Mr

[Eric Bennett]

Hi, my name is Eric Bennett. I have just joined this Merchant Navy site. I was a Merchant Seaman from March 1945 to September 1953 when I Migrated to New Zealand. I spent a brief time on two New Zealand coastal ships in 1956 and have been retired for some time now. Would be interested to hear from anyone that I had sailed with. Cheers

[Doc Vernon]

Hello Eric
Welcome to the site and I hope that you find lots to interest you!
It can become a habit LOL.
Enjoy
Cheers

PS Can you please also post your details on the Crew lists when you can!
Thank you for joining

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Eric.
Welcome to the site hope you enjoy it.
I was on the NZ coast from 57 to around 66 a bit later than you, but my brother jumped ship off the Derryclare in Lyttleton in 47 he was on the coast for a short while on a scow sailing from Lyttleton to Chatham Island. he then joined the Pamir for her last trip with a NZ crew from Lyttleton to Falmouth. As Vernon has suggested list your ships on the site you never know if anyone here may have sailed with you.
Cheers Des

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[Ronnie Grant]

Hi Eric from not so far away from you at Browns bay. Hope you enjoy this fine site. Ronnie Ex Leith pool.

[Richard Quartermaine]

Hi Ronnie. Spent 3 months anchored between Browns Bay and Rangitoto Island on the Gothic during the 1951nationwide NZ dock strike. Good fishing in those days! Richard

[Richard Quartermaine]

Correction - it was three weeks. Just felt like three months stuck out in the Hauraki Gulf looking longingly at the bright lights of Auckland in the distance. There was quite a few well known funnels around us as we waited.
Richard

[Ronnie Grant]

Hi Richard. Yes it would have seemed a long time. The wharfies had a real stranglehold on the docks. The Cook strait ferries used to suffer a strike over Christmas quite often. These guys were incapable of doing a days work .Browns bay would have changed out of site since then. The whole shore opened up when the bridge was built in the sixties We will be gone from here soon moving to Havelock North. Cheers mate an regards Ronnie
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[Richard Quartermaine]

Hi Ronnie, We had a commo situation here in Oz. Cargoes of vital equipment were sabotaged during the war and quite a few allied servicemen lost their lives from the malicious tampering.
The 1951 NZ strike was a step too far and was justly rewarded.
Enjoy your new home by Hawks Bay.
Cheers Mate, Richard

[j.sabourn]

Hi Eric , bit late in the day but see you have recently posted again. You weren’t from Low Fell in Gateshead were you , and had a younger brother Maurice also at sea , just on the off chance as he was my best man in 1962. Cheers JS