Why did you go to Sea?

Why did I go to sea? all sees very naive now- without any previous family connections with the sea in 1943 and just turned 17 I persuaded my parents to let me enter wireless college so I could go to sea as it was the quickest way I could get involved with the war!!! as I said it all seem s very naive-but was well worth the effort as it opened up the whole wide world to me.,tho' must admmit that first voyage out of Liverpool in the middle of winter did make me wonder if I had done the right thing !!!

Sefaring had been in the family for a few generations, great grand father and his father had all worked in the Sunderland ship yards. My grandfather was a ships engineer during both wars and a cousin of my mother had been a deck hand. My father was army but his grandfather had been a bosun at somew time. A good neighbor when I was a young lad had been a winger on the Mauritania. I had wanted to be an elctrician and was seriously considering it when my best mate Keith told me he was going to sea. Not to be outdone at the end of his first voyage on the Chusan and he told me what he had done and seen I knew I had to join up. Up to the pool, off to the Vindi and the rest as they say is history.

Greetings Archie,
Welcome to this great web site & yes I sailed with LOF, sadly only for two years 1963-1965 the ships I served on were the "London Prestige" "Overseas Courier" & finally the "Overseas Adventurer" a lovely company & enjoyed every minute of it, as I always say I wish I could do it all over again.
I don't know if you are aware but there is a lovely LOF Web Site run by a Roy Gerstner one of their ex Radio Officers just type in LOF News & it should come up if you have any problems let me know anyway let me know what you think when you have browsed through it you might even come across some of your ex ship mates.
In 2004 & again in 2007 I attended two LOF Reunions both in a hotel in Leicester & really enjoyed them in addition I met up with two ex shipmates from 41 years previous a wonderfull experince.
Not sure if there will be another one but we will have to wait & see.
I keep the LOF web site in my favourites along with quite a few others including this great one & usually pop almost every day most enjoyable.
There are a lot of photos on the web site from the two reunions so you may recognize some of your ex ship mates.
Best wishes to one & all,
John Aspin (R685343) Ormesby-Middlesbrough

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/26/26_8_11.gif hi lads. started work at 14 in a cable factory. soon decided that it was not for me and applied for the MN. had no relations who went to sea, knew no one who was at sea but i wanted to see the world and that was the easiest way. the only regret was leaving the sea after 10 years. couldn't work inside so went lorry driving until i retired. thats yer lot. alf
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When I was 16, I landed a job on the Doddles sailing out of Maldon ( 2 man crew, I was Chief Officer, Ha, Ha. ), but managed to get the sack from that ship, not really cut out for coasters. I think that I was getting a bit of a tear-a-way at home, I have always been interested in the sea joing jobs, so my Father wrote away for me to go to the Vindi ( 1964 ) the best thing that he ever done, and I have never looked back. I spent 22 years at sea and enjoyed the time while I was there. from Port Line etc to finishing off on Stena Line. That is how I ended up at sea, I wonder what life would have been like to work shore side, but I know which I would prefer and I made the right choice. Take care...... Terry. ;)

Hi Nev, I wanted to be in the merch since I was about 6 or 7 years old, my street in Liverpool was full of Cunard yanks and other merch sailors with deep suntanned faces in 1946 ,so in 1955 I joined them , I admired their flashy clothes, to me going away to sea was the only way forward in those days , and I was,nt wrong , with so many wonderful memories I am content with my life , I think I speak for all of us who sailed the worlds oceans when ships were ships. OH! One more thing. Sunday dinners everyday????

Right on guys,
Always wanted to go to sea as long as I can remember.
I was not disappointed. Best thing I ever did. The fifties and sixties had to be the right time to have been at sea. Ships looked like ships back then.
The memories of all the ports and good ship mates still bring back happy memories that cant be beat.
We were the lucky ones for sure.
Den.

Well I thought I would run away and join the Circus , and Clan Line was the nearest thing to it I could find

hi Tom I forgot to put in my earlier post that a next door nieghbor was on the lizzie during the war and he brought back a lot of stuff from the states, one was a water melon wich as a kid I thiought looked like it was bleeding:eek::eek:but some of the tales I heard gave me the urge later:cool:

Hi John,
Thanks for the message. I have spent a lot of time going through the LOF site and it really was a trip down memory lane. Seeing the picture of the Pioneer bell was quite amazing. I actually rang it on new years eve 1969. It must be the best MN company site arround. I would have thought another one of my other big companies would have had something similar Bank Line. But not a dickie bird. So well done Roy Gerstner for putting it all to gether and keeping it going.
I was at the 2004 reunion at that hotel in Liecester. I met up with quite a few people that I sailed with.
I missed the 2007 reunion but would be very keen to attend there was another. Who did you meet at the reuinon that you had sailed with perhaps I aslo sailed with them.
I have had quite a career at sea and am still at sea 40 years later. I have been made redundant a few time lately and have wound up on a small survey ship down here in Beirut. We were very busy before and after Christmas and it was really interesting. Looking for old ship wrecks believe it or not. The companies called Odyssey marine and are quite famous. They have had a whole series made and shown on Discovery chanel called teasure quest.
Anyway I shall be posting a few interesting articles on the site in the next few months.

Best regards,

Archie Coulter