My first trip

[vic mcclymont]

I served my apprenticeship with an electrical contractor who was sub-contracted to the Greenock Dockyard.
We were on the Clan Ranald fitting out in the James Watt Dock. The ship was cold lifeless, no power no heating and only weeks away from her trials.
The new Firth of Clyde Dry Dock was about 1.5 miles away from the JWD as the crow flies. Rumour abounded that we were docking there to get the launch poppets and get her bum scraped and painted before trials.
On the due day it was announced that the workforce would remain onboard, with no power, only tugs escorting us.
There was no one onboard who could launch the lifeboats, no safety drill, no hi viz jackets and no life jackets.
In this day and safety conscious age I don't think or believe that this would happen

[Ivan Cloherty]

Eh ! Vic, life was so much more exciting without elf n safety, somehow glad it wasn't around when I was at sea, the thought of putting on all that gear to climb up a mast to run a messenger etc makes yer wanna laff.