Nutters

Being a nutter keeps you sane.

I too remember those events of been asked to look out for certain things when in Chinese waters. I also remember an incident in Tsingtoa or Tsinsien ( cannot remember exactly which port ) of the Radio Officer doing some repairs to the Radar scanner on top of the wheelhouse. He reached into his pocket for a screwdriver and instead pulled out one of those Chinese banger things, round ,red and about 12mm in diameter - when thrown onto something hard they exploded with a big bang. He threw this thing over the side of the wheelhouse and it exploded on the deck just next to an armed Chinese guard at the top of the gangway. This guard jumped about a yard into the air and landed in the crouched position with his rifle pointed and cocked at the top of the bridge and the laughing sparkie! Ten minutes later an armoured troop carrier arrived at the ship and took away the sparkie. He was put on trial for assaulting a soldier of the Chinese army and sentenced to imprisonment. From then until the ship sailed, about nine days later he was kept in a wire cage with no toilet facilities except a chamber pot and one small bowl of boiled rice a day and out in the open air. This was March or April from memory so very cold. This cage did not allow him to stand up straight or lie down other than in a curled up position. We on board did not know anything of this treatment until he was returned to the ship at sailing time ! Regards Peter in NZ.

Doc for the sake of continuity in this thread I feel it would make sense to remove my original post, #29 & Keith's #32 otherwise we all appear nutters:D

#27.. That's what I talk like sober. Have to get unsober for people to understand. JWS

#29.. John ... The Lord appeared unto Abraham, then in the hundredth year of his age and promised that his wife Sarah , then in her ninetieth year, should bear him a son and that Sarah should become the mother of nations. Moral Never give up trying so back into the cave and don't take no for an answer. Plenty of life in the old dogs yet. Cheers JWS

Remember going into one Chinese port just for one day to drop off some cargo. We had to lock the ship down like a prison, no western evidence such as 'girly' calendars to be on show, but do recall all the workers shore looked the same, men and what we took to be women all dressed the same. The cook was given a present of a box of eggs. The box resembled more of a 'coolie' hat than a box. Eggs of all sizes and a few different colors along with a bag of salt which was almost black. One at sea the eggs went over the side with the salt. Some of the eggs floated, some sank, who knows what would have happened if we had eaten them.

Some years later ashore working for a catering company in London the manager bought some frozen egg in large tins, yes from China. They were cheaper than fresh ones and he said they would be OK for cooking with. Fine when opened but if not used within 24 hours the smell was so strong you could ridke a bike down it.