So many memories the 50's, 60's and 70's were the best time at sea. The training was excellent and served me well in the Australian Commonwealth Lighthouse Service.
Crikey, that brought back memories! Several ships I sailed on and some of the people I sailed with as an engineer between the late 60's through to the end of the 70's then ashore with OFTS in the 'Kremlin' & Odyssey 1985 - 1991. Bluey's Anchises (1947), Myrmidon (Victory), Patroclus (1952). ED's Egori, Forcados, Bhamo, Donga and OCL Bay Boats Tokyo, Liverpool & Cardigan Bay.
I was third generation in Blue Funnel. My Grandfather did a pier head jump aged 13 in 1914, my Dad was an Engineer in the 1949s and I was a shipwright in the 1970s.. I just loved the ships
I remember joining the MN with the stories of old ringing in my hears...joined at modern coastal tanker at Canvey Island and straight up to Immingham and then straight over to hamburg..we were the only ship with a Red Duster on the post...that was 1988.......i remember the mocking attitude of the german dockers....how did we let it happen...crazy...i felt shame and anger.
I apprenticed with nzsco then did 2 years with blu flu 66-68 then to Canadian pacific......the 2 blu flu years were miserable and my cp years were like a breath of fresh air!
Joined Blue Flue (Ocean Fleets) 1970 2nd RO..... First trip made a few cock-ups but with hindsight, that was down to the 1st RO who rather did bugger all but make contributions to the Gordon Gin Company (With Angostura of course.) The rest of my time with Ocean Fleets was with Elder Dempster down West Africa..... Guess my voice was not plummy enough for more Blue Flue ships... Dunno. But when they seconded a Blue flue to do a West Africa run...... who did they seek out for its R/O? Yeah. You got it. No Blue Flue guy wanted to do West Africa.... on a ship with no Air Con!
Nice pics Tom, pity you have to flick through them so quickly, nice to pause awhile to study them, the people and the backgrounds of days long gone. Proud men who sailed in proud ships of the time. Classic Far East shots.
Never could understand why people actually stayed in the Blue Funnel.Whilst I would concede the training was probably the best available at the time the promotion was appalling. Sad to say so many never realised their dreams.
I think my father would have agreed with you on that Mikey. He joined as a Midshipman 1942 and made 1st Mate on Dardanus just before leaving in 1954, later doing Extra Masters at his own expense and time as Holt's were not interested.
So many memories the 50's, 60's and 70's were the best time at sea. The training was excellent and served me well in the Australian Commonwealth Lighthouse Service.
Crikey, that brought back memories! Several ships I sailed on and some of the people I sailed with as an engineer between the late 60's through to the end of the 70's then ashore with OFTS in the 'Kremlin' & Odyssey 1985 - 1991. Bluey's Anchises (1947), Myrmidon (Victory), Patroclus (1952). ED's Egori, Forcados, Bhamo, Donga and OCL Bay Boats Tokyo, Liverpool & Cardigan Bay.
I was third generation in Blue Funnel. My Grandfather did a pier head jump aged 13 in 1914, my Dad was an Engineer in the 1949s and I was a shipwright in the 1970s..
I just loved the ships
I remember joining the MN with the stories of old ringing in my hears...joined at modern coastal tanker at Canvey Island and straight up to Immingham and then straight over to hamburg..we were the only ship with a Red Duster on the post...that was 1988.......i remember the mocking attitude of the german dockers....how did we let it happen...crazy...i felt shame and anger.
I apprenticed with nzsco then did 2 years with blu flu 66-68 then to Canadian pacific......the 2 blu flu years were miserable and my cp years were like a breath of fresh air!
Joined Blue Flue (Ocean Fleets) 1970 2nd RO.....
First trip made a few cock-ups but with hindsight, that was down to the 1st RO who rather did bugger all but make contributions to the Gordon Gin Company (With Angostura of course.)
The rest of my time with Ocean Fleets was with Elder Dempster down West Africa.....
Guess my voice was not plummy enough for more Blue Flue ships... Dunno.
But when they seconded a Blue flue to do a West Africa run...... who did they seek out for its R/O?
Yeah. You got it. No Blue Flue guy wanted to do West Africa.... on a ship with no Air Con!
Nice pics Tom, pity you have to flick through them so quickly, nice to pause awhile to study them, the people and the backgrounds of days long gone. Proud men who sailed in proud ships of the time. Classic Far East shots.
Interesting to see the book by Ian Cook.My uncle used to sail with the Blue Funnel and then he joined Straits Steamship.
Fantastic...Eddie Lawrence at 1.11 is my father!!!
Brilliant! That's a great result..... Cheers.
Memory lane - those were the days!
Never could understand why people actually stayed in the Blue Funnel.Whilst I would concede the training was probably the best available at the time the promotion was appalling. Sad to say so many never realised their dreams.
I think my father would have agreed with you on that Mikey. He joined as a Midshipman 1942 and made 1st Mate on Dardanus just before leaving in 1954, later doing Extra Masters at his own expense and time as Holt's were not interested.
What happened to all of this
I sailed with Glyn Pritchard meny times.