Your prettiest ship

[mickeyJ]

I think that compared with most of the modern ships all the ones we knew would have been pretty to some one. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, or beer holder depending where you are, so in time the ships of today may well appear beautiful to some.

You may be right John, but I have my doubts. The shipowners of today have replaced aesthetics with avarice. An ugly woman dressed in furs and jewellery is still an ugly woman. It may not be a particularly good analogy but if crew members do have fond memories on board in present time I am sure it will be from pleasant experiences rather than admiration of the grotesque Lego monstrosity they are sailing on.

[kurutai]

Hello Charlie ,small world mate I was A B in Kurutai around July 1969 the old man was quite unpleasant if he was still in her during your time you would remember him, I was in a three berth cabin my two cabin mates where Bluey Bolger a wonderful Aussie who loved Kiwi land and a Maori lad SOS Brett Williams both of them great shipmates . A great crowd on deck I have tried to trace Brett over the years but with no luck I was told some years back that Bluey crossed the bar way back I built him a ship in a bottle it annoys me to think I never bothered to get an address from any of them but I suppose it was like that back then who would have thought that the computer age would have one day been upon us and if only I had taken more care I could maybe be in touch with great old friends from the long gone past I wish you well mate best regards Dave .

[Frederick Lacey]

Gulliver, the lady in question I think you will find was Bessie Braddock.

F

[Charlie Hannah]

Hello Charlie ,small world mate I was A B in Kurutai around July 1969 the old man was quite unpleasant if he was still in her during your time you would remember him, I was in a three berth cabin my two cabin mates where Bluey Bolger a wonderful Aussie who loved Kiwi land and a Maori lad SOS Brett Williams both of them great shipmates . A great crowd on deck I have tried to trace Brett over the years but with no luck I was told some years back that Bluey crossed the bar way back I built him a ship in a bottle it annoys me to think I never bothered to get an address from any of them but I suppose it was like that back then who would have thought that the computer age would have one day been upon us and if only I had taken more care I could maybe be in touch with great old friends from the long gone past I wish you well mate best regards Dave .

The skippers name was Kelner Dave, he wasn't bad, at least he never got the log book out when i was on it.I've been trying to think of the bosuns name all i can come up with is his first name He was moarie great guy though first name Gordon, his brother was our union rep, Joe. I mentioned there name on an earlier post but just can't find it to check it out. The only other name i recall was Charlie mcgregor, funny i can name most guys i sailed with but for the life of me cannot recall theirs.Probably come to me later.We had a good crowed on her, i sailed on four Kiwi ships had good crowed on them all.Bluey Bolger sounds familiar Dave big feller shipped out of wellington. My best wishes to you Dave. Cheers.

[kurutai]

yes a big Aussie fella a real good pal I got beaten up in Kings cross in Sydney by two Thursday islanders built like brick walls both of them, Bluey wanted to go ashore and sort it bless him I had a job stopping him I did not want him to end up looking like me, at the time they stole my watch as well , it was my own fault really I was as sober as a judge at the time but one of my shipmates old fella his name escapes me now was getting a good hiding from this young fella so I stepped in not knowing that these two where his mates and as soon as I started to get the better of him these two stepped in and sorted me out nicely the only thing I can remember about the old fella is that his daughter I beleive was supposed to have been in the Guiness book of records for having numerous children at one birth but it was a 100 years ago now or was it only 48 I cant remember now it seems like a 100 to me , I make you right Charlie they where good old boys I can remember an AB by the name of Anderson we all went to his house one day he had a couple of sheep in his garden from what I can remember I just checked my paper discharge for the Kurutai it does not look like Kelner so I doubt it was the same fella from what I remember this fella was quite tall thanks for the message Charlie by the way I used to ship out of Liverpool back in the days of the great Blue funnel line it brings a tear to my eye but whatever we where there mate best regards Dave

[Charlie Hannah]

Hi Dave the big fellows name i knew, his name just popped into my head it was Bluey Allen not bolger,but reading your mail they were very much alike.Big good natured
fellows! Its been many years since i was last in Sydney Dave, When i first arrived in Sydney i stayed around the Millers Point area lived there for a while it was great in them earlie years,i shipped out of Port Kembla. Its all changed now though got to be careful these days.Would that AB's name be Johnny Anderson?if so i sailed with him.
Dave the two brother i mentioned in last writing there name was Gorden Briggs & his brother Joe. Joe was the delegate shoreside, Gordon was the bosun on the Kurutai.I sailed out of Liverpool for 17 years before backing out of the Imperial Star.That was the best part of my life i loved my home town i was born in Bootle Liverpool 20,Used to go to town all the time just jump on a bus & short time later i would start off in moorfeild winy,hang around town for a few hours then back to my local. Great times.The place i live now there is one bus
if you miss that one next bus is next day! Closest i got to blue flu was when they went in with E.Ds, and Paddy Henderson's as Ocean Fleets, ship name the M.V. Degema, one of E.D.s. All the Best Dave. Cheers.

[Ivan Cloherty]

Gulliver, the lady in question I think you will find was Bessie Braddock.

F

methinks it was Lady Astor

[Dennis McGuckin]

Have always understood it to be Lady Astor.
She was the butt of many a one liner from Churchill.

[kurutai]

Johnny Anderson maybe, back in 1969 I would reckon he would have been in his 40,s at the time I was 27 I know him and his wife where in the process of splitting to be honest Charlie in those long gone days the world was our oyster and wherever I was at the time I was always looking to be somewhere else I remember my first bluey the Agapenor the mate asked me back for the next voyage but I refused I did not want to spend all that time discharging and loading on the uk coast before getting away deep sea again so he contacted the company and I got away in short time in the Perseus not a good ship for me sadly one of my watch mates decided to try to bully me for the whole voyage, big lump he was I dont think he was that keen on Londoners but I wasn,t having it though I have to be honest it became hard work but sometimes we have to do hard work but all in all all my scouse shipmates where good old boys if he is still knocking about I hold no grudge he was just one of life,s bullies who could not get his own way best regards mate Dave .

[john walker]

Posts 84,85,86,87,88,89,90,91 and 92 we often deviate from the the original thread but these have what to do with the thread 'Your prettiest ship???'