rfa

[Braid Anderson]

re #8. Hi Arthur, I was Project Manager on the Gold Coast Sewerage Scheme 1966-69. The tallest building on the Coast then was 6 storeys high, and we spent an emergency saving it from erosion. The old wooden bridge from Spit to Southport was still in service at first. I then inherited the new concrete bridge general foreman - another Scotsman - as my much-needed GF on the sewerage. I think the Coast has grown up since then - literally.

[George Mortimore]

I have rarely heard such rubbish.
The RFA do not have "chopper pilots". All helicopter pilots serving on RFA's are Fleet Air Arm Officers
and either on detachment from HM Ships or Naval Air Stations or, in the case of RFA's Regent and Resource (1980's)
dedicated "Ships Flight".
I would suggest that your 3rd Mate would have been better off accepting the offer of Borstal

[cappy]

I have rarely heard such rubbish.
offer of Borstal

to me and all merchant seaman whether you are air force ....navy or anything else ......if you fly the parrafin budgies you are a chopper pilot like prince wiiliam.....mate......sadly we dont stand on ceremony .....lol cappy

[cappy]

google parrafin budgie landing on dunbar ......regards

[Ivan Cloherty]

I have rarely heard such rubbish.

I would suggest that your 3rd Mate would have been better off accepting the offer of Borstal

Gadzooks! oddsbodikins! Rather proves the point of # 10 methinks!

[John Arton]

Gadzucks!! re#12, have I stirred up a hornets nest?
All I can say is I was there and those are the actual words spoken by both parties.
The 3rd Mate in question was a bit of a rebel. He had long hair which the Captain was always moaning on about so one night he had his hair cut by the Spanish 2nd steward (who was a barber by trade), collected all the cut hair into a paper bag, tied it up with a bit of ribbon and left it on the bar in the lounge, with a note attached to it saying "For you captain as you need it more than me". On coming into the bar the bald headed captain spotted his present and eagerly opened it after reading the note. You should have seen his face when he examined the contents!!!
For all his so called faults, that 3rd mate was actually one of the most intelligent guys I ever sailed with, he just railed against anyone or anything with an authoritarian attitude, using humour to bring them down a peg or two.
rgds
JA

[cappy]

Gadzucks!! re#12, have I stirred up a hornets nest?
For all his so called faults, that 3rd mate was actually one of the most intelligent guys I ever sailed with, he just railed against anyone or anything with an authoritarian attitude, using humour to bring them down a peg or two.
rgds
JA

admire characters like that third mate

[Ivan Cloherty]

John #10 and #16 We've all sailed with characters and are all the better for it, nothing more boring than a staid crew, we all looked forward to the characters next antics although as I said before most of them didn't realise they were characters, if someone thinks its rubbish they must have sailed on some dull ships. What we used to get up to down the WCSA a landlubber wouldn't/couldn't comprehend, but as seamen we know that what we used to do was beyond the norm at times but as the saying goes 'we didn't get paid much but we didn't half have fun!'

[Alan Hill]

Re. #10 Londonderry.

I agree with others, this post should be taken with a huge pinch of salt. I can't see an RN helicopter pilot referring to himself as 'a chopper pilot in the RFA' or being daft enough to get himself involved in a ruckus in a pub.

I agree that the RFA can be a bit 'up themselves' having spent the most miserable six months of my time at sea on the RFA Regent (aka 'Regret' and with good reason). I don't believe the RFA did anything that a good civilian crew couldn't do.

[Daniel Devaney]

i was on the olwen during the cod war i was edh but got upgraded to a gp think thats what it was. done iceland then the med