What motivated you all to join the Merchant Navy.

[Thomas Daley]

The drop of water is really oil. When Piper Bravo came on stream those involved were presented with a glass cub paperweight with a drop of oil. Engraved and lined with gold were all the details.
OIM's on the Tharos in 1988 during Piper were UK. agency, only company man onboard were the storeman. When Red Adair landed on the Tharos (Piper still on fire) asking to be taken to the company mans office were shocked when taken to the stores. Occidental then put two American in quite pronto as they say.
Never on any Seaforth Boats, on a lot of their rival boats with Maersk.
Sailed with a few Grey Funnel guys in Fred Olsen who had left the RN under a (No future promotions possible) cloud, hated the replies and treatment he received for Engineers in the Bar when trying to hand out wisdom, they were soon transferred around the fleet.

Israeli boats answered in msg

[j.sabourn]

#41 yep the last half stripe between Lt. Commdr and full Commander with the brass hat , they used to reckon was the make or break time of life. The only other vessel anywhere near the piper alpha apart from the Tharos and self was the Maersk Runner if memory correct if not it’s in an earlier post he had his monitors on not so much to reach the fire but to cool the sea , but would imagine that would be like putting hot water on top of hot water , he pulled my frc and crew on board over his stern roller when they had to pull clear of the platform, I tried to,get them back myself as needed them on ship but failed ,so am forever grateful to them.There were plenty of boats in the water after the grand event but not during it.Think it was the Glasgow Clipper in Drydock Middlesborough alongside us one of Jacob’s ore carriers. There was going to be a suspected attack on her and the shipyard had police in mufti up cranes and other places all armed , had the dog handler in my cabin learned a lot about police dogs , the first one never approach it from behind or it’ll have you if you don’t smell right.The attack from terrorists never happened , pleased about that. Cheers JS
Correction it was the Maersk Cutter at the Piper , the Maersk Runner I was master on out here if remember correctly, see what happens when one gets old good job I’m getting a brain scan on the 14 June will prove or disprove once and for all if I have one. JS

[Thomas Daley]

#42.
Very small world, where on the R boats from Oct 83 to May 91,
On the Runner many years, Retriever joining it in the Bering Sea, (Deadliest catch area) leaving in Balboa.
On the Cutter 2 years before Piper and a lovely ship.
Runner were posted out to China, Chiwan waters mid/late 86, get ferry from HK to Shekhou which were the "Special Economic Enterprise Zone surrounding HK prior to its 1997 handover. (2010 would be a regular with Seadrill overnighting in Shekhou before going offshore). Onboard the Runner found the commissar were the motorman and always seasick, all others were local fisherman, before departure their families came onboard and took 90% of the Chinese food leaving only rice, fishing lines were out everywhere. Escape hatch from boiler space up to deck had fish/squid hanging from rungs for drying..
Ended up middle years on the ex Husky "S" boats, a tale on how 'DG' at Maersk bought secondhand, icebreaking supply boats from the Canadians, first non Brit crew in the North Sea, hired Cape Verde and not a patch on the Brits.
Back to the Ruler until approached/poached by Asco Smit for dive boat 'DSV Rockwater 1', when my life on semis/drillships offshore started.

As said/written many times, this country with the 'MN' lost an industry that trained guys, teenagers became men, after a few trips knew more about life than those that never left their town.
Learned how to sew, darn and take up trouser legs, perfect ironing skills. Even now any ripped bedding by the dogs (8 off) I sew or patch. Wife needs a few remedial stitches I fix. She were amazed to find my "Housewife" a folding up sewing kit.
There will never be folk like us sefarers again, we are dinosaurs, in fact many are fossils now.

[j.sabourn]

The Maersk Lifter,Retriever, and Supporter were also out here in Oz , brought down on bareboat charter from Singapore 96/97 … JS.

[Des Jenkins]

Hi Thomas.
Takes me about half an hour to thread a needle, but once done I can sew as good as at sea, my wife asks why are you bothering? your Granddaughter has just bought your son three pairs of jeans from the Salvos for $15? I told her jut keeping my hand in in case I go back to sea, that is if they take 93 year old seamen LoL
Des

[happy daze john in oz]

Des mate, you have the correct attitude.
That is to stay positive.

[Gerald Farr]

What made me think of going to sea? Economics in a way. Back in late 1955, De Havilland advertised for apprentice design draftsmen. Having already got my GCE's in Technical Drawing, Art, Mathematics, English and a couple of other subjects I had the necessary prerequisites to apply. My Father at some time then went to their Head Office to find out what was entailed in applying. The very first requirement, not mentioned in their advertisement, was The Bond. 6oo Pounds Sterling for the five year Apprenticeship, non-refundable if the Apprenticeship was not completed whatever the reason. That apparently included ill-health, sacking for not meeting their expectations of competency, and anything else you could think of to avoid repaying The Bond. I doubt if my Father was earning much more than that a year at the time so that was the economical reason. I then applied to the Fleet Air Arm but was told the intake was over subscribed for the foreseeable future, so back to square one. It just so happened that a friend of the family was at home at the time and they suggested that we went round for a chat one evening quite soon as he would be off again in the next day or so. After tea one evening we went round to their place where he explained that he was Master in Esso Petroleum and how the Merchant Navy took on Apprentices and how you could work your way up. This appealed to me so my Father with a little advice from his friend made some further enquiries and I found myself going to King Ed VII Nautical College short course and then to sea. BP wouldn't have me as I had had a fairly major operation two years previously and they felt that the heat up the Persian Gulf might adversely affect me and advised me to apply to a company trading in more temperate climes. I joined C T Bowring and had a very happy time there until the last year when things started to change, none of us knew what was going on behind the scenes and the fantastic little company drifted off into distance for ever. I will tell the story of how I saw it from my point of view at a later date but I remember the Good times and wouldn't change them for all the tea in China.