Am I Alone?

[Swampyhotdog]

Am I the only merchant navy person who looks at this?

SwampDog

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[Courageous]

No........

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[trev]

That makes three of us

<hr width=100% size=1>Trev

[philip_stevens]

4 now

<hr width=100% size=1>regards,
Philip

[Deep_6]

Plenty of shellbacks out here - 5 and still counting

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[maxxi]

Six

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[kliever]

finished 1980 to come ashore after 15 yrs. 7 if I count

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[Equinox]

Looks like I'm number 8, although I'm now at university after spending 9 years in the Merchant Navy.

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[elenya]

No. 9, although there's never much to look at, and i can never think of any interesting things to post!! Not sure what the " merchant navy " is now as all the companies i worked for have gone or been taken over ( nothing to do with me i'm sure) , so i guess its any vessel trading, large or not so large ??

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[pampas]

10 now

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[Rowana]

I would be no 11, if I still count. I was 6.5 years with BP Tankers from 1969 to 1975, then transferred to BP exploration in the North Sea, as did quite a few others.

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[marina1]

and I'm #12 - any ex-Ellerman people on this forum, I was with them from 1965 to 1985, then went to Gateway Shipping (Safmarine in disguise) for 2 years.

Roger Garside

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[Alex_Blackwood]

12.5! Retired Electrical Officer / ETO with 38 yrs under Steam, Motor and Diesel Electric.

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[philip_stevens]

Is it 12.5, 12B or 14 minus1?

I also served as an electrical officer with P&O (CFL/OCL/P&OCL/P&O-Nedlloyd) and Maersk, on steam and motor containerships for 25 years. Now retired (early) through a shoulder injury.

<hr width=100% size=1>regards,
Philip

[Dyflin]

I suppose that makes me 14th. Although I am still at sea. 2nd mate. In the North Sea now, but was one of the last Souter Shipping (Newcastle) cadets before they went over to OSG and we all got the sack for not speaking Croatian and wanting a fair wage...

~Dyflin
E17721

<hr width=100% size=1>Well it's all for me grog, me jolly jolly grog!

[philip_stevens]

When I (lecky) was made redundant from P&O-Nedlloyd a few years ago, along with the frosties and RO's, they were in the transition from British crew to Filipino and Indonesian. The HK Chinese had to be finished when the British handed over HK.

I then went with Maersk IoM for a trip, and there were a real mix of crew on that ship - even Thai cleaners.

<hr width=100% size=1>regards,
Philip

[Mirelle]

No. Just discovered this.

<hr width=100% size=1>Que scais-je?

[RacePassage]

Yet one more. 10 years in Royal Mail then another 7 in Red Funnel(Cowes-Soton)Moved to Vancouver to find over 20 ex Royal Mail and 2 ex Red Funnel deck-engineers resident here.

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[JaeJ]

No.18 ........... still at sea.

You are not alone - we are all watching this space !!!

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[jonT]

iam in the royal navy, and if you need the numbers count me in.

<hr width=100% size=1>24 beers in a case ! 24 hours in a day coincedence???????? i think not

[DaiB]

No I'm still sailing, World Wide now, ex fred Olsen, ex Sea Land, ex Shell, ex Columbia, ex World Wide, ex United Arab, ex BP Tankers. And wish I was ex working and could bail out and go sailing full time!!

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[peterb]

For interest, were you with Ellerman's at the same time as Roger Chadney?

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[sailorman]

did Mr Chadney sail on the east coast.
owned Holman "Stella" & Co 32

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[Vascojc]

Add another new boy!
1975-1983 Deck Officer with Cunard.

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[anchorhandler]

Add another to the tally....not quite sure what number were up to now, never was good at counting otherwise i would of become a beancounter and probably be retired by now!

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[MIKE_MCKIE]

Don't know what number now, but 1959-1989 in RFA (Deck Apprentice to Command) before seeing some sense & coming ashore. I got a *******ing from an older! person recently, told not to call it the "Merchant Navy" but the "Merchantile Marine"!! Now working for a Norwegian shipping Co., so still get to go onboard ships, but it's a real treat to be able to say, "good bye Captain, I'm off home now" after a 4 hour inspection! Still like to be retired & sail alla time, but guess this is not so bad.
Brgds
Mike

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[peterb]

That's the man. Co32 was "Accelerando". Tall, thin, ascetic looking man, but very pleasant once you knew him. A regular winner in the Haven Ports races. Then went out for a race, won as usual, went home and was found dead in his chair.

I once asked him how he came to take up sailing. He said that during the war his ship had been torpedoed. As an apprentice he'd been put in charge of one of the lifeboats, and had sailed it into the West Indies. Gave him a taste for it, he said.

[sailorman]

see u on the Orwell then
see bio
cheers
roger

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[ianbelcher]

I think I'm number 28.
Late as usual!
Ex Cunard deck cadet sailing in Brocklebanks Maihar, Cunards Parthia, Moss Tankers Luxor and Lumiere and Port Lines Port St.Lawrence and Port Chalmers before swallowing the anchor in 1975.

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[Vascojc]

Ian

Some familiar ships!

I started as you left in 1975.
Sailed on Lumiere and Port St Lawrence (although then named Matangi -last trip before she was sold onto foreign owners. Celebrated her 21st Birthday in Timaru).
Also Port Alfred, Markhor, ACT 2 & 3, Atlantic Conveyor, Atlantic Causeway and Atlantic Prosper, Saxonia,

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[ianbelcher]

Vascojc
Great to hear that somebody else remembers the old girls!
I'm trying to research the Luxor for model making purposes.
I don't suppose you know what happened to her do you?
I don't even remember who built her so that I can enquire at the shipyard archives for drawings.


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[tugboat]

Hello chums! Another old salt here. I was BP Tankers 1968-1980, then shifted to Maersk till '92 towing oilrigs and relieving them of their trash. Good fun though and beat the deepsea lark into a cocked hat. I'd be there now but for health probs-might be oilrigitis!

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[tarbolton]

Lamport & Holt Line and Blue Star 1972/77 joined RAF Marine Craft 1978/86 Back to MN 1986 Coasters and North Sea Now working on multipurpose supply/standby vessels North Sea as CH/OFF and surprise surprise on a British Registered SHIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! with a British Crew but POLISH Engineers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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[geoff]

If I could count I wouldn't be a navigator!Served my time with Harrison line (2 of fat and 1 of lean) then 3rd mate then second mate, jacked it in just before Masters and now own a holiday park in west wales.....spend my spare time sailing around milford haven with something called a gps and a laptop!Bit like harrison line...beers good but the food is lousy.My fantasy....find a chief steward I can kill without being found out!
see ya

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[petersto]

No definitely not. Some interesting posts though. Moss Tankers now theres a name from the past. MV Lucigen 73ish have to look at my discharge book. No ac Rastunuraa to Jeddah and back and then back again etc. Cunard, Franconia, Adventurer and Ambassador. Nobdy has mentioned Starvation Smiths, excellent outfit. Ten years in all as a 'lecky' and I enjoyed every minute.



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[RumRat]

Well, like a load of others, I don't know what number I am, but my sea going days started off by hitching a lift on tugs working the Birkenhead Docks in the late 40's and early 50s. Wanted to go in the Merchant as an RO, but my parents couldn't afford to send me to school, so went in the RN for 15 years, coming out in 1970. Then went into the Merchant with Fred Olsen, Freddie Everard, Thomas Watson, OCL and finishing up with Bookers of Liverpool. After that as RO on the exploration rig, Western Oceanic, Apollo ll, southern North Sea.

<hr width=100% size=1>Those that teach, shall also learn, and those that learn, shall also teach.

[10tuskar]

Recently retired, ex Bibby`s,Harrison Line,Canadian Pacific,Jebsens, Lighthouse Board.
Not missing any of it I now watch Panama Canal webcam that`s enough.
Still active in marine engineering.

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[robert_gainer]

Add me to the list. Sailing Master on a West Country Ketch traveling from Falmouth to Brazil by way of Africa. On the other side of the pond, Master on small tugs and yachts. Now running a Sailing and Boat-Building school in New York, USA. www.fisheriestrust.org

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[ohturoey]

guess that i would be number 37 if i did it right, ¨started out late,1988 and still going, royal norwegian navy to cargo ships then rccl and now survey in northsea and all over up to 16 years so far....

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[landaftaf]

onother merch here .... though wont be reading this link for a couple of months as I am off to sea again next monday......... sunny climes await

[0711]

i lost count too!!!

[landaftaf]

back in the lee of bum island :-)

[robstracey]

I'm a cadet, does that count?

[sierraone44]

1961-1999. Not afterguard, deckboy to deep sea Bosun,most of the companies out of KG5 , Royal Docks and London River. Once the rich took over the docks shipped out from wherever I paid off. Ended up QM of a car ferry (Iknow,Iknow) but at least I got to finish where I started,under the Red Ensign (just!!)

[onenyala]

1953 - 1961 Cunard. Alsatia, Lycia, Andria, Arabia, Assyria, Brescia Phrygia. Apprentice 1953 - 1957. 2nd Mates 1957, Mates 1960. Ashore in 1961. Sailed a Kingscruiser 29 since 1961