Merchant Navy Day

[Dav and Pen]

Today Sept 3rd in Merchant navy day. A number of us on here did some time deep sea when we still had a merchant fleet. Lot different to canal boating but at least still on water.

[Machpoint005]

I'll raise a glass to their memory this evening. I'm reading Churchill on the Battle of the Atlantic at the moment.

 

 

 

[mrsmelly]

1 minute ago, Machpoint005 said:

I'll raise a glass to their memory this evening. I'm reading Churchill on the Battle of the Atlantic at the moment.

 

 

 

I have dad's battle of the Atlantic medal whilst he was in the MN

[Alan de Enfield]

Coastal boaters are all flying the Red Ensign to 'remember them'.

[Sea Dog]

1 hour ago, Machpoint005 said:

 I'm reading Churchill on the Battle of the Atlantic at the moment.

The longest battle of WW2, and the merchantmen took the brunt of it. 

 

 

[Machpoint005]

1 hour ago, Sea Dog said:

The longest battle of WW2, and the merchantmen took the brunt of it. 

 

 

 

Can't comment on that yet, as I'm only up to June 1942, but I'm sure you're right.

 

[mrsmelly]

2 hours ago, Machpoint005 said:

 

Can't comment on that yet, as I'm only up to June 1942, but I'm sure you're right.

 

Here is a foto I have just taken from my old dads certificate of discharge book whilst he served in the Merchant Navy. If u look at the first entry on this page its for service on the Dinaric commencing 13 May 1942. It then says discharge 6 July 1942 at sea. I asked what that meant and it was because having been torpedoed whilst dad was at the helm incidentally that as the ship sank they were no longer on the payroll and paid off at sea, I kid you not 

[Richard10002]

6 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

Here is a foto I have just taken from my old dads certificate of discharge book whilst he served in the Merchant Navy. If u look at the first entry on this page its for service on the Dinaric commencing 13 May 1942. It then says discharge 6 July 1942 at sea. I asked what that meant and it was because having been torpedoed whilst dad was at the helm incidentally that as the ship sank they were no longer on the payroll and paid off at sea, I kid you not 

I recall the same happened to the crew of the Titanic.

 

Not sure when/if the practice ended. 

 

I was on The Timaru Star when she caught fire in Cardiff Docks in 1978. As an employee, I wasn't paid off, merely sent home to await the next ship. 

 

I'm now wondering if the crew had their pay stopped on the day?