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Thread: First trip memories

  1. #21
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    Hi Mort,
    Not about first trip, but you mention Chesapeake Bay, in 54 whilst on a 12 month USA charter,remember going through the bay, we visited Newport News, Portsmouth, Norfolk and Alexandrea (Virginia).In the Bay, did you see the huge fleet of mothballed ships anchored as far as the eye can see?
    .... Naval war ships, liners and cargo boats, it was an amazing sight, must have been surplus from some war or other.
    Frank
    (SUNNY LEITH SCOTLAND)

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  3. #22
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    Cool First Trips.

    Hi Den.
    My first trip was on the British Pioneer,signed on
    8/12/52 and sailed on the 22nd.Dec,just imagine,
    three days before Xmas and my first away from
    home.I can remember having a lump in my throat
    like an egg.Told by the crew that we would soon be
    ashore, so get dressed as we were going to Barry,
    but this turned out to be Bari in Southern Italy,felt a
    right t..t.We never even got to Bari as the orders were
    changed to Port de Bouc in Southern France,my first
    foreign Port of Call,boy did I feel big buying my first
    beer.

    Dave Williams(R583900)

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  5. #23
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    Default My first trip

    my first trip was from surrey docks london1956 to archangel russia for timber. the ship was swedish. i was just about 17 then and never been out of london, so that was an experiance. and different lanquage. i can still remember it been bitterly cold going to russia, the last trip of the season before it froze over, she was a tramp ship stayed on her for about a year i got to see quiet a few countrys. on her and learnt to speak some swedish after that worked on nowegians then english, done about 7 years. then still traveled doing truck driving uk europe for 42 years now retired living in spain near seville still enjoying the good life while i can. cheers mike I KNOW I TALK TO MUCH
    Last edited by Mike Kelly; 1st September 2010 at 09:12 PM.

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  7. #24
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    Morning James,
    Funny thing. Woke up today -Sept 1st-thinking this was the month I joined the Merch..
    Fancy you pulling that old one out .
    Anyway, it still rings true.
    Maybe we could have some of the newer members tell us about their first memories of signing on.
    Sorry about costing you some Kleenex mate. Hope I haven't spoiled your day.
    Maybe a tot of Appletons would help.
    All the best.
    Den.
    PS. Now you've got me going.
    Sniff sniff.

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  9. #25
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    Hi James,
    Dony think I would be happy with any of those changes.
    Especially the bit about not bringing the ladies aboard..
    No doubt at all, we had the best years.
    Noticed on some recent posts that there were multible ratings on some ships, even in the sixty's [i.e cook/steward]
    Funny I never heard of it while I was at sea during that time.
    Wouldn't have liked that either.
    Oh well, back to reminiscing.
    Have a good day mate.
    Den.

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  11. #26
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    Thumbs up First trip

    Im sure I wouldnt want to be at sea these days. Container ships,tankers even cruise ships ,do the crew ever get ashore ? Good leave periods after set time I believe but none of the runs ashore we had at sea back in the fifties and sixties. It was getting that way in early seventies. No theres no doubt they were the days.
    My first trip as galley boy was Royal Mails LOCH Garth. Great trip three months Bermuda,Bahamas,Jamaica,Auba Venzuela,Panama, then Los Angeles,San Francisco,Oakland ,Victoria and VancouverBC then Oakland.Panama,Curacoa and Bremen to London. Spent thirty years at sea and never regretted it
    .
    Stuart
    R396040

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  13. #27
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    Time ashore now in som eports is limited to as little as two hours. Speaking with a volunteer driver from the Melbourne mission and he told me some container ships are in port for less than 12 hours some times. Drives the crew who want to down to the mission for a quick beer and a phone call home then back aboard. Some ships have so little crew that there would be very few to talk with, it must be very lonely now for some.
    Happy daze John in Oz.

    Life is too short to blend in.

    John Strange R737787
    World Traveller

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    Hi James,
    I'm fine thank you.
    Thanks for clearing that up for me.
    I had a vision of having to do the galley, then dashing off to serve tables.
    Could not imagine that.
    Den.

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  17. #29
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    Default First Trip

    Hello, I am R796905 Anthony Atkinson. Here is my sorry tale. Having just left the TS Indifatigable, based at Llanfair something something goggoggof, I was ordered to join my first ship. It was called the Paparoa (NZSC) and I was to sign on in Liverpool at such and such a time. I was also ordered to join in my training ship uniform. I of course being of tender age and was absolutley terrified of the officer giving this order, did exactly that. The uniform of the training ship was an exact replica of the uniform worn by RN ratings, right down to all the cross creasings in the bell bottoms. With my hat squared away, and my white duck canvas kit bag over my left shoulder, up the gangway I went, much to the amusement of the dockers. At the head of the gangway I asked a scruffy individual where the C/Os quarters were. This individual took me their. I did find it rather strange to have to step over such a high obstruction at the outer door going into the living quarters. I was left at a cabin door with a curtain drawn accross the entrance. I knocked, no response, I knocked again and heard this very gruff voice telling me to enter. I pulled the curtain aside, tripped over the coaming, my kit bag went sailing onwards and hit the Mate in the face. He let out a very loud bellow as I picked myself up from his cabin deck and saluted and informed him I was Anthony Atkinson No:70 of Raleigh Division Sir, reporting for duty. This verbal onslaught took the Mate by complete surprise and he asked me to sit down and then he proceeded to pour me a large "GIN". I never tasted gin before that encounter, and I have never done so since. After taking a swig, I gagged and then I emptied the content of my stomach on his not too clean carpet. It went down hill from there on. I wish you all well and a fair wind. Anthony.

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  19. #30
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    Anthony when was your trip on the Paparoa? I did on on her in mid 1964.
    Happy daze John in Oz.

    Life is too short to blend in.

    John Strange R737787
    World Traveller

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