Shore Leave in the USA

[kurutai]

I well remember those days in mainland China first port I went ashore in was Whampoa I have always had a great fondness for China and the Chinese people , I paid off sick in Shanghai in early 1962 I spent a month in the Shanghai seaman's hospital no one spoke English I had to wait for the ships agent to visit me once a week to translate anything I wanted to say to the doctors it was very basic but I could not fault the way they cared for me I look back on that time of my life with great nostalgia ,i was taken from the hospital to have my photo taken for some reason then I was put up in the Shanghai seaman's club on the Bund for about a week then they put me on a train from Shanghai to Hong Kong I think I was on three trains in all during the two day journey first one Shanghai to Canton where I was met and taken for a meal then i was put on a train from Canton to Lo Woo ( I hope that is the correct spelling ) that was the border from mainland China to the New territories then another train to Kowloon then a ferry over to Hong Kong where in was put up in the YMCA untill the agent could put me on a flight home .
In fact I well remember walking into the agents office he was holding a telegram, to this day I still remember what it said it was from the company saying" if fit for work send home DBS if unfit for work send home economy air passage " , the agent looked at me and said are you fit for work I said no so he booked me on a flight out about three days later I still have my Chinese visa on rice paper with my discharge book number written on it I also still have the three train tickets all in Chinese showing the clip mark where my ticket had been checked at every point of my journey, a time of my life which is vivid in my memory in fact when I was released from the hospital I was taken to a post office so that I could send a card home to my family to let them know I was OK I got home before the card great days many wonderful stories some starting to fade but all true, people would not believe the way it was back then i think this site is my last refuge amongst like minded old seaman for which I can only thank those who run it and contribute so much to make the wheels turn best wishes shipmates Dave .

[Nigel Smith]

As a British citizen we have been barred from the Green Card Lottery for a long time and remain so. I have always found US immigration officials far from 'welcoming' and some just downright hostile, ironic as the US is primarily made up of immigrants. I have heard of British seaman being denied shore leave since the 9/11 saga, the yanks make no secret that they don't like the British for whatever reason despite the 'special relationship' we are frequently reminded of. No doubt there would be displeasure if we banned US seamen from shore leave in the UK, but what's good for one is good for the other.

[j.sabourn]

#11 Dave know exactly what you mean. I have been retired now for 15 years. The first 5 was a bit weird but liked the thought of being retired and done my bit. However the novelty soon wore off after the 5 years when people stopped phoning you up for some job or other. Then I suppose a bit of depression sets in and you start seeing people in a different light and getting that feeling of not belonging there. This site getting back on to the fringes has done a lot of good to many as brought them back in from the land of the dead. All I hear about ashore from friends is what cruise they are doing next and going to places like the far east and the Indian sub continent and wondering what they see so delightful about some of the ports we used to be frequent visitors at, and looked forward to sailing time to get the sea breezes once more. Different world today I suppose as many have had certain areas cleaned up for the tourist business. We weren't tourists and probably saw sights no other westerners have and probably never will again. Think I would have gone round the bend but for sites like this. Cheers JS

[Captain Kong]

When my son was a well know Doctor in the US, He lived in La Jolla , San Diego, Cal. He had to fly over to UK and sometimes Europe to attend various Conferences at certain times of the year. He lived there for over Five years, .
When he flew into San Diego to go back home one time he was taken by the Immigration and locked in a room and questioned for over six hours, why he was flying in and out so many times. He was treated like some Illegal. even tho` he had all the relevant visas etc. He was not at all happy with the treatment.
Brian

[cappy]

###just agree wiyh what has been said ....retirement was looked forward to ....no more work related probs and rising at 6am ....i looked forward to a proper breakfast and lunch ......it didnt last .....i was bored to bits ...getting nattered at home never had that before much ...trying different hobbies ...but no buzz in life eating out had been a treat but now was boring ...mates were in the same boat ...bars were to easy to get stuck in .....main daily pursuits are a bit in the garden in summer .....grankids and there sporting activities ......happily still some old friends in shields which can fill in a day to or three times a month or a weekend tobying about the country ....but a true buzz like in business....gone .......beloved is a golfer and past lady captain but i find the game boring .....but that is my view ....guess i have some time on this great site which keeps my mind alive and thanks to the team and members for that......and the daily groans and moans and occasional spats that happen on here ...but mainly the knowledge i pick up each day ...and a good sense of cameradrie which flows ....regards cappy

[kurutai]

By the way JS you mentioning a Russian spy bought a thought to my mind ,whilst in the hospital I was allowed to walk along the corridor as I started to feel better this would have been towards the end of my month there , as I walked past one of the wards I looked in and sat on the bed was this European fella I went to speak to him but he was Russian so there was no conversation to be had there , mind you my stay in Hong Kong was delightful to say the least I can still remember her name to this day Chan Hon Ping in fact she gave me a lock of her hair to keep she put a knot in it long gone now , but that was my first taste of the Far East I tried to get back to see her again we have to remember I was only 19 and I was really taken with her but as I shipped out of the London pools there where not many ships going out to Hong Kong needing ableseamen so I contacted Blue Funnel it took a couple of letters before I was given a berth in Agapenor by that time I was a 20 years of age I never did getting see my lovely Chan Hon Ping again as I was off to Java and Sumatra another one to go on the list of places I wanted to return to , I think the trouble with going to sea in those days of plenty of time in ports that I myself got torn between wanting to get out East or down to South America and even then I was was wishing that I had joined that ship going to Kiwi or OZ but if I had joined her I would have been thinking of one of my numerous favourite ports that I wished I was going to , I myself I have to say just took it all for
granted
I just never saw the writing on the wall I enjoyed the work and I took pride in being a good seaman but then out of the blue it hit me all the great shipping company's going to the wall but how stupid was I back in 1965 I did the last voyage of the South American Saint line in the Saint Essylt I should of seen it coming but I never really took it in regards to all hands Dave .

[kurutai]

Sorry mates I have gone right off the thread that was started by John Arton ,sorry John I find that when I get into a yarn about ships and the sea it is so easy for me to ramble on and before I know it I am completely off course as I said I'm often telling a yarn and half way through something completely different comes to mind , my first trip I was interviewed and also had to attend a short arm inspection in San Francisco my first thought at the time was this must be a great run ashore which I found on my monthly pay was not the case regards Dave

[j.sabourn]

!966 was the time that the sea life started to nose dive I was mate on one of Dalgliesh"s ore carriers in Port Talbot, and spent the whole of the strike on board. When the crews came back to the ships they had obviously mostly had a hard time financially and came back with high hopes of a better life with better conditions. What I saw they were sold down the drain by the Wilson government, who stood by and watched the whole manning arrangements re-arranged to the shipowners liking, plus other alterations to the manner of working. I said to myself if I am carrying on at sea I am going for the money and went to work for Saguenay Terminals of Montreal on twice the money. Carried on until 71 on foreign vessels and took one job sight unseen which turned out to be a bummer. Came back to British ships and went with John I Jacobs who threw the towel in a few years later. Decided that the UK fleet would soon be non existant so went to make my fortune in the North Sea, where again most British tonnage took the path of the deep sea trade. Emigrated to Australia in 1991 and had a further 11 plus years in offshore work, and should have been here 30 years earlier. The sea always recalls memories of hard times, but we all want to remember the good ones, I don't and never will regret getting a livelihood from the sea, but towards the latter years it was not too easy to find work. The powers that be started to break the back of British Shipping immediately after the strike, and was probably planned that way by connivers who we wont name. Cheers JS

[kurutai]

I went to Oz in 1968 worked for Union Steam out of Melbourne aboard Kumalla running to Strahan in Tasmania like everything I ever did i was always looking for greener grass I got fed up I took a flight over to Kiwi again joined Union Steam aboard the old Kurutai I was happy but again it all went pear shape my brother bless him was living with a girl in OZ but they fell out he ends up coming over to Kiwi so then because he was not a seaman and could not get a berth I started working ashore painting well that did not last long so now I have a dilema I can't go back to sea and leave my younger brother on his own so the only way forward was to go into Shaw Saville offices in Queens Street I think it was back then and I got us both a berth back to the UK me AB my young brother DHU we joined the Athenic she was on her way home via the States we had no trouble in any of the ports up the east coast getting ashore on to Montreal then it was over to the UK but that was not to be we ended up taking her to the breakers in Kaoshiung we spent a couple of nights in Taipei and flew home now my young brother was home safe and sound I would not have to worry about my dear old Mum worrying about him so for me a few weeks at home and get back to the life I loved but again that did not pan out a one time friend got me a job in the lift trade because I could splice I walked the interview so I thought this will do untill the old greener grass feeling kicks in but then I met my future wife and here I am still not quite sure what I want to do with my life at 75 years of age but I think I am well and truly at anchor now what with my lovely daughter living next door with our 2 grandchildren but as you all will know shipmates it is still in my head but never mind at least we were there when it matterd I would not last 5 minutes now even if I was fit enough which i am not , for me having the life at sea that we had I would fade away with boredom in today's merchant navy how could the ships of today match up just think todays ships great food nice single cabin no doubt good pay put that up against a ship of our time take the old Mystic for instance a month alongside in Auckland discharging need I go on I will if you want but again I will before I know it go right off the thread that John started sorry John I have done it again best regards to all hands and I thank you all so much for keeping me well and truly in touch with a life that dreams are made of Dave

[Lewis McColl]

Dave,Such a wonderful memory, not so much the reasons for paying off but how the Chinese treated you and how despicable the company you worked for seemed to think you were cargo that had gone bad. Stay well.