Point and laugh at Johnny Foreigner!

[dawg]

Foreign Merchant Navy training... and you thought the British system was bad!

Cheesy American Glory Boys


Philippinos copying Cheesy American Glory Boys


...with compulsory Philippino prison dancing...


Pakistanis copying Cheesy American Glory Boys


Brazilians copying Cheesy American Glory Boys


Indians not copying Cheesy American Glory Boys (copying QVC instead!)

[Beef1992]

Re: Point and laugh at Johnny Foreigner!

The Americans Training Does look Quite good. Weapons Training would be Handy around somalia and mallaca straight. 3000 consecutive days at sea did they say that or was 300. thats a long time

[The H]

Re: Point and laugh at Johnny Foreigner!

The Americans Does look Quite good.

It would do, they were initially trained by us

[Malim Sahib]

Re: Point and laugh at Johnny Foreigner!

Not so long ago Warsash "trained" its Cadets in a similar manner to the American system.
Cadets on sentry duty (on a rota), 'armed' with a made safe WW2 Lee Enfield rifle, duty cadets 'on call' around the halls/grounds, Strict curfews, parade ground marching through the week, cross country runs etc.
There were also Merchant Navy training ships dotted around the country, usually old sailing ships moored in a river where you learnt Seamanship, basic Navigation and (tough) shipboard discipline prior to going to sea as a Cadet.
Basically if you wanted to go to sea as a Deck Cadet with the more prestigious companies you had to serve 2-3 years on these ships from the age of about 14. They finally finished up in the 80s, famous ships being Conway, Worcester, Dolphin and Arethusa (this one for Ratings).

[dawg]

Re: Point and laugh at Johnny Foreigner!

Lunatics. They may as well teach hand to hand combat with kitchen equipment.

I take it that the modules on walking the plank and keelhauling are still on the syllabus?

[size4riggerboots]

Re: Point and laugh at Johnny Foreigner!

I take it that the modules on walking the plank and keelhauling are still on the syllabus?

Absolutely!!

Phase 1 Fleetwood cadets still have to get up and hoist the flag at 8am every day, including weekends, and lower it at sunset/5pm. It's not so bad for the HND/C students who have to do it once or twice each before they bog off to sea, but we had 5 months of it!!

[Malim Sahib]

Re: Point and laugh at Johnny Foreigner!

Would the flag in question be a Red Ensign or the Union Flag?

I had no idea Fleetwood still did that, still I suppose it'll prepare the lads for when they go to sea - raising/lowering flags being a common Cadets job.

When such things still mattered, flag drill on the likes of BI/BP/P&O ships was always scrupulously observed under the direct responsibility of the 3/O, who also worked out times of Sunrise/Sunset. Should more than one of the company's ships be in port, then that of the Senior Master "broke out" No. 5 pennant five minutes before 0800 or sunset. The junior ship(s) immediately responded by breaking out the answering pennant.
At the appropriate time the senior ship rapidly lowered 5 pennant (usually this was accelerated by cylindrical canvas sandbag being clipped below the pennant) and all the ships hoisted/broke out/lowered their flags as appropriate
With courtesy flag, jack, houseflag, ensign and localised signal flags this often entailed six Kalassis (AB's) plus the Serang (Bosun) or one of the Deck Tindals (Bosun's Mate)...the latter "piping" the procedure on the bosun's pipe!
All very impressive to watch of course, usually from the boat deck whilst having a G&T with the rest of the Officers before/after dinner.

Needless to say, when the time and motion folk came on the scene, the flag drill suffered.

[size4riggerboots]

Re: Point and laugh at Johnny Foreigner!

Red Ensign of course!!!!

I did find it funny on our first day when we were taken out to the flag pole and shown how to put it up and take it down, some people had serious difficulty working out how to do figure 8s around a cleat (they're no longer with us...)

That all sounds like a heck of a palaver, although on the Trinity House boats there's still a lot of flag raising and lowering that goes on. In port there's the bow-jack that goes up when the first line goes ashore, that and the ensign go up at 8am and down at sunset everyday. It's fairly relaxed though, until the Trinity House Elder Brethren and senior honchos come aboard. Then they go into flag and whistle overdrive, a lot of the senior brethren have their own flag which has to be raised when they're aboard too, I think who ever's the most senior has their flag up the main mast.
I wasn't given the flags to do, not because I was incompetent, but the officers on the Pat were frankly, lovely and kept telling me I should be skiving off more!!!

[Malim Sahib]

Re: Point and laugh at Johnny Foreigner!

Was Gary Parsons onboard the Pat when you were there?
I sailed with him when he was first trip 3/0 about 7 years ago and had heard he'd gone to Trinity House so as to spend more time with his family.

[size4riggerboots]

Re: Point and laugh at Johnny Foreigner!

No, not met him, sorry!