MERCHANT NAVY NOSTALGIA

Two years after the end of the war Britain was still suffering strict rationing and life was still very grey and austere. I had left school at 14 two years before and my first career attempt as band boy in the Royal Marines had ended in failure after nearly two years.   I just wasn’t musical!
So in October 1947 I applied to join the TS Vindicatrix at Sharpness as catering trainee.   Vindicatrix was the 3 masted barque “Arranmore” built and launched in October 1893 on the Clyde so she was fifty years old when I joined her.
On her first voyage she circumnavigated the globe, facing the treacherous Cape Horn and was away 18 months. Her seagoing career ended in 1922 and thereafter she was used by the Shipping Federation for training ratings for the MN.   She had several names and flags during her life, for instance during World War 1 she was a submarine depot ship for the German navy.
When I joined her, her masts and sails were long gone and she was moored in Sharpness Gloucester canal. Prior to the war she was moored in the West India docks, London and at Gravesend.   Because of the considerable dangers of air raids she was towed to Sharpness where she remained until she was towed to Newport for scrapping in January 1967.
At the end of eight weeks training I reported to the Shipping Federation in Dock Street, London and was directed to the Royal Mail Lines offices at Victoria Docks Silvertown.   I was eager to sail away immediately but it was not to be.   Mr. McManus the Superintendent decreed that I join the shore gang, standing in for regular crew on leave, loading stores and other tasks for the voyages.   First actual ship I boarded was the Beresina a former American built Liberty Ship, and also worked on the liners Highland Monarch and Highland Princess again on the shore gang.
Early in 1948 I was at last given my first trip the ship being the RMMV Loch Garth and my job title was Galley Boy.   Loch Garth was a fine ship, recently built, and carrying general cargo (5341 net tons) and 12 passengers. Two or three weeks passed unloading inward cargo and loading up again for the oncoming voyage for which I waited very impatiently.   During this period I continued working as three very good meals a day were made, but my evenings were free.
My immediate boss was the Chief Cook, Mr. Cornwell, and he was extremely good. I recall on one occasion after breakfast he told me to dump about ten fried eggs which were surplus.   I couldn’t believe it, remember strict rationing was in place and I was used to one egg a week if you were lucky, dried egg if not.    Anyhow, he asked if I’d had breakfast and I said yes, and he just said well have some more if you don’t want to throw them.   I must point out waste was not encouraged, in fact B.O.T. regulations were quite strict but some companies were good “feeders”, others were notoriously the other way and you were strictly (as crew) on your wack!!   Mr. Cornwell had a claim to fame also, his younger brother won the VC during the 1st World War as a boy seaman who stuck to his post and kept the gun firing whilst the rest of the gun crew laid dying and injured around him.
At last the great day came towards the end of January 1948 and the Loch Garth fully loaded with cargo and passengers cast off from the Victoria Docks, through the locks and into the Thames en route for the Spanish Main.   The Thames in those days was a hive of activity, ships of all nations, sizes, conditions and trades busily steaming in all directions.   From my workplace in the galley I had a great view.   Tilbury with the great liners of the day, P & O, Orient Line, British India, Swedish Lloyd to name a few.   Travelling on past the marshes of Essex and the refineries before the wide muddy estuary and Southend Pier bringing back memories of childhood holidays before the war. Later the English Channel and the white cliffs of Dover, extremely busy place with other shipping.
Into the Atlantic where the ships motion increased as we headed westwards toward our first port of call, Hamilton, Bermuda.   What an eye opener that was for a young lad like me brought up in wartime and the cold grey austerity which was post war Britain at that time. Sunshine, gleaming white buildings, policemen in starched white uniforms and most of all – shops overflowing with unrationed sweets, chocolates and ice cream available freely.   Most of the chocolates were American, Babe Ruth and Hershey bars and the like but the strangeness was part of the appeal.   Coca-cola with lots of ICE it was heaven. The beaches were sandy and the water warm and so, so different from Southend back there in the Thames.
After Bermuda heading south and west and into the famous Bermuda Triangle we experienced (my first) heavy weather.   Remember I was working in the galley, hot greasy smells predominating and arms deep at times washing huge cooking pots, so not unexpected that I felt rather queasy.   The Chief Cook, Mr. Cornwall, noticed me looking a bit off, so immediately sent me up on to the boat deck which was open to the weather with spray and the occasional wave lashing the area.   My task was to unfurl the tarpaulins which were tightly rolled up on the mesh covered potato locker.   I was soon soaked with salt water and swearing under my breath in a most seamanly manner whilst struggling to undo the rope securing knots which probably hadn’t been done since the ship was launched.   After successfully carrying out the orders, cold bedraggled and still swearing I returned to the warm galley, sea sickness forgotten and never to return in 30 years at sea.   It was quite a storm and indeed the ship did receive some damage to rails and plates which did require dry dock attention later in our last outward port.   Others during the same period and in the same area weren’t so lucky.   The British flagged “Samkey” an ex American Liberty ship and fully loaded with bulk sugar from the Caribean disappeared, with no trace ever found.   When radio contact was lost all ships in the area were asked to watch out, including the Loch Garth but to no avail.
Our next port of call with calmer waters was Nassau in the Bahamas again very beautiful and exotic to my youthful eyes and of course at each port I walked and explored during my off duty hours.   Next came ports of the Spanish Main and the old haunts of pirates in days of old, Santa Domingo, Peurto Prince, and Kingston Jamaica all very exciting and different, including the language in the first two.   Even being underage I managed to sample the very famous Jamaica rum and various tropical fruits.   The times spent in port varied from two to seven days depending on cargo requirements. We then went South to the Netherlands Antilles island of Curacoa where we called to refuel.   Curacoa and Aruba nearby, both Dutch, had oil refineries refining crude from nearby Venezuala.   The entry into Wihemstad, the capital, was very picturesque.   A narrow entrance with lovely Dutch style buildings, but the refuelling births further in were more mundane.   Entering the port I recall sitting on the deck next to the galley peeling potatoes and a couple of deck crew stopped near me peering over the side.   They suddenly grabbed a few of my potatoes and started throwing them over the side.   I got up to see the focus of their attention and there gliding alongside the ship in the narrow channel was a huge aptly named Hammerhead shark, which lazily turned and swallowed the potatoes.   I quickly asked the seamen to throw unpeeled potatoes not peeled ones!   Next port was in a different continent, South America and called Barrenquilla in Columbia. My main memories were of a long dusty hot walk and a quiet ancient church and not very friendly locals.   The ship then proceeded westwards to the great engineering achievement the Panama Canal and its locks.   We had a stop at each end of the canal at Cristobel and Bilbao for cargo work.   Both cities full of night life with a Wild West atmosphere in those days.   The US dollar was the accepted currency as the Canal Zone was US controlled in those days.   We visited the huge U.S.O club which was very clean, good value and I recall 200 Lucky Strike cigarettes were 1 US dollar (£1 = $4).   I was a non smoker but cigarettes had good bartering value in many ports.   Good and interesting transit of the canal and out into the Pacific, sharp right and head north to our next stop San Jose, Guatamala. Here we anchored off a palm tree lined shore and dropped off a passenger who was the new British consul and suitably attired in pristine white uniform and cocked hat.   We also loaded bananas for our next port, all done from barges, so no shore leave here. The USA was our next destination with Los Angeles and its port of Wilmington, a vast sprawling city previously seen by me in various Hollywood movies.   I visited Graumans Chinese Theatre and saw the famous stars hand prints in the sidewalk and drank gallons of Coca-cola being underage for anything stronger.    Dazzled by all the huge cars and shops so full of anything and everything.   Next stop was a truly great entrance under the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco, awesome views and passing the famous Alcatraz island prison, still in use, then on to our berth in the city.    So many things to do and see including the famous trolley rides reasonably cheap so great for us.
Portland Oregon followed by Seattle were next ports of call, and remember in particular the latter because Washington State had its own tax coins which had to be added to normal purchase prices and I think I recall correctly some were quarter of a cent in face value, so ended up with a pocketful which were useless anywhere else. Leaving the USA and sailing into Canadian waters which is almost immediately dominated by the fantastic Rocky Mountains usually topped with snow.   Victoria BC on Vancouver Island was a very enjoyable run ashore, with extremely friendly people with a strong British feeling to the place and absolutely glorious scenery. Our final destination Vancouver and again an awe inspiring approach under the Lions Gate Bridge and past the beautiful Lions Gate Park.    Before loading we spent a few days in Barruds dry dock in north Vancouver to repair the storm damage and I recall the local seamans mission introduced to local families who treated us royally including taking us on a trip up into the Rockies where photographs were taken of two of us crossing a high gorge over a raging river on a very unstable rope bridge.   The outward voyage completed, we loaded at Oakland, California a full range of dried fruits for the United States army of occupation of Germany. Then back through the Panama, refuel at Aruba and across the Atlantic to Bremen, Germany.   Bremen was an eye opener, as even then in 1948, the bomb damage was incredible.   I saw a tramway which you had to get off as there was a bomb crater stopping the passage and had to rejoin at the other side.   The cigarettes bought in Panama provided funds for all the nights out and we used no currency at all. You were only allowed 20 cigarettes through the port gate by the American military police.   Our next and final port was London where we paid off.   Thus ended my first trip.