Ladies on Ships, not New Zealand.

[Jim Brady]

Jws talking of girls coming around the land from Glasgow to Liverpool two girls did just that on a Clan boat.My brother was a Liverpool docker was working on the quay at the Clan boat when there was a hell of a commotion it turned out that one of the girls was in the water and in trouble,the Indian crew were at the rail looking on doing nothing some dockers on the quay also.My brother anorak off boots off and in he went,the girl couldn't swim and she was pulling him under,he shouted for a pallet board and managed to get her laying on it.They were taken out of the water and taken to hospital where the girl signed herself out and did a runner.One of his mates told him later that when he was in the water it started to rain so one of his mates said we better put Brians boots and anorak in the shed they are going to get wet and here was he soaked through to the skin.Some days later he went into the Caradoc this docker said to him you must be mad fancy risking your life to save a whore,my brothers reply was, she is a human being and with your attitude you wouldn't rescue an effin dog.
Regards.
Jim.B.

He was presented with the Humane Certificate and a watch for his trouble.

[Lewis McColl]

On my first Blue funnel trip as a very young 4 th eng. It did not take long to find out why Bangkok & Phuket were so aptly named. Thankfully I never got any presents to bring home. I will admit though that one night in Singapore's Bugis street after a few to many I got the shock of my life, shall we say the lady in question had a bigger pair than me as I legged it.

[Captain Kong]

He was presented with the Humane Certificate and a watch for his trouble.
#JIM

Very good and brave of him Jim.
I would have died 63 years ago but for a lad doing the same for me.
When my mate, Ken Hignett , from Birkenhead was drowning in the sea off East London, South Africa, I went in to save him, but was swept away by the current, I held on to him until he died and lost his body. another lad, `Mo` Riley also swam out to help, We were both in severe difficulties a long long way off shore in a heavy sea.
Then 15 year old South African lad , David Brinton swam out and rescued us both, I ended up in hospital there.

I never saw the lad, David Brinton, again. but 48 years later I finally found him with the help of the Salvation Army Search Team. in Stranraer Scotland.
We finally met after the 48 years on stage on the Esther Rantzen Show on BBC TV.
He was never awarded anything even tho` I had recommended him,
I still keep in touch with him.

Cheers
Brian

[Tony Skilton]

Had to chuckle at this thread title - when the 'Rena' (container ship) ran up on Astrolabe Reef off Tauranga, NZ, at full speed a couple of years back, the first 4 'persons' to disembark to the first tug were the 'ring-bolts' from Napier!! It was the Rena's masters 44th birthday - he wasn't celebrating with booze, but with women!!
Cheers,
Skilly

[John Arton]

Talking of ladies on ships. As a cadet on the Beaverfir in St. Johns N.B. in 69, there were that many girls on board that the lads got fed up with having to shag 2-3 girls a night. One evening I walked through the crew mess room whilst the boys were having dinner (Saturday night steak night) and lying naked on the table pleasuring herself with a Heinz tomato ketchup bottle was a very nubile young girl and nobody was taking a blind bit of notice of her. The 5th Engineers girlfriend was a local reporter and a rampant sex maniac who even after screwing the 5th into the ground would prowl the alleyways looking for someone else to shag her.
In C.P. on the chemical tankers loading Veg. Oils around the Philippines there were so many of the Philippine crews wife's/girlfriends etc. on board that we were regularly over twice the lifeboat capacity to such an extent that the office got wind of it and had to put a stop to it, so the wife's used to hire a bus to follow us round from port to port.
My first trip as mate out there on going into my cabin in the first load port (Davao) I was greeted by 3 of them that the Bosun had organised. Being married I had no desire to partake of the goods on offer but the Bosun insisted if I was not going to sleep with them, could I let them clean my cabin and do my laundry...which was nice!!!
rgds
JA

[Jim Dixon]

The carriage of wives onboard seems to have started in the early 70s and I think initiated by the tanker companies. It is unfortunate that some assumed the rank of their husbands Mrs Capt & Mrs Chief and so on. It did cause problems if such was not nipped in the bud. A whisper in 'hubbies' ear usually did the trick. Heard this facility was extended to ratings later. God knows how things panned out.