Where were you on your 21st Birthday?

[Steve Taylor]

Leith nautical college 1977. Bit of a messy night. Fire fighting course the next day regretting every one of the previous night’s drinks

[j.sabourn]

#270 Ropey Ropners ?. If you spent some time there did you hear the story that went round not too long after the war especially around the Tyne area. ? A consortium of 5 NE shipowners including Ropners, Chapmans , Runcimans and Dalglieshes not too sure about the other one. Were appointed by the MOWT to build vessels at Blyth for the war effort. The story had it that some of the money involved was misused for building houses instead . Dalgliesh took the rap and received a nominal gaol sentence 12 weeks or something . The story also went on that Dalgliesh was after a knighthood by his investments in Port Churchill , this however was never going to happen as he had a criminal record. I worked for Dalgliesh for about 3 years so heard the story true or false there. They were marred by misfortune as believe some of the younger members of the family died at an early age, I met them quite often on their ship visits , but think they suffered from mental mis health. JS

[Stephen Roscoe]

Mine was in 1963 too, on PSNC's Tanker 'William Wheelwright' at Port Said. South bound for Mina awaiting the midnight convoy. I was 4th.Mate keeping the 8 - 12 and had the enviable job of overseeing the canal mooring boats on board plus their boat men. I remember George the cook made me a nice birthday cake. He was the cook on my first ship the Flamenco in 1958. We a few drinks and tea/dinner in the deck office where Captain Lang joined us and an enjoyable time was had by all. Osman the bum boat man from Osman Osman and Abraham & Son presented me with the full Arab Regalia as a birthday present. Some months later this regalia on certain days became Rigg du jour with some deck and engineer officers, plus the radio officer too. We put it down to Tankeritus!

Have enjoyed very much reading the posts on this topic some of places and times mentioned brought back similar memories, especially of swimming in Caracas bay of a night having been pre warned about the hole in the shark net. The real scary thing was when someone swam under water and grabbed me by the ********......
Great days indeed.
Steve

[Eric Bennett]

Mike what year was you on the Mataroa? I was QM on her in 1952 and spent Christmas 1952 in Auckland. Pure Heaven. That decided me to migrate to NZ. Cheers, Eric Bennett R415805

[Jim Copson]

Spent mine in a monsoon ditch near Sembawang dry dock Singapore. Been out for a few beers and decided to take a short cut back to the ship. Got down into the ditch, (it was dry at the time), too pissed to climb out. Woke up when the sun came up.

[William Maloney]

I was rowing a lifeboat in mid Atlantic having reacted to the emergency 6 short and 1 long on the ships horn , on the Cunard ear scythia , to rescue a passenger who had decided to end it all fortunately we recovered him , 18/july 1957

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Eric.
Was you in the Auckland Vindi Association? I remember talking to a bloke from Red Beach about thier meeting I was living in Whangarei at the time.
Des

[Raymond McCrohon]

21st birthday at anchor in Fiji. Had been a naughty boy so was confined to the ship. Stupid boy that I was, swam ashore and got totally ratted with a bunch of Kiwis.
Some of us never learn!!
Thank the Lord.

[Gerald Farr]

I have already told you where and what I was doing on my 21st Birthday but I also remember where I was and what I was doing on my 26th Birthday. But I must go back a little before then. I paid off in Stanlow up the Manchester Ship Canal late afternoon on the 19th January 1965, my daughter having been born in the early hours of that day. I had to get down to Hampshire near Farnborough which was two separate train journeys, Liverpool to London then London to Farnborough. I arrived about 0200hrs and got a car to the Hospital where the Matron let me in to see my Wife and New Daughter, With the words "this is Just like wartime, followed by, and please let me know if any of the other ladies call for a nurse or midwife". As I had been away for well over 6 months I expected a reasonable time on leave but less than three weeks later I was sent up to Newcastle to stand by the new build in Swan hunters (launched the day before my Daughter).I had never given a thought to the amount of work required setting up a new ship. Just my section of charts, sailing directions, etc. There were 35+ Folios of charts each holding 40+ individual charts, over 1500 charts which had to be manually numbered with folio ID and individual folio number, then manually catalogued by folio in one book, then numerically by Admiralty Chart no giving folio ID and respective no in that folio. Anyway enough of that. There was then the inspection of the double bottom tanks to confirm the Shipyard's declaration that all rubbish had been removed. After launching no's 1 and 5 double bottoms had been inspected and ballasted by the Shipyard so only no's 2,3, and 4 needed checking by a ship's representative. As the Chief Officer was a little on the portly side I was volunteered for the job. I honestly could not believe my eyes when we started going through the tanks, I had a yard foreman with me and he wrote down what had to be removed, there were scaffold boards, welding gear, sawhorses, coats, welding helmets, chairs, newspapers, and remnants of their lunches. And when they claimed it was all removed I had to go back down and check again, fortunately there were only little odds and s.ds the second time. Once this was completed we were able to fully ballast ready for the trials. You will see in time why I have explained all this in detail. After completing the fitting out, wharfside engine trials, and various other minor checks, radar, radio, gyro, galley, the day for the handover Trials arrived. Everything went well and we returned to our berth, signed on and sailed the following day. We got just past the River Humber when we had to turn back as the main bearings were badly overheating, another couple of days to rectify that problem. Then on our way again heading for Philadelphia, USA. We arrived off the Delaware early on the 6th of April having discharged most of our ballast by 0630hrs but there was a problem, no 5 double bottom had lost suction while still about three quarters full. The Chief Engineer was too old to go down into the tank to find out what the problem was, the Second Eng. suffered from claustrophobia, the Third Eng. reckoned it wasn't his job to go scrambling around down there so as I had experienced climbing around down there I got volunteered for this job. So at about 0730hrs, on my 26th Birthday, armed with a waterproof torch, dressed in my undies, overalls and a pair of shoes I lowered myself into the freezing cold Newcastle on Tyne ballast water. I was more than a little apprehensive when the pump was started and the valve carefully opened but straight away I could hear the sound of air being sucked in. The ballast line was made up of sections of pipe with flanges, bolted together, about ten feet long and fourteen inches diameter. The pipe was supported off the bottom of the tank (I really can't remember how) but all the bolts were only done up finger tight. On getting back to the manhole I asked the Engineer who had come down into the hold for two spanners and a club hammer and so armed went back and started finishing the shipyards work. I had my breakfast, smoko, lunch and afternoon smoko down in the double bottom for most of the time up to my waist in freezing cold water, so you can see why I can remember where I was and what I was doing on my 26th Birthday. By the way we didn't get back to the UK until almost my 27th Birthday. We docked in London with a cargo of grain from Portland Oregon, and our Super said when you get to Newcastle you will go on leave, I replied Thank you Sir, he then said and you will be going out on her after drydock, My reply was that before I joined her I was already owed about six weeks leave and as it was only a Guarantee Docking it would only be about 14 days, his reply was that they hoped it wouldn't be any more than 10 days and while I was on contract I would go where I was sent. Fortunately I hadn't signed my Contract that they had conveniently sent out to Portland to sign and return from Panama with Company mail. When I signed off in Newcastle that was the end of my last trip, my little baby girl was over 14 months old, walking, and didn't know who I was. For the info of John in Oz, my daughter and I have a very good relationship these days as she lives just down the road in Lancefield.