Elder Dempster
Good Morning to you all
First off, All the best for 2019 – and for many years more.....!
I have been a “Silent” member of “Ships Nostalgia” for a few years now but, apart from my “joining” contribution, have not thought that what I have to say would be of any interest to anybody, with the possible exception of my Grandkids!
Although I never had the pleasure of sailing with any of you, or for that matter anybody else whose name has cropped-up on SN, your blogs have been interesting reading!
However, the recent exchange between Graham, Harry, Appbob, and Tom Roberts wakened me up to the reality that there are more “ED’s” men out there beside myself!
I joined ED’s in September of 1958, as one of their first Engineer Cadets when the Brit Gov introduced what was then called “The Alternative Training Scheme” for Marine Engineers. My first ship as Cadet was “Shonga” (08/60 - 02/61), then different ranks through “Accra” (02/61- 09/61), “Dumurra” (10/61-01/62), “Shonga” (03/63 - 06/63), “Aureol” (07/63 - 09/63), “Oti” (09/63 - 10/63), “Forcados” (11/63 - 01/64), “Falaba” (01/64 - 02/64), “Freetown” (02/64 - 12/64), “Oti” (02/65), “Degema” (04/65 - 08/65), “Falaba”, “Freetown”, “Fulani” (10/65 - 12/65), “Freetown (1/66 -12/66), “Fourah Bay”, “Fian”, “Fulani”, ”Sunjarv”, “Degema” (1/67 - 7/67), “Apapa” (06/67-11/67)
I left ED’s soon after the so-called merger with “BluFlu”. Tried my hand at working ashore which lasted for about 6 months and went back to sea with New Zealand Shipping. Good company but eventually “swallowed the anchor” and came ashore in mid-1970.
Left the UK for Portugal in 1973 (where I still live, although now retired, the disease for which there is no cure!). Since then, “been there, done that” to coin a phrase!
Anyway, I’ve probably “gone on “ a bit too long, but hey! Its nice to “talk” to someone who “knows” what I’m talking about....!
John CHS