Why Where when& How did you leave the sea?

[sailor63]

well , containers says it all.
cheers . Colin.K.

[John Callon]

Not really Colin - there were passenger ships and ro-ro car ferries. I sailed on the Dart Line containerships and then moved on to go on the car ferries and from there spent a few years cruising the Carribean with Cunard.
Regards,
John

[Stuart Henderson]

Yes but John,passie boats and ferries just didnt have time in port we used to get on cargo ships and the interesting runs ashore we used to get in the fifties/sixties. I sailed on Cunards ACL containers when they started (Atlantic Conveyor sunk later in Falklands war) but to me it was the same as being on tankers lucky to get ashore.
Stuart H

[John Callon]

You are quite right there Stuart regarding time off on the ferries and passie boats. There was'nt any!!
Regards,
John

[Louis the Amigo]

Hi shipmates' I asked my mate Laurie 86 yrs old this question? merchant navy wartime service, on the Harmatris, Fort La Cloche, Empire sands, Cape Sable, and a few port ships His reply? got a job on the dock and the pay was much better?

[Gordon Turnbull]

John A

Been to Eket. Nice camp mate. I have been here now for around 9 years as I said. Started in PH at Willbros' Choba base, went to Bonny Island for a few years, then based in Lagos for another company for a while before coming to Escravos in Delta State. 5 years into a 2 and a half year contract with two years to go IF we can get any progress :-)

[Nigel Smith]

I blame it on our mothers' with the continual, " When are you going to settle down and get a proper job ?"

My mother-in-law still said that after I had been at sea 30 years........... I eventually came ashore and worked as a Cargo Inspector but she still insisted it wasn't a proper job, "you spend all your time on those ships, even night time you're messing about with those ships"

[Graham Evans]

Got sacked on my 55th birthday! When I asked why, I was told that the Oil Company policy was no Captains (boat drivers) over the age of 55 ! My reply is not printable here, however it was the last straw,& made my mind up for me. I coudn't stand any more aggro from office boys & typists whose opinions on marine matters were always accepted before mine. Experience is now of no significance, everything can be learnt from simulators and expensive course attendances.Hope I am not around when the next war starts ! ! !

[Doc Vernon]

Don’t be too shocked

Well we all have our various reasons for leaving the Sea,and mine is one that I was a bit reluctant to post,but what the heck,at my age now nothing matters much anymore!
As long as my Family know the truth ,which they all do!
A lot of you will already know that I wasn’t at Sea for all that long,and here is the story!

I started my Sea career with a load of Zest,in July of 1958 on the old Dunnottar Castle,( Two Year contract with UCL) leaving Cape Town and my beloved Mother and young Sister behind!
With me cleaning down the Steps to the First Class Lounge,and tears streaming down my face,they were Tears of both sadness and happiness,as this was going to be my new found Lifetime career. Oh well that is what the plan was!

Anyway after doing a few Trips on other Castle Ships ,these being the Warwick Sterling,Winchester, and of course the Dunnottar! The time span being just over a Year in all! Mail and round Africa Runs

Well whilst on two Weeks shore leave in Southampton,my late brother Greg and I met up with this Guy in the old Juniper Berry Hotel,his name I will never forget ,J B T (his name I will not reveal for reasons you will know later),who was at that time working for a company called Multivac!

Anyway after a good few Bevvies ,he started to open up,and eventually told us that there was some big Money to be made ! Well as we were still young and stupid,fell headlong into this currupt trap!

The whole plan (not to make this too long) was that Greg and I were to take a loadfull of Whitegoods(Hot as hell) from Southampton to Dover, drop the load at the place given ,and then dump the Truck over the White Cliffs! Only a days work and for the sum of 1000 GBP ,now to us that was some dosh those days.
Duly paid that great sum that was it!

The Job was carried out with no hassels at all,and the next day me and Greg were back in Southampton,happy as Larry’s with a pocketful of cash!

Now for the crunch!!
We were I recall as plain as daylight playing Pool in the old Jellicoe Seamans Hostel,when these two Burly blokes come up towards us.
The one askes!
Are you Vernon and Gregory Mac Donald!?
Yes we replied (what else could we say!?)

The other replies:
We have reason to believe that you two have been involved in a theft etc!
Well on that note my entire World fell down!
They had apparently been on this JBT for quite some time,and had him already in the cells,where he grassed us up
So that was that, we were both taken away and locked up,appearing the following week in Court!
We both got a sentence of Three Months,(First offenders)Greg being a bit older was in the normal Adult Wing,of Winchester Prison,and me still then being classed as a minor was held in the Juvenile Section of the same establishment!

Remember very clearly all those large Wings,dark Nights Slopouts ,bad food etc!
Me I was put in the Coal Gang,packing Coal in Bags ,and getting balck as ever with doing this!
It was heaven at the end of each day to get showered and locked in the 4 Peter!
I could go on,but its all too long!
So to END that is the reason I wasn’t able to fulfill my 2 Year Contract with the UCL!
So Young and so stupid!
But after that,well it was no more Sea Careers,so we followed what we could!
The rest is History!
Cheers

The above is all honest truth,so help me God!
And not very proud of it all!
Tanks for reading and possibly understanding!
There are many more incidents in my life,but that’s something else!

[Ivan Cloherty]

Thank you Vernon for baring your past, must have been one hell of a treaumatic experience, I would hazard a guess that a few of us on this site may have qualified for a spell in the cooler for some reason or other

I know that a couple of us were lucky not to have when in Dunkirk in the 50's we swopped the Star and Stripes with the Hammer and Sickle on a couple of buildings, also obtained an Argentinian flag took it back to the ship and used it as a door curtain in the officers lounge whilst still in Dunkirk, the gendarmerie came aboard to interview us whilst standing with their backs to our new door curtain, but we managed to convince them that it had nothing to do with anyone from our ship.

Anyway Vernon we are glad you are on this site

Ivan