Joined
·
14 Posts
Joined
·
214 Posts
I was also on the bayleaf when the rivets were pressure tested at Devonport. I think tho, it was march 72, as I joined her at Yonderberry Feb 72. We eventually sailed for the Gulf via capetown, stopping off at Gib for Freshwater. The Mate Chris Smith had decided to use the cofferdams as FW tanks but when we started to use them they were tainted with Diesel.
The Second Engineers name was (as I recall), Jones, he was recently married and had his wife onboard.
I was also aboard when the Bayleaf went up the beach entering Grand harbour, I still have a copy of the front page of a malta paper, complete with photo.
Enri
The Second Engineers name was (as I recall), Jones, he was recently married and had his wife onboard.
I was also aboard when the Bayleaf went up the beach entering Grand harbour, I still have a copy of the front page of a malta paper, complete with photo.
Enri
Joined
·
14 Posts
Joined
·
591 Posts
Joined
·
14 Posts
Pat
I joined Bayleal in Plymouth and stayed in a hotel with Jim Denning purser who arranged the accomation Butch Beard was 4E0 and Mike Tyreman? the 3rd engineer
Ian was 2nd Engineer Bayleaf was my"steam time" after a trip on Derwentdale the main film that always seemed to be on was either man for all seasons or a lion in winter. I remember Ian doing some welding on the main deck whilst we all went to Terror
bryan
I joined Bayleal in Plymouth and stayed in a hotel with Jim Denning purser who arranged the accomation Butch Beard was 4E0 and Mike Tyreman? the 3rd engineer
Ian was 2nd Engineer Bayleaf was my"steam time" after a trip on Derwentdale the main film that always seemed to be on was either man for all seasons or a lion in winter. I remember Ian doing some welding on the main deck whilst we all went to Terror
bryan
Bryan
The bayleaf for me was the best ship in my RFA career, "chatty and happy".
I remember there was a bit of a fuss in the Drydock when the police came down one night to arrest some of the crew for eating swans. When asked the chief steward replied "big duck good chow". The pidgeons on the drydock wall were not safe either as I remember seeing a noose being edged slowly towards their roost, from an after cabin port, the noose slipped deftly around their necks and brought back inboard in a very short time. Pidgeon curry was quite frequent.
Terry Holtham and I eventually left the ship in Free Town, Sierra Leone, and flew home on a British Cal flt, whose stewardesses had come onboard on our last night for a party.
The 3/o was Bob Redhead, and the Jnr Sparks we called "Spud", real name lost in time. There was also a funny story about Spud selling his blood in Mina Al Ahmadi, then having to buy it back at double the cost.
Enri
The bayleaf for me was the best ship in my RFA career, "chatty and happy".
I remember there was a bit of a fuss in the Drydock when the police came down one night to arrest some of the crew for eating swans. When asked the chief steward replied "big duck good chow". The pidgeons on the drydock wall were not safe either as I remember seeing a noose being edged slowly towards their roost, from an after cabin port, the noose slipped deftly around their necks and brought back inboard in a very short time. Pidgeon curry was quite frequent.
Terry Holtham and I eventually left the ship in Free Town, Sierra Leone, and flew home on a British Cal flt, whose stewardesses had come onboard on our last night for a party.
The 3/o was Bob Redhead, and the Jnr Sparks we called "Spud", real name lost in time. There was also a funny story about Spud selling his blood in Mina Al Ahmadi, then having to buy it back at double the cost.
Enri
Joined
·
14 Posts
Joined
·
591 Posts
Greetings,
Enri, the jRO was Murray Thompson from Berwick, There was also Mike Tyreman the 3O/E Mack Cunningham the SRO and the Old Man was John McConnel who was relieved in Singapore by James A Baily.
bjd, were you the Engineer Cadet that I thought had appendicitis while we were in the MozChan on our way up to Mena ?
Enri, the jRO was Murray Thompson from Berwick, There was also Mike Tyreman the 3O/E Mack Cunningham the SRO and the Old Man was John McConnel who was relieved in Singapore by James A Baily.
bjd, were you the Engineer Cadet that I thought had appendicitis while we were in the MozChan on our way up to Mena ?
Hello Pat,
Do you remember if the SRO had served in the army before coming to sea? I think I remember him or somebody else saying that he had been in a highland regiment. There was a story of him throwing a cat over his shoulder and biting the tail, the cat then making a very similar noise to that of a set of bagpipes.
As for the lodgings found by Jim Denning in Plymouth, while we were in drydock, as I seem to remember, our lodgings were also used by some "ladies of the night".
As I said above, one of my happier ship memories.
Do you remember if the SRO had served in the army before coming to sea? I think I remember him or somebody else saying that he had been in a highland regiment. There was a story of him throwing a cat over his shoulder and biting the tail, the cat then making a very similar noise to that of a set of bagpipes.
As for the lodgings found by Jim Denning in Plymouth, while we were in drydock, as I seem to remember, our lodgings were also used by some "ladies of the night".
As I said above, one of my happier ship memories.
Join the discussion
Report