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Thread: The lantern test and oral examinations

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    Default The lantern test and oral examinations

    I did all my tickets at the old B.O.T buildings in Gosforth. These were wooden buildings that overlooked gosforth golf club and especially if you were sitting written papers during summer months it meant you could be easily distracted watching golfers enjoying a round of golf.
    The lantern test for colour was done by an old clerk and when I did mine I had to point out to him that the glass was dirty and needed cleaning. Before starting his days testing he always asked if any of us were smokers and if so he would always test those last after telling them to wait outside in clean air, not smoking until called in for the test. The lantern test is no longer used, instead those coloured cards are used now, ishawara? Plates.
    For 2nd mates and mates I went before a captain Stevens. He was a bit of a legend being high on 70 years old and still living in London. He had been temporarily assigned to the Newcastle center, lived in digs through the week and always caught the 16:30 train back to London on a Friday night. He was a stickler for dress code and any candidate who turned up not fully suited and booted got thrown out immediately. He could have three candidates in the room at the same time, one doing bouyage, one doing semaphore and one doing flag hoists. He never seemed to look at you, instead he always rested his head on his hand, which constantly had a woodbine burning between his fingers and a huge mug of tea in front of him, yet if one of the candidates made a mistake he spotted it straight away.
    For my orals I was 2nd in that day, the 1st in being a middle Eastern fellow who lasted about 2 minutes before being thrown very voicecifery out, apparently he queried why he need to describe the colour and shape of a port hand bouy!!!!
    Filled with trepidation I entered the room to be confronted with two examiners, Stevens explaining to me that the coloured gentlemen sitting alongside him was a trainee who would be shortly be taking up the post of examiner in Hull and did I have any objections to him sitting in to observe, I couldn't say no so off we started with rule of the road questions. I was asked to tell Stevens all I knew about rule "X" and I would recite the rule word for word. This went on through a couple of rules but after I had correctly answered each question the trainee examiner would butt in saying that although I had answered correctly he would have liked an answer more along the lines of "xxxxx". Eventually Stevens got so frustrated with his interruptions that told him to get out of the room as he was disturbing me...which was strange as it's usually candidates who thrown out.
    I had Stevens again for mates but cannot recall anything untoward beyond relief at passing first time.
    For masters I found it a doddle as the examiner, not Stevens this time, had actually been the surveyor in charge of the inquiry into the sinking and abandonment of one of my companies vessels in the Pacific some years previously, so most of the exam was spent on talking about the incident and had I ever sailed on that ship and did I know any of its crew.
    Rgds
    J.A.

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    Default Re: The lantern test and oral examinations

    I preferred my oral tests in the dark!!

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    Default Re: The lantern test and oral examinations

    Ivan, I always leave the lamp on, Would you dine out in the dark...……………………
    {terry scouse}

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    Default Re: The lantern test and oral examinations

    Hi John
    I too found `Masters` an easy one, The examiner was a Captain***** who had questioned me several times about the POOL FISHER disaster, during the Investigation of the sinking, for the Court of Inquiry, only a few months before the exam
    Cheers
    Brian
    Last edited by Captain Kong; 6th January 2020 at 05:21 PM.

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