Maintenance & Repair

[Ivan Cloherty]

. Like Second mates with a drink problem , they were very rare , but if you got one , you remembered it , you never slept well !!

Only sailed with one, we called him "Orbit" he was always spaced out, always late on watch, stuck it till 0100 hrs one day then went down a threw a bucket of water over him, cured him for a few days.

[robpage]

On regular night serevices South of the Isle of Wight across the Western Channel , I used to be very thankful for a couple of Quartermasters who were very attentive . I don't exclude the engine room , but there were always two engineers on watch and a Motorman so there was a little more leeway , The drink culture on ferries in the early eighties was frightening , glad i got out when I did . With a liver still functional !!! ( JUST ABOUT )

[Robert T. Bush]

Do not think so. In Falmouth remember waking up shore maintenance men when ready to depart.

On the Clyde after leaving a yard we broke down and had to get work redone at Greenock. This was in the 1950s.

Italian and north continental yards were better with diesel work as were Japanese.

Italian carpenters were real craftsmen. They relaid teak decks and caulked them perfectly.

Robert T. Bush R337801