sheep dogs

[Keith Tindell]

I once recall joining a ship on the continent, i think was Hamburg, and we were all instructed to join at Kings Cross station, where the Chief Officer was there to gather us all together. having all been accounted for by the Chief Mate we set off, what a bum job he had, trying to control a crew of merchant seamen, guys disappeared at various points, mainly heading for the bars, and as fast as he got three back, two more had gone, you could see he was stressed out, rounding us all up, just like a sheep dog. I think he got us all there in Hamburg on board, bar two, who turned up the next day. Having owned a Welsh border Collie, i could see the similarity !!!!. Reminds me of Vernon and Chris really, trying to round us all up from going off post !!! only joking guys, kt

[Harry Nicholson]

I once recall joining a ship on the continent, i think was Hamburg, and we were all instructed to join at Kings Cross station, where the Chief Officer was there to gather us all together. having all been accounted for by the Chief Mate we set off, what a bum job he had, trying to control a crew of merchant seamen, guys disappeared at various points, mainly heading for the bars, and as fast as he got three back, two more had gone, you could see he was stressed out, rounding us all up, just like a sheep dog. I think he got us all there in Hamburg on board, bar two, who turned up the next day. Having owned a Welsh border Collie, i could see the similarity !!!!. Reminds me of Vernon and Chris really, trying to round us all up from going off post !!! only joking guys, kt

At the North Shields coal staithes it was a job extracting the crew from the pub. I was rushed to the collier Corburn in a panic as r/o. She was due to sail. But we missed the tide:

Is that an argument in the wheelhouse? I listen carefully. Voices spill through the little hatchway – the wireless room is part of the bridge structure.
'The pilot's due any minute. Where's my crew?' The voice is cultured.
'They're not yet back from the pub, Skipper.' That sounds like the mate.
'Then go and get them, Mister Beswick. Get up there and order them back! We can't sail with just you and me, a geriatric chief engineer, a cabin boy, and that shaveling sparks who's just turned up.'
An hour passes. There's no sign of the crew, nor of the mate. The pilot is pacing the wheelhouse. He keeps looking at his watch. He's a Tynesider and does not mince his words. 'That's it, Captain Hedley. Your vessel is too deep for the channel at this hour. You've missed the tide. I'll be back at 0400 local time for a dawn sailing. Let's hope you have a crew by then.' He picks up his valise and heads for the gangway. The captain vanishes into his cabin.

[cappy]

###similar to joining a shell tanker in shields ....most hands in the mechanics ......in comes a newly uniformed aprentice bless him ....shouting attention atention ...i have been informed by the mate to get you all back as we are ready to sail ....i need not say what expletives etc were all given in good humour to great laughter.....poor boy almost in tears disappears,,,,,3rd mate next ...will all hands for the hemiplecta lying at brighams come aboard now as we are letting go shortly ......again a load of ribald comments ....and some beer thrown in his direction to howls off eff off and other innuendo ...in comes the mate later ...someone has blocked the crew toilets with crushed beer cans .....if all hands dont come now the police will be called.......the union man sitting with the crowd ...the ship cant sail with blocked toilets .......any most filtered back down the bank to brighams ....a great friend of mine collapsed....and would not let us carry him with pains in his gut....when i came back to shields some months later i saw him in the County bar he had lost 2 or three stone he told me it was ulcers ...but died a short while later from stomach cancer...they were different times.....and different men......cappy

[John Arton]

Keith
Could have done with one of those border collies and later a rottweiler when as a 15 year old doing a taster trip around Europe with Blue Star, in London I was given the job of taking 10 of the Chinese crew to the dentist for their treatment. Got them all there safely but as soon as each one completed their treatment, despite my attempts to get them to stay until all had finished, they just wandered off. By the end of the day there was only one of them left and this guy only had 2 teeth in his mouth of which one needed extraction and a mould for false teeth to be made. The dentist told me that there was not enough time to do it that day and to bring him back tomorrow. I thought I had managed to explain to the guy that he had to return the next day despite him speaking no English and no one speaking Chinese, so the pair of us made our way back to the ship. Where the rest of them went I did not have the foggiest but they all made it back that day. I was in the mates cabin explaining what had happened when the Chinese bosun burst in threating to stab me with his knife ( hence the need for a rottweiler). Turns out that the last guy thought I had told the dentist not to bother giving him any treatment instead of understanding that he had to return the next day! Guess what my job was the next day, yea escorting one guy to and from the dentist, no need for a border collie that Day.
Rgds
J.A.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Harry.
Been there done that, was on one of Cory's for six months and as I was living in Middlesbrough at the time I was off up North, on down South and i hated having to scull ashore in the Thames around midnight to get a drunken crew aboard especially if the tide was running, miss the ship and you was off for Gravesend.
Des

[happy daze john in oz]

We often have Sheep Dog trial here in Oz, very popular particularly in bush towns.
Went to some the other week, sad really, all found guilty.

[robpage]

Thinking of the newly polished Apprentice I was start working by a ship in Smiths at North Shields and we were getting an early morning coffee and toast in the duty mess despite the fact that there was no catering crew on board and we're all supposed to be living assure when a new fresh polished engineer cadet arrived at the door he introduced himself as the engineer officer cadet to a very grumpy second engineer he said get your bag get your boiler suit on to which the new Apprentice said didn't you hear what I said only engineer officer cadet you're only the second engineer oh dear I would like to have started a 6 month trip like that

[Harry Nicholson]

Hi Harry.
Been there done that, was on one of Cory's for six months and as I was living in Middlesbrough at the time I was off up North, on down South and i hated having to scull ashore in the Thames around midnight to get a drunken crew aboard especially if the tide was running, miss the ship and you was off for Gravesend.
Des

Ah the lovely Corys, Taff. Corburn broke down not far off the Longships reef in a SW storm bound for Plymouth glue factory with Barry coal. We thought our end had come. Eternal thanks to those below who got her working.

[Keith at Tregenna]

Barry coal ?

Welsh valleys coal loaded at Barry ?

K.