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MV Hurunui
Just a coastal run on this ship, from the Royal Docks to Southampton then back to London, or even home, to await joining the Nottingham.
On pay off day (07-04-66) the Number One record in the UK charts was: The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore by the Walker Brothers.
Hello, congrats on a very intersting website. I did two trips to NZ on the Hurunui as a deck boy after leaving PWSTS in Dover in 1964/5 – long demolished. I went on to work my way up to AB via the Ruahine sailing to NZ and other UK coastal trips in NZSCo ships. I then did several years with Port Line, United Baltic Shipping Co and finally Trinity House vessel MV.Patricia. I left the sea in 1971 and spent the rest of my life in the construction and property industries becoming a chartered building surveyor.
Now retired I often think about the wonderful 5 years in the MN that I wouldn’t have missed for the world. We very lucky to be part of a great industry before it largely disappeared.
Best wishes.
Laurie
Hi Laurie. Thanks for visiting my site. Seems we started at sea around the same time but I made a whole career from it. I have the same feelings as you and will always be grateful that I picked the right career even though being a seaman’s peggy and cleaning toilets to start with was hard going. However once the ship was moored up in Kiwi everything changed for the better and makes you kind of feel sorry for today’s seafarers with quick turn arounds and no time ashore.
Hi Bruce, yes, no one told us about the peggying and scrubbing out the heads as the most junior ratings on board while being seasick. I thought it would be all boatwork, steering, ropework, sunbathing and having a fantasic time ashore!
Quite a shock when I joined the Hurunui in Liverpool in the middle of a freezing winter and was told to scrub out the PO’s mess! A great experience though that has stood me well in life.
Have you read Down to the Sea in Ships by Horatio Clare? A terrific account of modern seafaring in 2 container ships. No time in port, very hard work and very poor pay for foreign crews. Glad I’m not still at sea.
Laurie
Yes, it was hard to start with. Never did read the book.