Ships that you have served on that had WWII history

[Gerald Farr]

As previously mentioned I did my first trip, also my first year at sea as apprentice on board the ss El Gallo known as the Empire Emerald in her wartime days. This dissertation contains a little humour along with a memory from our Chief Steward who served on her during the war. As an apprentice I worked five and a half days a week, Mon-Fri 0700-1700 and Sat 0700-1200. After lunch Sat we had to study under the tuition of the Second Mate until 1500hrs. then we could do our own thing for the rest of the day. I can't remember how it started but it became a regular thing for the Ch. Steward and me to play Cribbage (Crib) on Saturday until shortly before tea when he had to get everything organised. On this particular Saturday shortly after 1600hrs the Third Engineer, a young Scotsman, came into the Ch. Stewards cabin and sat down on the settee, he was as white as a sheet and shivering. The Ch. Std asked him if he was alright and at first he didn't answer, then he said "Just now when I finished my Watch I went up to the steering flat to check steering gear oil levels and while doing it someone tapped me on the shoulder, when I turned round there was a chap standing there and then he just faded away". The Ch Std leant round and picked up his book of menus and looked at the date and then said " Don't worry, today is the Anniversary of when we got a direct hit through the steering flat which killed our Third Engineer. Over the years a few Third's have seen the same thing, there's nothing to be concerned about." Somehow the story got out and one of our AB's, also Scottish heard about it, and started going about saying things like, the wee girlie shouldn't have left her Mother, he must have been drinking too much whiskey. The AB was on the Third Mate's Watch and he and the Third Eng were quite good pals so one afternoon while doing the Monthly life boat stores check the Third Mate ran a thin line from the foc'sle bell and tied the other end to the rails on the Monkey Island. That night when it got dark and the AB was on lookout the Third Mate pulled on the line and rang the bell once, then he rang the bell again and the AB walked down to look at the bell, as he was getting close the The Mate rang the bell rapidly. The AB ran down the flying bridge and up to the wheelhouse. He said to the Third Mate "I'm not keeping lookout on the focs'le head again, that f.......g ghost has gone up there now". The helmsman who had seen it all couldn't get down to tell the story soon enough and you can guess who got called a silly wee lassie from then on.

[john hancock]

MV Glenearn
Coasted on her 1967.
Written about extensively in the book , In time of war.

[Gerald Farr]

Another memory from my time on the El Gallo nee Empire Emerald. We were in very heavy seas, not quite a gale, but with large swells in the North Atlantic heading home with a cargo of Peruvian crude destined for Ellesmere Port, Liverpool. I was on the bridge, maybe cleaning brass or scrubbing the wheelhouse deck, I can't remember now, when the Captain came through from the chartroom and stood looking out the wheelhouse window. As we rose up one side of the swell and down the other dipping the bow in and sending heavy spray over the foc'sle and fore deck the Captain turned to me and said "I remember weather conditions almost identical to this many years ago now during the war." Apparently they were heading for the UK fully loaded, in convoy, on full alert, knowing that there were subs in that area of the Atlantic. It was during daylight hours so they could see all around them when one of the lookouts shouted "Torpedo on the starboard bow" and there was the wake running straight at them, unable to take evasive action because of the other ships close around them they waited for the inevitable as the bow dipped into the trough and then rose up the other side. Miraculously the the torpedo went underneath them while the bow was on the rise but not so lucky for the cargo ship on their port side. The Captain then left the bridge without saying any more.

[Ivan Cloherty]

As an apprentice I worked five and a half days a week, Mon-Fri 0700-1700 and Sat 0700-1200. After lunch Sat we had to study under the tuition of the Second Mate until 1500hrs. then we could do our own thing for the rest of the day..

Sounds more like Daddy's yacht! sounds like a good deal. Some of us in the 50's were a little less fortunate, 0630 until 1800 with 30 minute meal breaks, off deck, into uniform, into saloon (no working mess) out of saloon into working gear, you learnt to wolf down food. Seven days a week at sea. First job of the day regardless of weather, wash down, bridge, boat deck and Prom deck (12 passengers), then you could go for breakfast, after that sh*ttiest jobs Mate could find for you, study time was in your own time, no formal lessons, but somehow we got there. In port cargo watch down the holds 12 -18 hours was normal,(have done much longer) four apprentices, five holds, so if you were fortunate enough to be in the first hold to finish, you relieved the R/O who got paid overtime, as an apprentice you got zilch o/t, but you did get £6 a month! total pay. We survived, somehow!!

Would I do it again? you betcha! but only in the same era, because what little time you did get ashore in Cuba (pre-Castro) and S-America was pure heaven!

[Des Taff Jenkins]

The post about a ghost reminded me of a British tanker I was on, apparently the Captain on a previous trip was on the foredeck and they saw him tapping at something when PUFF he disappeared, I joined her on a later trip and was with two brothers both AB's one was a bit on the weak side.
One night he came running along the foredeck walkway and up into the wheel house, said he had seen a bloke in Captains uniform bending over a valve, now he had never seen the Captain who had disappeared but one of the Mates had and the ABs description was spot on.
Des

[Gerald Farr]

Hi to Ian Cloherty Thread #74, Sorry if I tended to make it sound so cushy but the times that I gave were the hours that all our day working crew worked in 1956. As Apprentices we were called at 0600hrs, clean and tidy our cabin before going down to the pantry to grab a cup of tea, the senior apprentice reporting to the bridge to get the day's worklist from the Mate and then being out on deck by 0700hrs. Not just after but by 0700hrs. And yes, we did get the sh.....iest jobs going. On one ship later on in life I had to help the Chippy clear the blocked toilet from the Owners cabin which meant disconnecting pipes which subsequently showered us with water and everything else in the pipe. The blockage was caused by used ST's (ask your wife she'll tell you what they are) flushed down the toilet and caused everything to back up behind them, we then had to clean up the resulting mess. But back to 1956, on the Tanker El Gallo we could be tank cleaning, no Butterworth auto washing. Down in the tank with a hot salt water hose in your working gear, then come mealtime up for a shower into your best Bib and Tucker down to the saloon, gulp your food down like you said and then back out to get thoroughly filthy again before the next meal. Or up the 100ft Mainmast, sitting in a bosun's chair having rigged yourself up with a self lowering knot. Paint brush in one hand, gallon tin of paint tied off at one side of the chair, and slowly working your way back down. No safety line, just a length of heaving line passed around the mast and knotted behind you to stop you swinging too far off the mast as the ship rolled in the swell, exciting times. I have also had to polish the ship's 6ft Whistle, in fact just the other day I came across the photo of me up there doing just that, the worst part was that previously someone had thought it would be a good idea to varnish it so it wouldn't need cleaning so often, so before I could polish it I had to get the varnish off. I cannot remember how many days it took me but the senior apprentice kept watch over me in case I fell. And no it wasn't a bit like Daddy's yacht and at 7/8 Pounds a month I wasn't making a fortune (as a pre sea schoolkid working with a builder I earned that much a week) Later on I was also in Cuba when Castro was starting to flex his Muscles and we had to stop discharging and go back out to sea before dark, at least 80 miles off and then return at daylight to resume discharging. Would I do it again? You betcha but as you said, in that era not in the current clime. Cheers and have a good day.

[j.sabourn]

Well I served my time 1953 to 1957. Nothing was permanent except the apprentices , the rest of crew were only there for the voyage and proceeded on leave at end of. So could say had different peoples ideas on how apprentices should be treated . Some mates considered three should be on the mates watch and the senior on day work so this was a mininum 12 hours a day, no bother nothing better to do. Other times each apprentice on different watches so got a good idea of the working of a ship. One master always had the senior apprentice always on the pilotage wheel. Every trip differed, one master always had me as nightwatchman in port . Anyhow most of us survived well known the workings of a ship. Those who didn’t shouldn’t have been there in the first place and chose the wrong career. We can moan about it because that is the only privilege we had , but it was a make or break
Situation in most cases and if couldn’t stand the pace should have chosen better. I went up to retiring age of 65 but it took some doing as the powers that be took our toy ships away from us , but I made the full term regardless , at least it gave me a living and made me what I am today , an old man who can’t stand moaners and supposedly hard done to in our youth. I found job satisfaction but 65 was long enough. Cheers JS.

[Tony Taylor]

Hi to Ian Cloherty Thread #74, Sorry if I tended to make it sound so cushy but the times that I gave were the hours that all our day working crew worked in 1956. As Apprentices we were called at 0600hrs, clean and tidy our cabin before going down to the pantry to grab a cup of tea, the senior apprentice reporting to the bridge to get the day's worklist from the Mate and then being out on deck by 0700hrs. Not just after but by 0700hrs. And yes, we did get the sh.....iest jobs going. On one ship later on in life I had to help the Chippy clear the blocked toilet from the Owners cabin which meant disconnecting pipes which subsequently showered us with water and everything else in the pipe. The blockage was caused by used ST's (ask your wife she'll tell you what they are) flushed down the toilet and caused everything to back up behind them, we then had to clean up the resulting mess. But back to 1956, on the Tanker El Gallo we could be tank cleaning, no Butterworth auto washing. Down in the tank with a hot salt water hose in your working gear, then come mealtime up for a shower into your best Bib and Tucker down to the saloon, gulp your food down like you said and then back out to get thoroughly filthy again before the next meal. Or up the 100ft Mainmast, sitting in a bosun's chair having rigged yourself up with a self lowering knot. Paint brush in one hand, gallon tin of paint tied off at one side of the chair, and slowly working your way back down. No safety line, just a length of heaving line passed around the mast and knotted behind you to stop you swinging too far off the mast as the ship rolled in the swell, exciting times. I have also had to polish the ship's 6ft Whistle, in fact just the other day I came across the photo of me up there doing just that, the worst part was that previously someone had thought it would be a good idea to varnish it so it wouldn't need cleaning so often, so before I could polish it I had to get the varnish off. I cannot remember how many days it took me but the senior apprentice kept watch over me in case I fell. And no it wasn't a bit like Daddy's yacht and at 7/8 Pounds a month I wasn't making a fortune (as a pre sea schoolkid working with a builder I earned that much a week) Later on I was also in Cuba when Castro was starting to flex his Muscles and we had to stop discharging and go back out to sea before dark, at least 80 miles off and then return at daylight to resume discharging. Would I do it again? You betcha but as you said, in that era not in the current clime. Cheers and have a good day.

Not much later than you but still same old story, deck cadet and eng. app. taking a quick break.
VOLUTA 69 .jpg

[Ivan Cloherty]

Hi to Ian Cloherty Thread #74, The blockage was caused by used ST's (ask your wife she'll tell you what they are)

Just how lacking in knowledge do you think I am?

Ask the wife! Oh! how I wish I could!

Nothing in your epistle was unusual for any of us, if being covered in sh*t was the worst that happened to you count your blessings

Anyway when you learn to read you'll notice the name is Ivan