It's a small world.

[Jason Davis]

My name is Jason Davis and I was at sea on deck between 1955 and 1964. Happened to be on vacation in New Orleans today (Nov 16 2018) and naturally was doing what all old salts do, leaning on the rail staring at the river and passing ships. A man and his wife were nearby and he noticed I was wearing a ball cap with a Merchant Navy logo on it.
Turns out his name was Robert Denham and he too was a former AB. Mind you he first went to sea later, in 1964.
It's a small world.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Jason.
Welcome to the site. After I left the home boats I was on the NZ coast for a number of years, then moved to Aus, about 15 years later I was in a club when I saw this bloke in painters overalls and was sure i knew him, he kept looking over, then we discovered that he had been a steward on one of the NZ coasters with me, as you say it's a small world.
Cheers Des

[Harry Nicholson]

Tied up in Brownsville, an obscure Texan port, in 1957. Looked over the rail and saw an old school friend from Hartlepool strolling along the wharf; he was an AB on the vessel just astern.

[John T Morgan]

After I had Emigrated to Nova Scotia I had Occasion to call the local chart suppliers, The person who I spoke to had a broad Scots accent and after a few words it turned out we were old shipmates, he the Second Mate, me the Third.

[Rodney Mills]

Welcome aboard Jason, enjoyed your post and nice to see another U.S. resident as part of the crew. I suggest you post the ships you sailed on, you might just find a few you crewed with. And while you are at it, tell some of the tales about your sea life. We need fresh tales.

Cheers, Rodney, South Carolina where nothing could be finer.

[j.sabourn]

#4... I worked out of Montreal for the best part of a year and on our itinerary was always Halifax. Saguenay Terminals was who employed me. However the few Brits who took jobs with the parent company used to always talk about Kent Line as an alternative form of emloyment, All I ever knew about them was that a neighbour of mine in the uK swallowed the anchor and took a job ashore in Canada with them as a superintendent. Whereabouts if you know did Kent Line have their main office. I suppose you weren’t around in Canada at the time , working as a. Salvage assessor when the Sunprincess had the collission with the Harrison boat in the Little Bocas were you ?
The time I was on the ship used to hear various versions of the story. I thought it had happened shortly prior to going there but have been informed since via this media, that it was a long time before. The time I was out there I was also on the short list for a job at the college of Fisheries in St. John’s , Newfoundland but the wife refused to go as wouldnt at that time leave her parents, so even in those days were probably looked on as the big bad wolf impersonating a sailor. Regards JS

[j.sabourn]

One that might appeal to Bill Morrison. I was master of a survey ship working out of Sydney as its home base. On one of our many returns to that fair city for the surveyors on board requirements. We used to lie at the passenger ship berth when vacant, it was 80 dollars a night and free fresh water if required , so some of these harbour fees are vastly exaggerated. However we had just discharged a container ashore which had been welded to the steel deck, this left welds above the deck which were a hazard for tripping over,. So I got the burner and grinder out and was happily sitting there grinding away on this big empty jetty. Got a tap on the shoulder and was one of the many harbours port authority officers. If you haven’t got a licence for that then your going to be fined a hefty whack he says. Whilst I was trying to abvert the cause of justice got round to past years , turned out he had. Worked for Seaforth Maritime , and spent a lot of time on the Seaforth Cape, can’t remember his name now Bill but he knew all the names previously mentioned. Sogot off the fine with a strict warning. Don’t think today he would get into trouble for avoiding the course of justice as must also be well retired. But shows having friends in high places does work. JWS

[j.sabourn]

The same as a similar post running at the moment on someone’s looking for a vessel the Emipre Tide and the surname knight. If one doesn’t offer knowledge of people you knew with that name that just might coincide with info. looking for then will be another ships that pass in the night. I can remembr sitting in a class B bar in Kobe, which got frequent visits from The US shore patrols as as off limits to US personel. A lone British warship appeared on the scene and their shore patrol consisted of a P.O. and 3 matelots they came in to check the occupants us, on showing our shore passes one of the matelots recognized my name as he lived about 5 houses away at home. Needless to say they locked the door to keep the yanks out and joined us in our endeavours to ravage the place. Who would of thought would bump into a neighbour all those miles away in an off limits bar in Kobe Japan, there was no cruise liners either in those .days either. JS

[Keith Tindell]

The funniest experience of a small world, is not related to the sea as such, but i was on holiday on one of the Greek islands, and like most of us i suspect, headed straight for the harbour and ships. It was a very small port, and they were loading a small 50ft,ish vessel with supplies for one of the outer islands, there were quite a few holiday makers watching with myself and wife. and they were loading the reinforcing sheets of mesh used in concrete laying. They had laid this on deck, right over the life rafts, i said to my wife, can you imagine them doing that on our ferries?, and one of the bystanders said, what ferries are those ?, so i said Isle of Wight ferries. This guy then went on to explain that 6 months previous they had been to a wedding in Sandown, and the reception was in my local pub, as it turned out, he then said he was a friend of the bride, and the groom was a fireman, i obviously asked him the name of the fireman, and unbelievably that fireman was on my watch. What i did not tell him, was that the marriage had already folded, and the groom had made off with one of the bridesmaids. true story, kt

[Rodney Mills]

Talking of it's a small world.

Years ago I lived in L.A. and quite often I would take my children to Disneyland. One of the rides my youngest boy absolutely loved was called It's A Small World. You sit on a little carriage that rides in and out of singing flowers and birds etc., and these critters are all singing a song , over and over, and over for five bloody minutes or more which to an adult seems like forever. It goes:

"It's a small world after all, it's a small world after all, it's a small world after all. its a small world after all"...then it starts over and over again for the length of the ride.

For days after, when day dreaming me, or my wife, or the two older boys would start whistling or humming that dumb old song and the others would jump on the guilty party because it put the tune back in the brain again.

We would do it for fun on the Castle boats, sing "Bluebells are blue bells, blue bells are blue, bluebells are bluebells because bluebells are blue."...."Second verse..."Bluebells are bluebells, bluebells are bluebells are bluebells, because bluebells are blue"..."Third verse...Blue...," We'd make it to about thirty odd verses before the screams of anguish and outright threats put an end to it.

Next day in the galley, some one would start to hum and screams rang out to "Shut the @#$% up!"

Rodney.