My four-year apprenticeship was with the BP Tanker Company, formerly the British Tanker Company, affectionately known as ‘Better Times Coming’. The apprentices division was run by a Captain Marsh and, while the work was hard and often long, the study programme over the four years was very detailed and enabled budding officers to put in their papers for Second Mate within weeks of completing the four years.
My apprentices journal details every ship, as well as officers and ports, on which I served. Sadly my original discharge book was lost when I worked for Sealink, as they kept them throughout our employment. The staff office could not find it when I left to join P&O and I was not at all pleased.
My first Transatlantic Carrier, under Captain Joe Lungley, with Warren Perry as Chief officer. Shortly afterwards he went ashore at Dalhousie, working for the Canadian International Paper Company. The Second Officer was Jerry Sutton who, some years later, became a pilot at Newhaven.
