Hi,
Just thought I would drop a line to give my details and to say I consider my 14 years (1957-1971) in Bank Line a great experience. Was Apprentice 57-60, then through the ranks to Chief Officer; would have loved to have been Master for I remember some of the Captains doing their own piloting through the Pacific Islands ports and berthing the ship themselves. I know food in some cases was not so good, hell it was the 50's and no-one ate well; remember the Bank Line chickens which were bred with 1 breast (Captain), 2 wings (C/Eng and C/Off) and 16 legs (rest of the lads)!!!
Still, none of us starved and learnt quite a few tricks on how to supplement the diet. Nothing wrong with curry for breakfast and a potato chapatti at 6 in the morning whilst tying up was manna from heaven. Old ropes went down well in Chalna and provided us with some of the best tasting prawns in the world whilst there was nothing like a few beers at Esiahs(?) in Calcutta and all the other delights that place offered. Travelling on a Bank boat meant one experienced true life at sea and you learnt the job from the bottom up (literally). Sure we worked hard and played hard, sometimes a bit overboard but we were young, away for months and months, fit as fidddles and ready for anything.
Regards to all,
Alan Smaldon (boatlarnie)
Just thought I would drop a line to give my details and to say I consider my 14 years (1957-1971) in Bank Line a great experience. Was Apprentice 57-60, then through the ranks to Chief Officer; would have loved to have been Master for I remember some of the Captains doing their own piloting through the Pacific Islands ports and berthing the ship themselves. I know food in some cases was not so good, hell it was the 50's and no-one ate well; remember the Bank Line chickens which were bred with 1 breast (Captain), 2 wings (C/Eng and C/Off) and 16 legs (rest of the lads)!!!
Still, none of us starved and learnt quite a few tricks on how to supplement the diet. Nothing wrong with curry for breakfast and a potato chapatti at 6 in the morning whilst tying up was manna from heaven. Old ropes went down well in Chalna and provided us with some of the best tasting prawns in the world whilst there was nothing like a few beers at Esiahs(?) in Calcutta and all the other delights that place offered. Travelling on a Bank boat meant one experienced true life at sea and you learnt the job from the bottom up (literally). Sure we worked hard and played hard, sometimes a bit overboard but we were young, away for months and months, fit as fidddles and ready for anything.
Regards to all,
Alan Smaldon (boatlarnie)