Drinking at Sea

[vic mcclymont]

Seeing Lewis's earlier posts of being dry at sea reminds of my time on the Clan Ranald.
The Ranald was the second of four sister ships, Ramsay, Ranald, Ross and Robertson.
The Ranald was completed in 1965, there was no difference in her construction, machinery, etc., but she was the ship where everything went wrong.
Her files, were enormous.
I joined her in 1971, she had just completed a trip after a refit from H&W, the refit was a fire alarm system and a Lyngso Bridge control system.
Our instructions were to work her up and obtain the UMS certification, difficult to do when most of her E.R alarms were inoperative.
I submitted my end of voyage repair list, which consisted of over thirty alarm circuit faults.
On arrival Soton, I was summoned to the C.E.'s cabin, whereupon I was subjected to a grilling by the shore superintendent.
Questions were asked, why so many faults, what I had I done during the voyage, the usual.
Backed by the C.E. repairs were authorised.
The Ranald was a hard working ship, where many of the faults originated before appearing on her sisters.
We were hard working, hard drinking.
Arriving Durban, we had a big party, party, party over, someone decided on BBQ. The BBQ was held on the Boat deck outside the Old Mans cabin and finished approximately 04:00 hours.
Four hours later the Old Man appeared at C.S. office asking where his engineers were, the Purser, suffering from a hangover and typing with one finger, sated that they are down below. Old Man didn't believe him until he heard the noise of the windy hammer.
He stated "The first time they let me down will be there last", and know what we never did.
Vic