Yes, I served my apprenticeship with Blue Flue. 13 years with them. A wonderful company to work for. But then came the crash and they went the same way as all good things. Should yo make your model here’s a few we’ll chosen words to keep you going, written by a shipmate.
[font=.SF UI Text][font=.SFUIText]Another masterpiece by shipmate Steven Woolley describing what it was to be a small part of the finest shipping company ever. [/font][/color][/font][/size][font=.SF UI Text][/color][font=.SFUIText][/font][/color][/font][/size][font=.SF UI Text][/color][font=.SFUIText]I'm sure that most members will agree with me if I suggest that it can only be the crew that makes for a happy ship or a memorable trip, but in our case there was always something else, something almost impossible to describe, a feeling of being part of something special. I only ever sailed with Blue Funnel,as part of Ocean Fleets so I can't say if seafarers of other companies feel,or felt the same way about their ships but there appears to be no doubt that Blue Funnel ships are remembered with great affection and fondness and revered worldwide within shipping circles. I follow a few other Merchant Navy groups and comments relating to BF are always very complementary, even extending to envy sometimes from guys not fortunate enough to have sailed with our once great company. So what made Blue Funnel [/font][/color][/font][/size]and the ships themselves so special????..... Was it simply those fantastic names? Agamemnon, Achillies, Prometheus, Protesilaus!..... Names of legend, names to inspire! Was it that glorious funnel? ... Simply two colours..., surely not and I'm sure Blue Star and other household names of the time were equally proud of their distinctive funnel designs too! Was it that lovely unique hull profile of the China Boats, especially when fully laden,.... Was it the ports of call?? ... Not necessarily - many other companies traded in the Far East also. Don't think it was the money, I'm sure it was no more than what others paid. Was it the way we were looked after by the company, or was it the food. I don't know what it was but I remember the immense pride I felt when I climbed up that gangway for the very first time and looked up in awe at that famous funnel, a symbol of a rich British and Oriental history, one that had provided a livelihood for thousands of seafarers and their families for over a hundred years. I was just a kid, I was nervous, anxious, apprehensive, would I measure up to the exacting standards of the great Alfred Holt, his ships were the best and they expected the best! Despite the nerves the feeling of excitement and anticipation was overwhelming. She was made from cold hard steel but somehow she was warm and alive. Surely this pulsating, noisy living creature could not be man made. I felt strangely humbled as I boarded, insignificant even, this magnificent, proud looking, slightly aloof old lady had been to the Far East and back 49 times, starting before I was even born! I was filled with awe and respect, she had seen it all and I was just a junior middie - how dare I even consider myself as part of her crew? The cargo winches screamed, wires strained under load, men busy at work everywhere, the noise, the smells, I now knew the true meaning of the expression " organised chaos", she didn't even notice my/ our arrival, simply carried on working as if we weren't there, we were just tiny cogs in a well oiled machine, but she was reassuring and welcoming and we soon felt part of something very special. Even my dad, who believe it or not was Peggy on the Queen Elizabeth during the war and a Cunarder through and through was proud as punch the day I joined the best shipping company in the world. Romantic, nostalgic ramblings and perhaps viewed through slightly rose tinted spectacles I suppose, but a very, very special and rewarding part of my life, and one which I hadn't really thought about much for nearly forty years until recently. A brief but wonderful trip down memory lane is now part of my daily routine thanks to this fine site, which serves as a constant reminder to me how fortunate I was to have been part of and to have experienced the rewards of travelling the world with such an illustrious and much loved company.
[font=.SF UI Text][/color][font=.SFUIText][/font][/color][/font][/size][font=.SF UI Text][/color][font=.SFUIText]Best of luck[/font][/color][/font][/size][font=.SF UI Text][/color][font=.SFUIText]Jerry[/font][/color][/font][/size]