Flying Fish

[Wagga]

When I first sailed into the Pacific Ocean, I was amazed at the flying fish. They would see the ship as a threat and in quite large numbers, they would suddenly burst out of the sea and "glide" their way out of trouble for a fair distance.
When the sea was rough though, some would make a mistake and would end up on deck, usually during the night and this is where we would find them in the morning. It was from one of these dead fish that I cut the wings off and placed them in my photo album! Some people back home were skeptical of the existence of "flying fish".

[Captain Kong]

Hi Wagga,
Here is a flying fish I found on the deck of the Adelaide Star in 1957 in the Southern Ocean twix Cape and Oz
You can prove it now,
Cheers
Brian.
PS.
Why do the photos not enlarge, anyone know??

[Calvin Kent]

On a small tanker with stainless steel centre tanks totally flat inside so all strengthening was on deck, sort of built upside down. Only eiighteen inches freeboard so going down to the carribean she was more like a submarine. Actually, she was a bit of a submarine most of the time. The mate used to give us a lee most mornings if it wasn't coming over too green to collect the flying fish caught between the stringers?. Remember while still in the channel we had a good sized cod as well one morning. The fish didn't come any fresher than that.

Regards
Calvin

[happy daze john in oz]

Sold here in some of the fish markest under the name of 'Gurnard', very good eating and popular with many.

[Tony Wilding]

saw many in the Tropics, and a few landed on deck, amazing how far they can glide if windy, mostly do that to escape predators. , but sometimes fly into there mouths.

[John Albert Evans]

When crossing the Pacific on a loaded tanker the deckies used yo put lights on the side on the deck at night and collect the flying fish in the morning and have them for breakfast, i forget how many I have cooked but it was an awful lot, I kept a pair of wings from one but like verything else they got lost over the years.

JOhn Albert Evans.

[Louis the Amigo]

hi shipmates can anyone tell me the name of the fish that look like a small swordfish and had green bones? they cooked it in milk on a ship I was on a few years back, Flying fish from the deck was fryed, by the cook in the galley, the best eating fish was from bantry bay caught on hand lines and cooked in butter, cant remember what it was called ?

[Calvin Kent]

They'll be garfish Louis. Not sure about the Bantry Bay fish as most species are about depending on time of year. Unless you're talking scallops that is, Bantry Bay scallops seem to have a flavour all their own. Of course that statement opens the floodgate for everyone's favourite fishing mark and water purity.

Regards
Calvin

[Captain Kong]

When I was on a VLCC , [ A very large tanker] we arrived in Torbay about four miles off Brixham, We were lightering, discharging into two other tankers because our draft was too deep to proceed to any UK Port.
so for four days we were fishing over the stern, a line, a hook, and a bit of silver paper from a ciggy packet, The Mackerell were throwing themselves onto the hooks. We took them off and threw them up to the next deck to land in the swimming pool. The Pool had several hundred fish swimming around in an anti clockwise shoal, fascinating, we had fresh fish every day, all the way round the Cape and back to the Gulf and back again. they lasted for two months, all the Cook had to do was just scoop a few out and on the grill.
Brian.

[cappy]

an old hand sowed me how tomake a trophy of a flying fish it was gutted and its innards stuffed with oakum
it was then neatly sewed up its wings were pinned out and it was all given a heavy coat of varnish i took it home and it caused afair bit of interest
happy days regards cappy from shields