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Thread: Any fantastic books on life on a merchant seaman

  1. #11
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    Default Re: Any fantastic books on life on a merchant seaman

    I think today though Des if the writer of the request for stories if looking for tales like 2 years before the mast would have today to refer to Joseph Conrad. And the last century. The 50s and 60s would be the era coming to a close , coming to a close as regards British Shipping. The days of the AB being an EDH with a lifeboat ticket which was generally thought, was nearing its end , the same as the British Red Ensign. What was left for the next generation was mainly the offshore oil and gas exploration , and which required different certification , the must have certificates were the HUET as already discussed , the Basic Sea Survival, Fire Fighting, Advanced First Aid, Helicopter Landing Officer, the coxn FRC, various other courses for specialised work. The AB of old was gone. These courses if he didn’t have a sponsor were on the whole too expensive for the average seafarer , so jolly jack had to tie himself to the owners apron strings . Either that or have a union to pay the courses. Out here the maritime union did when the GI seamen came into vogue . GI stands for like the US army general issue , not the correct word as Australian and British seamen had different descriptive words for it. The British was GP general purpose. On its way out wire splicing which had been done for generations , and doubt if you walked on any ship today you would find anyone to put a splice in a wire. Our youth has all but disappeared , what’s on this site will be the only true record of our past. Cheers JS.
    Last edited by j.sabourn; 24th November 2021 at 04:56 AM.
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  2. #12
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    Default Re: Any fantastic books on life on a merchant seaman

    Your spot on John. I can still put a splice in a wire, then worm and parcel, if fact I put a post office splice when I changed the clothesline wires. When I was on the NZ coast we started to get the wires spliced in the Loft in Auckland, I think all working there were ex MN
    I can see where RG is coming from, I read any books with a sea story, whether the Ship That died of Shame, or rereading The Last Time around Cape Horn about the Pamir, a trip on which my brother sailed, but the most down to earth are those written by seamen who started out as boys .
    Des
    PS. I wonder how many partly written sea stories are laying around in draws.
    Last edited by Des Taff Jenkins; 25th November 2021 at 12:26 AM.
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  3. #13
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    Default Re: Any fantastic books on life on a merchant seaman

    Like Des in #12 most of my books are nautical or local history. They cover from the early eighteen hundreds to around the nineteen seventies. Sailing ships to steam and motor. Most are written by ships masters, a few by other ratings. I have selected three from the nineteen fifties and sixties. A rare one an engineer who I have just noticed in a member of this site. I don't know if you can still buy them but all worth a read if you can.
    Bill
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  4. Thanks Doc Vernon, N/A, Des Taff Jenkins thanked for this post
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