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Training ship City of Lucknow (merged threads)

31K views 87 replies 23 participants last post by  jcbell 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Sailed from late 1961 to mid '63 on Ellerman's deck apprentice training ship the "City of Lucknow". She was a Blue Ensign vessel, courtesy of the two old menthat I sailed under - Capt. Bernard Theodore Wortley and Capt. O'Neill.

Had a great time but was disappointed recently to note that the web site for several Red Duster training ships did not include her. Contacted the webmaster there who said a) that he didn't know Ellerman Lines had a training ships and b) if any of the ex-apprentices would be prepared to submit photos, anecdotes, etc., he would be prepared to add the "Lucknow" to his site. Are there still any of you out there? I wasn't an apprentice or an Ellerman employee so I don't qualify, but as you were all younger than me, some of you must have survived. Come on there.
 
#30 ·
Many thanks for your help, Kris. Now all the posts are on one thread and perhaps we can begin to see who is who and which voyages we were on.

One of the things that surprised me after joining this site in 2005, and starting to do a little digging into the histories of the ships on which I sailed, was how brief the life of the 'City of Lucknow' had been as an apprentice training ship. It was a shock to me that she had been sold out of the fleet in 1963, just after I had left her to go to Shell Tankers; I thought that she would go on for years.

Even more surprising was the fact that she didn't begin her training role until 1958 - when I joined her in 1961 I thought that she had been doing that job for years. So she only served for a little over 5 years and those of you that did a couple of years on her enjoyed a large part of her career. Brief though it was, I think that it is worth remembering and hope that some of you ex-apprentices will submit some of your photos and stories of the goings-on (aboard and ashore) whilst serviing on her.

Keith Beverley was from Hull but I can't remember where the earlier Yorkshireman Fletcher came from. We also had a South African, Ellerman ex-apprentice, as Fourth Mate during one S. African trip, John Netterburg, who was from the Cape. A former schoolmate of his told me that John died a couple of years ago in the USA where he had gone to live.

We had a great crowd of engineers during my time, but they didn't have too much involvement with the apprentices - there were no engineering apprentices.

Looking forward to more postings about those times.
 
#31 ·
Pastyman
I see in your first message you mentioned Jim Arbuthnot. I sailed with Ellermans 1962/68 but never on the Lucknow. Sailked on Londo,Melbourne,Glasgow,Winchester Karichi and Bedford. I grew up in Belfast and was good friends with Jims brother Kenny. Jim was older and went to sea before I did. I knew he was on the Lucknow but our paths never crossed and I lost all knowledge of his whereabouts. His brother immigrated to NZ and I lost touch with the family. Do you have any idea where Jim ended up

Regards

Fergus 62
 
#32 ·
John Cole joined Mobil along with Keith Beverly. John retired early on health grounds in the late '70s. Whilst Master on "Matco Thames". Keith Beverely was Master on "Matco Avon" around this time.
On retirement John ran a charter boat out of Whitby for a while.
John passed away a good few years ago now I'm afraid.
Rgds.
 
#33 ·
Ron, Thanks for the reply. I gather from what you say that you were one of the officers, Perhapse a photo would help me remember. I dug out a few pics today, afraid they are not in the best condition especially as I developed and printed them myself on the Lucknow. I made the mistake of expressing an interest in photography and was immediately made official film developer. There was a cabin set up as a printing room. I remember winding the film onto a spool thingy inside a container into which I poured some chemical then counted to 100 before fixing it .Printing was a hit and miss affair especially when at sea, couldnt have done it on a motor ship though.
I do remember John Netterberg. I had lived in SA for 16 years anbd so we had a bit in common. Fraid I have no idea where he went. All I cn remember was he rolled the thinnest **** I have ever seen, at the most a single strand of tobacco to a roll. I also frightened the life out of him(and me) when he jokingly suggested that I should polish the brass on the outside of the bridge wing, I didnt know he was joking(first tripper) and climbed out . surprising how you can hang onto a rivet head..
I was sorry to hear about John Cole, Nice lad. I was looking at some pics today on the beach in Oz with both him and Keith Beverley on them.
One thing, can people put their proper names on here as it difficule to know who you are. Tony Turner
 
#36 ·
Ron, Thanks for the reply. I gather from what you say that you were one of the officers, Perhapse a photo would help me remember.
Tony,

If you click on my name at the top of any of my postings, you will see a drop-down listing headed by 'View this Member's Profile'. Click on that and you will see a photo of me on the monkey island of the 'C of L' in Mombasa, off the new quayside they were building at that time.

We all used to pull John's leg about his anaemic roll-ups; he was a great guy, an incurable practical joker and I was very disappointed when last year, after eventually finding someone that knew of his whereabouts, I found out that he had died only a short time before. I traced him through the 'old boys' association at the Botha, but too late.

On one trip I found a huge mole cricket (well about 3-inches long) that had flown in through the radio room porthole. I covered it with the log book until I could find something to collect it in, but it just walked off with the logbook on its back. It was a ferocious-looking thing with huge thick legs, designed for digging in hard, sun-baked soil and decorated with scary spines in various places. Having found a box and captured the beast, I put it in John's tobacco tin while he was on the 4 -8 watch with the mate. It was one of those tins in which you bought cigarette tobacco rom the bond, like a condensed milk can with a top that lifted off after you had rotated it to cut through the tinfoil covering. (I can't remember the name of the brand).

John used to like to lean his chair back onto 2 legs, putting his feet up onto the wash basin in his cabin. Having tipped some of the other guys off, we gathered in his cabin for a beer when he came off watch. Sure to type, with a beer balanced in his lap and the chair tilted back to the balance point, he reached for his Rizlas and tobacco tin. Yarning away, and without looking at the tin, he removed the lid and delved inside. A look of total horror flashed across his face as his fingers came into contact with the struggling beast trying to get to the light. There was a loud howl, the can was flung up against the deckhead, the chair tipped backwards as John was pitched to the deck and he and the cabin were covered in tobacco and beer. We fled before he could recover - he was not only big but very powerful.

When I left the 'Lucknow' in April 1963, there was not even a rumour that she was to be sold out of the fleet in August '63. I never ran across anyone from my time on her - perhaps that was not too surprising since I sailed mainly on tankers thereafter until I wet to work ashore for Marconi's. Shame I never came across Keith Beverley though as we did lots of trials of new communications products on both the 'Matco Avon' and the 'Matco Thames'. Running from Coryton out to the North Sea terminals, they were both close to our office and development labs in Chelmsford and frequently available (every few days) for de-briefs on equipment performance. I was regularly aboard both the vessels over a period of several years during the 1970s and early '80s.
 
#37 ·
Ron, This could turn into a real marathon of" yarning" as you put it.Since Gareth started with the enquiry about the rtw trip in 62, I will tell you my memories and photos of it.
We sailed from Glasgow on 24/10/62 with about 500 tons of stone ballast and about seven new cadets who had never been to sea before. I was by now an "old hand" having just over a year under my belt. I knew what Smoko's were and could yell " kaberda nichi". We sailed round the southern end of Ireland heading for Newport News in the USA and ran into probably the worst storm I ever encountered. Force 11/12. most of the new cadets were sick but none worse than one called Rathbone, I remember feeding him bits of dry toast through clenched teeth(his, not mine) Others lined up outside the saloon to gulp down what they could before diving to the lee rail to get rid of it. We eventually got to the other side and visted Philadelphia, and,New York. Quite an experience. Glen Wagge introduced a couple of us to his niece and a friend to take to a high school dance, I made a bit of a dive at the friend who was not a bad looker but after a bit of a snog in a park she asked if we would have to get married cos she might have a baby, I was glad to get on the way to OZ. Remember being buzzed by the US Navy all the way through the straights of Florida, The Cuban Crisis was going on and we didnt seem to know much about it. Panama was an amazing experience but the trip across the Pacific was long and hot. There was a scots lad " Ginger" who fell asleep on deck and had the worst sunburn Ive ever seen. Covered in calomine from head to toe and still made to work. Arrived in Gladstone, what an experience. Corrugated iron pub where the beer was only sold in sherry glasses, you could but a jug though as long as you drank it from the glass.
We did Newcastle. great place. Some photos.
We had Christmas there too I believe.
Didnt like Brisbane much but loved Sidney.. The Sound Lounge, Adam's Jazz Travern, even tried Montgomerys but you had to keep your back to the bar there.
Melbourne and Adelaide were good then on to Port Piri. The Old Man stopped the ship and put about six of us into the Whaler with a crate of beer, some sandwiches, a chart and a compass and said that he would expext us in port later. Couldnt even see the land which is very low lying. The beer and sarnies were gone pretty soon and there was no wind to sail, we rowed for a bit but were getting nowhere so we hailed a passing fishing boat and got a tow to the start of the river. (We didnt want the old man to think we had had help, We then started to sail with a very slight wind up the river tacking back and to, Didnt see the dirty great tanker comming down until it was to late and rammed it amidships in full view of the old man. Fortunately the pilot of the tanker stopped the engine just as we got near to the prop which we could see clearly thrashing ever closer. Got a bit of a bollicking as I recall.
Port Piri was a dump with a railway line running down the middle of the main street, Saturday night was Cowboy night and everyone dressed as cowboys and went to the local corrugated iron cinema. Think we loaded lead there
Back up the coast to Sidney where we arranged to have a dance. The boat deck was all decorated and we put on our best No 10's ( or was it 12's) and entertained the daughters and friends of the agents. I met a very nice young lady who invited me to lunch with her parents who then showed me the sights of Sidney and sent me off with a huge box of goodies, Wonderful.
Sailed back round the north end of OZ and headed back to Suez then to Genoa for bunkers. After six weeks or so we were desperate and had one wild night ashore . I woke up stretched accross a railway line just short of the gangway, Never touched Chianti after that. After Genoa the Channels began to set in but I cant remember which port we went to, I assume it was London. That was 27/3/63. I did one more voyage in her but for the life of me cant remember whether it was to South or East africa, short trip, 2 months 23 days so it could have been either
Wonderful times with good and bad times.
Smokoes with the toast swimming in butter
putting you "dear John" on the notice board for all to read
standing watch on the fo'csle seeing the dolphons and flying fish
working extra hard for a job and finish and not getting it
lying on your bunk with the ventilator turner full on and feeling the sweat trickle off your chest.
Great cameraderie
45 years, a lifetime ago and yet it is so fresh in the memory

Hope I hav'nt bored you too much enjoy the pics
 

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#39 ·
Hi Pastyman.

Liked the photos, recognised lots of faces but couldn't put a name to any! But I can do that with people I met last week, so nothing surprising there.

The trip from Glasgow to Philadelphie took 11 days because Capt Wortley was afraid that we might run into a low (remnants of a hurricane) that was travelling across the Grand Banks from the USA. All the mates were very critical of his 'prudence'. On that trip we went to Newark, not NY, where it was well below 0 degrees Celsius and snow-covered, but several of us took the bus into the Big Apple and amongst everything else, enjoyed the delights of the Merchant Navy Officers club. Went to a dance there and a few nights later entertained the young ladies from there back on the ship. Great time was had by all.

Amongst the cargo loaded in the USA for Oz were pop records including the latest hit in the USA by the Four Seasons (think it was 'Big Girls Don't Cry'). About 2 weeks after we arrived in Oz it went into the hit parade there. There were also a lot of sweets which seemed to find their way around the ship - almost every cabin had a bowl of them. I remember the P2V Neptune's buzzing us on our way down to Panama and the regular interrogations on the radio from the USCG radio stations when passing OBS reports. This was in spite of our AMVER reports. We did the Panama Canal transit on 02 December 1962.

On the Aussie Coast we did a little more than the ports you mentioned. We arrived in Gladstone on the 23rd Dec 1962. On Christmas Day, the Old Man allowed a couple of the lifeboats to be used for a trip to one of the islands off Gladstone where the available officers and selected apprentices had a beach party with adequate supplies of booze. I got horribly sunburned that day (the last time I let that happen to me - we redheads burn easily).

We left Gladstone on 27 Dec for Brisbane and thereafter the itinerary was:

28/29 Brisbane
Dec 31 /Jan 04 Sydney (Pyrmont). Spent NewYear's Eve ashore and saw in the New Year at King's Cross getting well oiled.
08/11 Melbourne
13/16 Adelaide
17/22 Port Pirie
25/28 Newcastle NSW
Jan 29 /Feb 03 Sydney
05/14 Brisbane
March 05 Aden for Bunkers
09/10 Suez transit
15/16 Genoa discharging wool and other cargo
23/25 Dunkirk
26/28 Hull
28/29 Antwerp
Mar 30/Apr 02 Bremen
Apr 05 Liverpool where I signed off.

Great trip, great memories.
 
#41 ·
On that visit (at the end of December 1962) to Newcastle, NSW to load wool for various European ports, we had an 'experience' ashore involving the Old Man.

He was a small man (about 5' 4") with an exaggerated sense of his own importance in the world. As the Master of Ellerman Lines' training ship 'City of Lucknow' he behaved as if he knew all there was to know about all aspects of merchant shipping. As a Yorkshireman, he knew that the rest of the world was occupied by lesser breeds of man.

In Newcastle, NSW, he requested the ship's agent to provide a self-drive hire car for his convenience. One afternoon, as I was walking through the docks with the 2nd Mate, we were overtaken by the Capt driving the hire car, accompanied by the ship's doctor. The car stopped and we were invited to accept a lift into town. It was mid-summer and we were grateful to avoid the long trek under a hot sun, so accepted with alacrity and got into the back seats. He drove with a flourish and was somewhat disdainful of the rights of other road users. The 2nd Mate and I were soon exchanging glances at each near miss and I was trying to work out how soon we would be able to claim that we had reached our destination, and ask the Old Man to drop us off.

We entered the town and began to move through fairly busy streets. Turns left and right were made with full confidence and we believed that he knew just where he was going. As it was the first time that either of us in the back seats had been to Newcastle, we hadn't a clue where we were. Suddenly a very large Australian policeman appeared in front of the car holding up his arm to signal us to stop. Stop we did and through the open window our Captain asked if he could help the officer in anyway. First of course (in true RNR fashion) the formalities had to be observed.

'Officer, I am Captain Bernard Theodore Wortley, RNR, Master of the training ship 'City of Lucknow' on urgent ship's business. I'd like you to meet my Surgeon, my Chief Communications Officer (me, the Sparks) and,' pointing to the 2nd Mate besides me, 'this is my Navigating Officer.' The policeman looked singularly unimpressed and said, 'I don't care if he is Christopher-bloody-Columbus, you can't go the wrong way down a one-way street. Now turn around and get the hell out of here.'

And we did.
 
#42 ·
Ron,
Ive looked at your profile and yes I do remember you, You must have done pretty much the same trips as me. Your tale about the old man is ammusing though as I said earlier, he was God( seems he thought so too) We had more to do with Terry Lyons, Must send him a note. Must be getting on a bit now. At the time I can remember calling him all sorts of names but after serving thirty years in the Police nowhere near water, I moved to Cornwall , bought myself a small yacht and took up sailing, Ive made several trips to France, the isles of Scilly and the Channel Isles, I have been amazed at how much I have remembered of what he taught us, so I really have to say thanks.
Can you remember the name of the purser, a little Scot if I remember right. He is on the pic of cadets and officers on the boat deck I posted. That picture must have been taken before the RTW trip as the likes of gareth George and others are not there.
I loved Mombasa, Rog Turnbull had lived in Uganda and spoke fluent Swahili, boy did we have some fun.Remember pinching a Coke sign about 6'X12' from a wall at the Fontanella , carrying it back to the ship to wrap around the funnell the bottling out and pitching it over the side.
Anyway ,it is nice to have this site, who knows, in time some of the others may find it and get in touch.
I will get onto the Raikaia ( is that how you spell it) and post a reply to Terry's thread.tony
 
#44 ·
I will get onto the Raikaia ( is that how you spell it) and post a reply to Terry's thread.tony
The site you want is http://www.rakaia.co.uk/

Have a look at some of the photos and anecdotes from other companies' apprentices and cadets and you will see the sort of thing that you could probably provide about the 'City of Lucknow'.
 
#43 ·
Pastyman
As I said before, I never sailed on the Lucknow but having been a JRE apprentice and 3/o I have thoroughly this thread and it has clearly brought back the atmosphere of those great years.
Although I missed the Lucknow I had the pleasure of "Bernard Theodore" on the City Of Glasgow which he commanded on its maiden voyage to India and then on the Far East run. Be assured he retained all the mannerisms referred to in this thread.
I see to mentioned Denis Dick. Was his father Captain of one of the Big Four (not sure which one). If so I did my Second Mates with him at Belfast 1966. I cant remember the christian name but think it my be him

Rgds
Fergus 62 - Ronnie McClune
 
#45 ·
Fergus. Gareth George has posted here. As I recall his dad was skipper of one of the big four but Im not sure either which one. I left the Lucknow in 63 and joined the city of Pretoria. I think the old man was a Capt Broadbent. I think the mate was a man called Haines. I did a bit of coasting on the Khartoum and the New york then took my second mates and joined the Eastbourne on the SA run. Ian Smith was Jnr sec and the 2nd mate was Keith ........ from Middlesborough. Joined the St Albans with Capt Powell and did a couple of trips to the far east. for the life of me I cant remember the others. I think the mate was Gray. Im sure there will be many that we will both have met and yes they were great days, foreign ports that didnt all look the same. we had time to explore and even make friends. days or even weeks at anchor waiting for a berth. The ships had a style and grace not seen today in the "barges" loaded to the bridge and with sterns that have been hacked off. Im old enough now to be a grumpy old git. Tony
 
#47 ·
Tony

If my memory is still functioning then I sailed with Capt Broadbent on the City of Glasgow 1966. If its the same man, the mate you refer to -Haines- was master on the City of Bedford 1966/7 where I did my first trip as 3/O. It was his first trip as Master and also the mate, 2/O and myself were all on first voyages in those positions. I can remember thinking this is great, I've reached some sort of dizzy heights only to find we had no apprectices and life just continued as before. Capt Haines then moved to the City of St.Albans and was master on it when it was involved in the shelling incident coming out of Calcutta in the early 70s.
Yes, there was time then to see places that were totally unknown to folk at home, explore in safety, make friends and generally feel privilaged to have done so. Now most have changed names, changed skylines and joined the tourist and cruise ship itineries.
cheers

Ronnie
 
#52 ·
Hi Mike, Just came across this website and was pleased to see at least one of the 'original' crew is still around! I was also aboard on the first voyage in 1959 and also have many photos (somewhere) of that time. I shared a cabin with Cliff Bunt (from Cornwall?) and used to take many photos and print/enlarge them on board. So many memories!
I know you posted several years ago but hopefully you'll come across this post. In the meantime I'll try to dig out all the photos (in store I think) and post them in due course.

All the best,
Malcolm Wood
Ellerman & Bucknall 1957-1961
 
#50 ·
Hi Mike

I was on the Lucknow around 1959. Spink was the cadet captain, I can't remember his first name, I think he had a nervous breakdown and left the sea after my first trip on her. Paddy and Mac the QM's. Captain Wortley, Hutch and bosn Brightly were all on board then. I joined her at Ellesmere Port and did two MANZ line trips. Havn't come across anyone I knew in the various threads.
Look forward to your reply.
Dib
 
#53 ·
Hello forlorn, one-time Deckies of the City of Lucknow!

I was aboard the ship from 62 through 63 as a Deck Apprentice.

I joined the ship on the bitter cold midwinter (1961-62) pick up in Glasgow. In The same "pick up" Pastyman mentioned in one of his posts, I was one of the "seven new first-timer cadets" he referred to.

I was also pleased and surprised to see myself in the bottom right of the crew picture posted, as well as the pic on the beach in Oz where I'm in the centre, kneeling over who I think was my cabin mate Leslie, who was buried in the sand.

Tony, I'm glad to see a few pics actually were developed! Had a good laugh as you described the conditions under which many a roll of my film had been so poorly developed (ruined) under your well intentioned care... all forgiven.

I joined the Lucknow wearing a highly fashionable, very expensive (no Kit Carson fringes) sued jacket, and the highbrows on board dub me the "Coventry Cowboy," a name I didn't mind at all, taking into account the hundreds of years of seafaring traditions held close to the heart in that ancient walled city.

My best mate aboard at the time was "Pilks" Pilkington (Geoffrey or Jeffrey) from Gravesend, son of a Trinity House Pilot. Many fond memories.... the dance in Mombasa where met a very beautiful gal, but I was not allowed ashore thereafter as I had not sufficiently memorized the visual navigation rules.

Also have fond memories of a "Jhonnie Walker fuelled", drunken climb to the top of the masthead/flagpole outside the government building in Lourenco Marques only to find in my subsequent horror, through blurry morning vision, the sizes and height of that flag pole as we set off to sea again the following day.

Another distinct memory was visiting with Bosun Jim Brightly's, plug-ugly, niece at a school dance in Newark. She was like the Bosun with pimples in a skirt!

Bosun Brightly was always on my case for something but we were thick as thieves, he playing the Fagan to my role as Artful Dodger in the very profitable cigarette cargo re-distribution business.

I was a feisty bow-oar in the Whaler rowing against the Newcastle (Oz) Sea Cadets... and actually did enjoyed rowing.

Have many more fond memories and am grateful for the posts made so far. What an exceptional experience to read through these events so many years later. Hope you are all well and in good health,

My apology to "Pilks" for leaving each other on most unsatisfactory terms all those years ago.

Written this day, the 4th of January 2016, overlooking the Sea of Cortez monitoring the marine traffic and cruise ships of the port of Mazatlan!

Malcolm (Malc) Stephen (Stevens)... 72 years and fully functioning.

Question for the Cornish "Pastyman)... do you know John Carty, of Quay House Mylor... Stayed at their B&B, Great Guy.
 
#54 ·
City of Bedford 1967

Fergus

I think you will find that the Old man on the voyage and when the St Albans got shot up was Allan Hine. The Mate in the St Albans when she was shot up was Mike Fagin. I relieved Mike in the Hull a few years latter and asked him what got him off the St Albans. His answer was ti imitate a machine gun.

Allan Hine died out in the Far East after he got the push.

Alan Suddaby
 
#55 ·
Hi Coventry Cowboy

When you were on the Lucknow were they still making a cine film of the voyages?
Unfortunately, I have no photographic record of my time on board and have tried in vain to find out what happened to that film. Mind you when we were in Auckland harbour waiting for a berth we were red leading over the side one afternoon and had embellished the hull with some choice Anglo Saxon words. It so happened that the old man was returning to the ship by boat with whoever was filming at the time and our 'work' was duly recorded for posterity before we could obliterate it! Didn't go down too well and my punishment was to do more red leading after everyone else had knocked off for the day which meant it was too late to get ashore.
Also 72...thought I was the only one still breathing.
Dib
 
#56 · (Edited)
Hi There Mr Dib

Thanks for you saying Hi.

I never heard of any filming whilst aboard the City of Lucknow, but it certainly would be a "Holy Grail" find if you ever hit pay-dirt in your quest... good luck-now with that.

The previous trip, to my fateful coming aboard was to Cornerbrook in Newfie Land, and prior to that I have no additional knowledge. Being one of the last drafts of "newbies" to the "Lucknow" we were not worthy of deep historic conversation with the general population who, after one or two voyages, were hard-bitten seafarers.

I relish your "red Lead" story as real rebellion... I tried and failed in my "covert" efforts to disturb the proverbial. I had been a bit-of-a-lad (mischief-maker) at school and found life aboard the "Lucknow" a little too proper and dignified. Though fair to say there was enough general cheekiness and good humour to make the whole experience a much treasured memory.

Reflecting on all the deck chipping and inhalation of red lead fumes it is a wonder that my cognitive skills are still so well-honed.

I read somewhere in this thread that some had contention about "Wortly's" decision to turn back towards Blighty for a day or two during the North Atlantic's hurricane "Ella". My two penn'orth is that he saved all our lives when he chanced going beam-on to those massive waves whilst turning in the very eye-of-the-storm.

I was not sick throughout... and whilst fully expecting all our rivets to pop and making a soon visitation with Davy Jones I found it all very thrilling. During the very worst of the hurricane I was at the wheel a huge amount of time and saw all the deck cargo go flying over the side, and the word was that the life-boats were breaking loose of the davits before that gutsy turnaround.

Resting as best I could in my pit, I very distinctly remember the whole of my inner organs and stomach sloshing back and forth inside me as each giant wave tossed us about like a toy in a bathtub... the screw was screeching out of the water much of the time.

The screech of thousands of rivets stressing as the ship topped (straddled) a wave and settled into each next trough was most alarming for most of the time.

Happy New Year 2016, and all the very best to you "dib" and all others.. Malc Stepen (Coventry Cowboy)

Could you all be a little more personal in messaging... I'm sure we wont end up on a "No Fly" list. An Old Farts List maybe.

Hello to Forbes if your out there in the ether. Sunset... got-to-go.
______________________ __________________
 
#57 ·
Memory can be a funny thing.

Just for the record, Ella existed as a hurricane from 14 - 22 October 1962 and, having started just to the East of Cuba, ran northwards more or less parallel to the East coast of the USA until it dissipated somewhere off the Grand Banks on October 29 (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1962_Atlantic_hurricane_season). The voyage that we were both on (of which you write) started in Glasgow on 31 October 1962 and arrived in Philadelphia on 11 November.

The course that the 2nd Mate had set out prior to departure was, at our normal service speed of 15.5 knots, to take 7 days Glasgow - Chesapeake Bay but our gallant captain was very concerned about the press reports of a hurricane affecting the USA coast and decided to take a far more southerly course, resulting in an 11-day crossing. As the only R/O on board, I received all the weather reports and sent all the meteorological observation ('OBS') report messages. This meant that the Mates and I had plenty of opportunity to discuss the weather and to express views on the course we were taking. There were no hurricane warnings at any time during the crossing. I can only say that the weather we encountered was in no way unusual for a WNA crossing and far less challenging than most that I had experienced on two previous ships - one of which ran a monthly UK-Caribbean-UK service (returning to the UK along a Great Circle course that roughly followed the track of Ella) through the previous (1961) hurricane season. The 1962 hurricane season was the mildest since records began, whereas the 1961 season had been the worst.

Although we didn't enjoy the best of weather, you wouldn't expect that WNA. We had a day or so of near-continuous gale-force winds with heavy swell but there was nothing out of the ordinary or that would threaten the safety of such a well-founded vessel. 'Rivets screeching' must have been a phenomenon only present in the apprentices accommodation deck, it wasn't evident in any of the places in which I spent my time during the trip, which included the bridge deck, the Captain's deck, the engineers' accommodation and the engine room.

That round-the-world trip was a very interesting experience for various reasons but the first leg was hardly the stuff to excite Hollywood or even SN readers. Must have impressed the girls back home though, the way you tell it, Coventry. Keep that lamp swinging, shipmate.
 
#58 ·
Well, we seem to have touched a nerve there, Coventry (I hesitate to address you as 'Cowboy').

I tend to speak as I find, without being influenced by company position or status. I sailed with the man for some 16 months over an 18-month period, meeting and dealing with him daily. During your 4 months as a first-trip apprentice, one of some 25 apprentices aboard the ship, just how much opportunity did you have to observe the way he did his job or interacted with colleagues and others?

Both before and after the City of Lucknow I sailed with a number of excellent masters and so had plenty against whom to benchmark his performance and character. I stand by my opinions but don't have any objections to you holding, and expressing, different ones.

That is how life works, you know.

However, I do object to bull-sh1tting, which is why I wanted to set the record straight about the trans-Atlantic crossing that we shared.
 
#59 · (Edited)
"I SAY AS I FIND"... says obnoxious, strung-out String man. What an arrogant know'all... you have alienated all the Ellerman Lines cadets who were very proud to be onboard the City of Lucknow with Captain Wortly and serve under his Blue Ensign flag.

I ask... did you ever take your headphones off? I think they must still be on and your blinders as well... along with your butt-plug. Every cadet onboard the "Lucknow" saw and lived those wicked storm conditions I speak to. You were in your cosy, soundproofed radio room... playing with yourself to pass the interminable boring hours you were subjected to in your dull go-nowhere lowly role (job).

I have lived half my life in western Canada's Alberta province where cowboys are revered, you smart ass. So "cowboy" away all you like, you creep. I and my wife of 50 years winter in our Mexican home, where cowboys are equally held in the highest esteem.

I SAY AS I FIND... put your plaid slippers on and nip down to the newsagents for a breath of fresh air.....you need it to settle your bile.

Got to go... there's more news about our former neighbor "El Chapo", and our eldest son and his wife are presently sailing across the bay in front of our home on their way to Puerto Vallarta. Much more interesting than your nasty, derogatory banter and web-stealing bullying. I promise you there will be more Lucknow cadets that challenge your totally unqualified appraisal of Captain Wortly RNR... are you god, String Man? I SAY AS I FIND.

Newsflash... Stringman grades ships Captains... they are only competent if he SAY'S IT AS HE FINDS they are. Beware Captains. And beware contributing web members... do not say or post anything without String Man Ronnie's pre-approval; this guy is vicious.

I will not reply to Stringer as he enjoys baiting people far too much. He obviously does not have a life... look how clever he is in spelling bull-sh1tting to get his venom past the web guardians.

I will reply to all cadets, as that was my purpose in joining this thread.

Poor old Bowie... he sure entertained us for a good long time.


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