your Ships,always nice to have more joining and giving their Service details.

Hope we will have you with us for a long and enjoyable stay!

Cheers

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Robert.
Welcome to the site hope you enjoy the posts and articles and memories about our sea going days. tell us about any funny and nostalgic tales from your time at sea.
Cheers Des

redc.gif

[aussie]

Was on Donegal 1973 which became Strathirvine. Good ship to work on.

[j.sabourn]

See you were caught in the bad years re work Rob. The 4 second last on your list being offshore ships. A lot of deepsea people went offshore at the time you mention. Some stayed some didn't, but in the end a helluva lot were made redundant. I was 40 when went offshore and was considered old for that part of the industry. However lasted 11 years before uprooting and going elsewhere. Today they are by some accounts short of people and only have themselves to blame. Stag line 1 Howard street North Shields remember them offering me a job in 1969, which turned down because of the money, not too long after they went to the wall..kaput. When there is shortage of work you see the bad side of people as well, hanging on to their jobs for survival. A good time to get out. Welcome hope you meet up with some of your ex shipmates. Cheers JWS. ps. Robert a very long shot, your not from Sunderland are you.? And your father went to sea. If you don’t ask will never find out. Your father being Alan. Cheers JWS.

[Robert E Cook]

Was on Donegal 1973 which became Strathirvine. Good ship to work on.

http://www.merchant-navy.net/forum/n...reply&p=292012
Looking back, not the best ship I sailed on. Bosun was Somali along with the other deck hands. Myself who was a JOS, a first trip deck boy were the only brits on deck. The Cook was the worst I ever sailed with, luckily the second cook was great. Did the Indian coast and paid off in Columbo, Ceylon as the ship was sold to a company from the Maldives. But given the chance would do it all again in a flash.

[Robert E Cook]

[QUOTE=j.sabourn;292018]See you were caught in the bad years re work Rob. shipmates. Cheers JWS. ps. Robert a very long shot, your not from Sunderland are you.? And your father went to sea. If you don’t ask will never find out. Your father being Alan. Cheers JWS.[/QUOTE

I never went to sea for the money, it was for the adventure. Saying that did enjoy the money on the supply boats. but bailed out when Offshore Marine sold out shortly after they were taken over by Zapata. I was told if I stayed with them I would not be allowed back on the pool. So went back deep sea with Stag Line, but the writing was on the wall for deep sea British flagged ships. Maybe should have stayed with Zapata, but everything happens for a reason and life turned out pretty good once I left the navy. I still have the memories of my days at sea burning bright and sites like this help rekindle some of those memories that have become slightly blurred with time. Not from Sunderland, my inspiration to join the Navy came from my uncle (Ernie Moore) who was an AB with Houlders for many years.

[aussie]

http://www.merchant-navy.net/forum/n...reply&p=292012
Looking back, not the best ship I sailed on. Bosun was Somali along with the other deck hands. Myself who was a JOS, a first trip deck boy were the only brits on deck. The Cook was the worst I ever sailed with, luckily the second cook was great. Did the Indian coast and paid off in Columbo, Ceylon as the ship was sold to a company from the Maldives. But given the chance would do it all again in a flash.

Bit of a change then from when i was on her. All British deck crew from what i remember, all great lads. Cooks were Jerry Higgs and George ?. Did East Africa . Great times on coast especially Mombasa.