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Fleetwood Navigation School 1957 12months

LASSELL Jan 58-May58
ROMNEY working by may58
DEVIS June58-Nov58 2trips
ROMNEY Dec58-Apr59
ROMNEY May59-July59
DEVIS Aug59-July60 4 trips
CHATHAM Aug60 working by
CONSTABLE Aug60-Apr61 5 trips
SIDDONS May61-Apr62 New York based
EGRET Jun63-Dec63
ARDETTA Jan64-Feb64

Inshore trawling 1991/95

Nautibuoy besides the Devis I also sailed on the Egret around 64 from the Queens dock to the continent and back, small world. Ernie.

I was also on the Egret from 04 - 01 - 1963, until 08 - 04 -1963, I remember it being a very cold winter and the river up to Rotterdam was frozen, they were 10 day trips and as I lived out of town I was the night watchman while the ship was docked in Liverpool and spent most of the time in the Devils, ie, The Coburg Dock Hotel, It was a good number for me, as I used to get my 4 hours a day overtime and pissed every night, also I used to light the galley stove in the morning and start cooking the breakfast for when the cook and the rest of lads came off the No 1 bus, it saved the cook leaving home early, and if I remember right the only other person who slept aboard in Liverpool was a ginger bearded second engineer and as he was always pissed as well we did a good job of looking after the ship between the two of us, -- what magical days. stan.

Remember it well, Stan, I was 3rd Mate on her, the old man was Cpt Cowie, the Mate was called Beeman, I think, and the 2nd Mate was a Dane called Nielsen (Niel) the 2nd Eng you are reffering to, I think was Joe Whelan. I was always going up to the Devils or the Angels looking for the crowd prior to sailing, always made sure I had a few wets myself though! Great times, Cheers, Glyn.

Now that sounds like a good crowd Stan, typical of the behavior of many a crew and that's what made the life so appealing,
God! I wish I was still doing it!

You are right Glyn it was Captain Cowie, he was a great character, when on the way round to Rotterdam he used to take the ship as close as possible to shore of a small seaside town on the Isle of Wight, I think the place was called Niton, we were that close we could see people waving to us off the beach, then it was hard a starboard and on our way, then he would always turn to the man on wheel and say, " that will make the swimmers piss in the water ", he was well aware of what went on when the ship was in Liverpool because after the dockers had gone I would have a good look around, check the mooring ropes and gangway, then mosey off to the Devils, and quite often Kay or Arthur who ran the place would say there's a pint in the bank for you and Joe Whelan off the old man, also the cook used to leave a pan of scouse every night for us two sleep aboards coming back from the alehouse, the copper on the gate would walk back with us for a bowl and I used to give him a couple of eggs and some bacon so he could cook his breakfast in his gate house, that way there never any need for baggage passes or searches for anybody off the ship, I sailed with Neill a few years later on the Moss Huchisson ship Kantara, he was 2nd Mate on her as well, While on the Egret he used to court one of the barmaids from the Devils and by then they had married. It was a very happy ship with a good crowd Tony, and I would have stay'd on her much longer only I had to leave due to a family bereavement, but I think that was the way them days, we never looked back we just moved on in another direction, and just like you, I wish I was still doing it, -- I apologise for being long winded but sometimes nostalgia gets hold of me. stan

What a pleasant read you have given us, Stan and a nice little picture of
how it must have been on the smaller ships. That was something I never experienced,
so all the more interesting. I think "halcyon" is the word to describe those days.

Yes you are right, it was a nice change to a foreign voyage, the appeal of the Egret was, especially to any of the lads with a young family was we were only away for 10 days then we were in Liverpool for 5 days and as we were on 6 monthly articles we were'nt paid off but continued working as you would in any other port, this meant that the lads could go home every night to their families, it was seen at the time to be the nearest thing to a shore job while still being at sea and of course the allotments were still being paid, As I was livng in N Wales and living on board it meant that I could do the night watchmans job and the rest of the lads could go home, as I was young and foolish at the the time this arrangement suited me down to a T, It is also worth mentioning that I was often invited to the homes of my shipmates for a meal, such was the friendly ways of everyone aboard. stan.

Aye Aye Ernie, when were you on the DEVIS? Glyn.

Is this the happy ship?