Brian Hodgson is Master of Lady Nelson, regularly sailing from the picturesque waterfront of Hobart, Tasmania. The vessel is a full-size replica of the Deptford-built brig that played an important role in the early exploration of Australian waters. Brian told the Bosun:

“Recently with 20 crew split between between the two masts and spanker we had a full set of sails up and reached a speed of 8.2 knots, which actually is nearly twice as fast as a man can run. It was exhilarating for all aboard.”

Brian has been sailing with Lady Nelson for 10 years, and worked his way from trainee deckhand to Master. He was also heavily involved with the construction of the replica sloop Norfolk and sailed on the re-enactment of the Bass and Flinders voyage from Sydney, through Bass Strait and down the west coast to Hobart.

  David Baggott, now living on the Isle of Wight in sight of the sea, served in the Merchant Marine from 1957 to 1959 as an Apprentice in Watts, Watts Shipping Company: “I was seventeen, from a suburb of London and I believe that my desire to go to sea came from my father, who volunteered in 1939 at the start of the war to join the Navy. He was turned down, partly because of his age but also because he was in a reserved occupation. He was Secretary of the company making paper drinking cups who were commissioned to make paper bomb cases and reserve petrol tanks for our aircraft. I was aware, even at that young age, that he felt he had ‘missed out’.

My desire to join the Royal Navy was thwarted by a bad stammer, so with the help of an uncle who was a director of the New Zealand Shipping Company, I was able to become an apprentice with Watts. My first ship was the MV Windsor. After one trip I was transferred to the MV Wanstead, which after a short while was on loan to the Port Line and ‘renamed’ MV Port Wanstead. I remember this caused a great deal of work especially for me adding the ‘Port’ to the name over the side in three places and repainting all the life belts. Here is a photo of the Port Wanstead in Wellington, New Zealand. I was fortunate to visit America, Ghana, New Zealand, Australia, and many European ports both in the Channel and the Mediterranean.”

  Terry Hoyle recalls his time aboard Nevasa: “Early in my seagoing career I served as a Radio Officer aboard HMT Nevasa (still a teen, I told my landlubber mates that stood for Her Majesty’s Troopship but it was actually ‘Hired Merchant Transport’). One of the most memorable occasions was returning home from Aden on her last trip as a trooper, we passed our sister ship Oxfordshire waiting for the southbound Suez Canal convoy in Port Said; she was outward bound but on her last trip too. As usual we had a military band aboard but Oxfordshire had five! Having coordinated their joint repertoire over the VHF radio (very few merchant vessels had those at that time), it was magnificent to hear the massed bands live, backed-up by a joint spontaneous choir of over two-thousand passengers and crew, from squaddies to the brass, and their families, as we slowly passed by. Soon after that we laid her-up at King Harry Ferry on the Fal, where she rested for a couple of years before being re-fitted as a school’s cruise ship.”  

  Paul Lefebvre’s ship was USS Hank (DD702), a Sumner-class general purpose destroyer. “While I was aboard in the early 1960s she was attached to the US Atlantic Fleet, homeported in Norfolk, Virginia, later being transferrred to the Reserve Training Fleet, based in Philadelphia. When near Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a US Navy aircraft flew so close that the noise of its passing rousted the Captain from his cabin, thinking we were being attacked! She ended her days in the Argentine Navy, perhaps playing a small part in the Falklands conflict.”

  David Cornes was Mate and occasional master of the sailing vessel Biche (GX 3864) in the 1980s. “She was the last Breton Tunnyman still sailing at that time and at 105' overall was unlike anything else I have ever sailed. We used the diesel-powered to hoist the mainsail! She was at the time operating charters out of Poole and later from Dartmouth. Subsequently she fell into disrepair and is now in Brittany undergoing a long restoration by a charitable organisation. ”

  Glenn Krochmal served in USS Little Rock, commissioned in 1945 as a Light Cruiser CL-92. “In 1960 she completed conversion to a Light Guided Missile Cruiser (CLG-4). Her rear 6" turret had been removed and replaced with a Talos Missile launcher and magazine to hold and load the missiles. In the conversion, she was made into a primary flag ship and had very elaborate quarters and command facilities for the admiral (COMSIXFLT).  The “Rock” had the best sonar in the fleet and no ASW weapons.  During ORI in the Caribbean in 1962, her 6" turret missed an island that was one mile by one mile.  An ensign in the turret had forgotten to engage the turrets gyroscope!”

  Gerry Reilly served aboard USS Wasp CVS-18, a WWII Essex Class carrier that was converted to an ASW carrier, with the addition of an angled deck.
“I joined Wasp in May 1957 as an Interior Communication Electrician Mate. We were responsible for the inner workings of all communication within the ship. My first deployment was to participate in Operation Strikeback in the North Atlantic along with many other NATO ships. We visited Oban, Scotland as well as operating well north of the Faeroe Islands where we  crossed the Arctic Circle. I obtained shore leave to visit relatives in Ireland, and while there I learned of the Soviet launching of Sputnik. After that we were in drydock in Boston for several months, followed by a shakedown cruise to Cuba. In the summer we deployed to the Sixth Fleet in the Med, just in time to support the U.S Marine landings in Lebanon.”

  Doug Brook sent this photo of HMAS Voyager alongside HMAS Melbourne for Jackstay Transfer South China sea 1960. Says Doug: “My service history began at Cerberus in 1955. Twelve months on I joined HMS Alert in Honkers. Thence to Singapore to store ship for Operation Mosaic at the Montebello Islands for the A Tests. Eye-witnessed the largest detonation on Aussie soil, a 98 kiloton bomb, six times bigger than Hiroshima. Paid off HMAS Sydney in 1958. Back to Albatross thence to HMAS Melbourne. Two trips up top with FESR. Attached to FOCAF on retinue with himself ‘eyebrows at the dip’ Harrington. Paid off in 1962. Seven years pussers time all up. Some good memories and some not so good.”

  Gary Gelzer of Arizona, USA, has fond memories of USS Sampson, his first ship, in which he served from 1970-1971. He says “If you look closely at the picture you can see me in my khakis either on the bridge wing driving or getting ready to come alongside. This was lots of fun, especially in good weather. Cold wet days and nights especially sort of sucked...”