Fifty Years Ago Today

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Fifty years ago today, I was cooling my heels aboard the South East Gas collier Wandsworth of 1,792 gross tons. Pretty awful time, as the winter of 1962/63 was even worse than it is now. We spent weeks shuddering and plunging up and down the North Sea taking 2,000 tons of coal a time to the London gasworks of Greenwich, Rotherhithe and Wandsworth. The ship had a very low profile so that we could get under the bridges. The masts were telescopic and disappeared into the deck at the touch of a button. She was the only twin funnel ship I ever sailed in, but they were only the size of dustbins and couldn't even be seen from the outside! What a miserable time it was, the lowest ebb of my sea time. We even encountered pack ice off South End Pier and our fresh water lines were frozen solid.

Bob

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

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