Joining my first ship

[Lewis McColl]

I joined my first ship in Belfast, only for the coasting voyage.

M/V Owerri Oct/Nov 1969,
I joined her as said in Belfast. I cannot remember the name of the dock in Belfast but it was directly opposite H&W ship yard and the Owerri had been built there in 1955.
Anyway how strange was this. I was coming off watch 12/4 and was just looking towards the Cave Hill and trying to pick out my mum's house we lived in a council house just below the Antrim road.
Anyway I went across to the starboard side and a ship was just swinging round so she could go astern of us. She was the M/V Brittanic. I think this Brittanic was built on the Clyde, still it sent a shiver down my spine as I knew the history of a former Brittanic that had been built in the yard I was looking at.
owerrie.jpgBrittanic.png

[Ivan Cloherty]

Mine was a little different in size, joined her in 1951, coal fired steam trawler 'Swanland' built in 1914, so bluddy small thought she must have sunk alongside! took me a long time to spot her lying four off from the quay, an hour after joining off we go to Iceland and Bear Island in the Arctic, no hot water and an outside loo, a memorable trip for a number of reasons. Wish I was on her now!

[Louis the fly]

Lew were you ever on Obuasi EDs or Helenus , Machaon , Blue Fu.

I joined my first ship Romney in my training school uniform and beret , as I had been told to do. Called the old night watchman at the top of the gangway sir.

[thomas michael]

Mine was a little different in size, joined her in 1951, coal fired steam trawler 'Swanland' built in 1914, so bluddy small thought she must have sunk alongside! took me a long time to spot her lying four off from the quay, an hour after joining off we go to Iceland and Bear Island in the Arctic, no hot water and an outside loo, a memorable trip for a number of reasons. Wish I was on her now!

ivan now you know you didn't need hot water when you went out on deck you just smashed the ice on the water butt and shoved your hands in, they where as warm as toast after that.or better still piss on them that was one of the ways of keeping warm
tom

[John F Collier]

Joined my first ship the NZSCo MV ORARI at the Gladstone Dock Liverpool 14 July 1955, 6 days after leaving the Vindi, they
were still opening the hatches and I'll never forget the smells and atmosphere of that first day, it was the first time I'd ever
been on a ship or in a dock so it was a new world to me and the beginning of the best days of my life. Cheers JF

[Ivan Cloherty]

ivan now you know you didn't need hot water when you went out on deck you just smashed the ice on the water butt and shoved your hands in, they where as warm as toast after that.or better still piss on them that was one of the ways of keeping warm
tom

Tom, the piss froze!! that's if you could find the thing you piss through!

[vic mcclymont]

When I joined B&C, stood by the Edinburgh Castle at discharging at Soton before joining the SA VAAL.
Was an eye opener joining the passenger ships, completely different world from what I was used to.
Regards
Vic

[joseph connor]

Joined my first ship the NZSCo MV ORARI at the Gladstone Dock Liverpool 14 July 1955, 6 days after leaving the Vindi, they
were still opening the hatches and I'll never forget the smells and atmosphere of that first day, it was the first time I'd ever
been on a ship or in a dock so it was a new world to me and the beginning of the best days of my life. Cheers JF

The smell of rope,old and new,paint ,fuel oil ,cargo , and your own fear as you step into another world so far removed from the one you used to belong to with a loving mam and dad , for a hard nosed no punches pulled Bos, n , but your exitement at what you had longed for coming true won through , JOE .

[j.sabourn]

That feeling never leaves Joe. Whenever joining a new ship never been on before and the mystery and type of ship you are unaware of. The challenges and hopes you expect to find, but in later life is quite often dispelled when you get alongside and see the same old rusty ships side and find your first port will be Russia or some other God forsaken place up in the Arctic Circle. However if is some exotic island in the tropics can learn to live with the rusty ships sides until get around to getting some camouflage on in the way of primers and paints. Together with job satisfaction and way of life kept many at sea, today however for myself the job satisfaction has gone which most of the same era would find, as for the appearance of the ship most don't care and start counting the number of days to get off time as soon as join. Cheers JWS.

[John F Collier]

That's right Joe, I'll always remember walking out of the gates on leaving the Vindi with so many mixed feelings, I felt very
proud that I'd done my training and the anticipation of what was to come, I didn't have to wait long to find out as the next
week I was on my first ship, I was the only one to join the MN from all of the kids that I knew so when I got home still wearing
my uniform with the MN flashes on the shoulders "I felt ten feet tall", it's amazing how quickly all those years have gone by.
Cheers JF