THE WATERSHED YEAR - FALMOUTH

The beginning of my watershed year commenced when the tramp ship m/v "Eastern City" docked in Falmouth Harbour on the last day of July 1954 and closed Articles that had been opened in Glasgow in March. The crew of 34 men paid off and all went home on leave with two exceptions, the Chief Officer, 'Mortician' Davis, and the most junior guy on board - yours truly 'Ginger' Hogan.

I had better explain 'Articles' - this was an agreement composed by the Board of Trade [the UK Government] during the war that made a contract between the seafarer and shipowner to serve on the owner's ship. This agreement, inter alia, tied you to the ship for TWO years as long as that vessel did not come back to the United Kingdom. Tramp ships, by nature of their business, did long voyages that could mean a trip would take you away from home for the whole two years wandering the world. The new Articles were opened and a new crew signed on August 1st 1954.
The Mate's wife and daughter came to Cornwall and stayed ashore in a hotel. I remained alone on board with the exception of watchmen working shifts from the shore firm. It was no problem cooking my meals as I had cooked for many men before and could operate the galley oil-fires. I loaded the stores with the shore gang and told them where to stow paint, ropes, blocks, pulleys, engine spares, boiled & neat linseed oil, Stockholm tar, fish oil, and all the other paraphernalia of seafaring. The responsibility of all this gradually dawned upon me and more descended on my shoulders as the day passed. [Bear in mind that I was not yet 17 years of age.]
The crew were signed on. The Master was new to me, a massive West Countryman, Captain Harry Marshall, known as the "Sheriff", and his wife came on board too, an American lady all chiffon and flowing skirts named Millie. She was quickly earmarked as a buffer to the tough Master. The crew were from Cornwall with the exception of two new Apprentices to join me and they were both younger and first trippers! The burden was well and truly on me and the Mate made it clear in a mournful Welsh tone "Ginger, I am depending on you." From zero to hero in one fell swoop! I knew that I had play this very carefully with the crew as I had a scar already on my forehead already from an AB keeping a promise to 'wrap a bucket around my head' if I did not clean a bilge.
I remember the sun shone and I got time to go ashore for the afternoon and evening from Captain Marshall. I bought two shirts with collars attached [what a joy not to fiddle with studs! more about shirts and Tina in another blog] and I bought a black blazer. I interceded when there was a girl being pestered by a fellow. I was 6' 01'' and about 190 lbs so not to be trifled with. We met later and spent the evening walking and talking and I escorted Margaret Sanderson home, she lived on a road overlooking the small ferry to Flushing. Her father was a Methodist Minister.
The following morning we sailed bound for Portland, Maine, and dropped the pilot off Pendennis Castle and the fair port of Falmouth.

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