Mighty Ships

[Lewis McColl]

John , I suspect the lady in the pursers department was not looking at Murphy's boots and thinking to herself, would you look at the state of them sheets!!!

[happy daze john in oz]

But Murphy when it came to the first class dinning room was one of the best dressed officers.
The steam queens hated him as he wanted clean shirts every day, as well as clean sheets.

Never knew him to go ashore, but did like a drop or two, or three

[JoeWhelan]

Joe Murphy. R.I.P. At a later date he was Engineer Superintendent for Universe Tankships. and Engineer Manager. Verolme Shipyard Rushbrook. Co Cork.

[happy daze john in oz]

Joe Murphy. R.I.P. At a later date he was Engineer Superintendent for Universe Tankships. and Engineer Manager. Verolme Shipyard Rushbrook. Co Cork.

I assume we are talking about the same Murphy, he was a great guy got on well with him.

[Malcolm Lawrence]

When I first joined Fyffes in the early 70s I went straight in as a Jnr Eng, no ship training, no signing articles, no safety training, could never understand why they accepted a Toolmakers qualification would be just the job for buggering about with super heated steam.
Thankfully I have a very strong survival instinct

[cappy]

When I first joined Fyffes in the early 70s I went straight in as a Jnr Eng, no ship training, no signing articles, no safety training, could never understand why they accepted a Toolmakers qualification would be just the job for buggering about with super heated steam.
Thankfully I have a very strong survival instinct

Sh keep it quiet.....then we can all sleep peacefully knowing all is under control ....lol cappy

[Ralph Knowles]

Malcom L,
I had an identical experience. 1971, Joined Ben Line straight out of a tool design office with tool room experience of fitting and machining during my five year apprenticeship All that came to good use at sea and also when taking my 2/E ticket. Big difference between pushing a pencil and pulling pistons and liners, but never regretted it.

[Chris Thompson]

Like so many on here unless on watch you ate in the Saloon, but epaulettes on a boiler suit? You wore a boiler suit cause it was dirty and hot in the engine room not because of your position. The difference between my experience with Silver line in the 70s and now, basically we were all British on a British flagged vessel then, now the ships featured in the programme are internationally flagged with engineers representing the united nations, after saying that, still watch and enjoy the programme and hanker after the life we once had.

[happy daze john in oz]

Yes, the mix of crew on any ship today be it a tanker, bullk carrier or Cruise ship you will find them all there.
Indonesian, Phillpino, Goanese, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnam, Thia, Cambodian , Italian, Croatan, English, American, Irish, Spanish, yes and many more.
But the ships work so the crew must do their job well, some how the language barrier is not a problem.

[Keith Tindell]

Well, as to the mix of crews, that was how i found most of the trampers i worked on, in fact on two ships i was on i was the only Brit in the crew, deck officers mainly British, but the rest were of all mixes. This was in the late 50s, and there many displaced persons in the MN from the war, Poles and Lithuanian etc, but all made an exciting time, kt