Exclusive Feature Serial on www.thisisUll.com Part One - 1973: Super tug to defend fishing fleet By John Boldock Part One,  Part Two,  Part Three ,  Part Four,  Part Five.

It was a nice morning as we congregated outside the offices of United Towing Co in Nelson Street. This building was once the ticket office for the now defunct Humber ferry. For a few coppers you could steam across to the other side of the Humber to a land still inhabited by alien life forms more commonly known as "Grimsbyites". The old paddle steamer was a joy to sail on, and a quick pop down below took you to the beautiful old steam engine which could be viewed from a public walkway.

Across the road was a slope down to the river which was named the "Horse Wash", or as a late friend of mine used to say "Oss Wosh" - ya can't beat the old Ull accent! This was named so because in the old days the traders used to bring their horses (or osses) down this slope to give them a wash down, a sort of older version of the modern day car wash! Anyway, onto my first day as a sea dog! I spotted a group of guys standing together and asked if they were with United Towing, they all nodded, and to my surprise one of them turned out to be an old school friend; well, he used to beat me up once in a while, but then as I was small when at school, most people did! Anyway Malcolm Cundell was his name and as it happened his father was also with the company as a Chief Engineer - I was to find out later that he was not a very friendly chap.

Eventually the bus arrived and we headed off to Yeadon Airport near Leeds for a short flight to the Shetland Islands. As this was my first time flying I was shitting myself - not helped by the front page of the Daily Mirror that morning, which carried a full page picture of an air crash which had happened the day before - gulp!

Landing at Shetland is an experience in itself. The runway starts about 50ft from the edge of the sea and you get the distinct impression that you are going into the brine before you even reach your boat. God, it was a cold and utterly miserable morning when we landed. Shetland is one of the most bleak places on this earth at that time of year. As we got on the coach which was to take us to the docks there were a few mutterings about the place, to which the coach driver replied in a very broad Scottish accent "Och! 'Tis God's own wee piece of heaven!", to which I replied that he could fucking keep it. continued below..

Exclusive Feature Serial on www.thisisUll.com Part One - 1973: Super tug to defend fishing fleet continued By John Boldock

Eventually we arrived at our destination, and there she stood in all her glory, the beautiful stylish swathe of her sleek bows - The Statesman 1. I stood in awe - there was my first ship. The moment I stood on her deck I was to realise a dream and become a merchant seaman, the adrenalin was in full flow and my heart was pumping - she was SEXY! We all made our way up the gangplank and we were introduced to the Skipper and allocated our berths.

On the first trip I had to bunk with another guy called Graham Boxhall, whose father was also a Chief Engineer with the company (but more of him later) - his brother was the once famous Keith Boxhall, the Hull FC and Great Britain hooker back in the seventies. Nice lad was Graham, and we got on quite well. My position was as Electrical Officer/Junior Engineer. I was to work a watch with the Chief Engineer, whose name unfortunately eludes me at the moment. As we steamed (well ok, dieseled!) out of the port it was blowing up a bit of a gale. I had some sea sickness tablets but one of the lads said that you get reliant on them, so I decided not to take one - God, was that a bad decision! After a couple of hours at sea we were in a force six to seven gale and she was really rolling! It wasn't long before I was laid on my cabin floor with a blanket around me and a bucket in my arms - I tell you, if I could have gotten off that boat that night, I would never ever have set foot on a boat again in my life.

Sea-sickness is one of the worst feelings you can endure, and endure it I had to as there was no going back and I was signed on for two months. Eventually I managed to gulp a couple of my sea sickness tablets down and the vomiting went away. Although I still felt like death warmed up, at eight o'clock I was due on watch with the Chief Engineer, a nice friendly little chap (about 5 foot tall). I spent most of the night sleeping, due to the tablets, but he was okay about it, as I am sure he understood the situation - he must have had rookie guys on board before. So, four hours on watch and now eight hours to get myself together again before my next four hour stint. We did eight o'clock in the morning until dinner, which was good as you finished just in time for some grub, and eight at night until midnight, which was also good as you finished in time for a beer! We headed out from Lerwick in the Shetlands and up towards the Faroe Islands, before turning left a bit and heading for the Cod War grounds of Iceland. It was three days of steaming before we were to get to our goal. In the meantime I started learning how the engine room worked. We had a control room from which we surveyed the workings of our two beasty Doitz engines, sitting there like two giant Jaguar V12's - only much larger. When you stood between them they would dwarf you, especially the little Chief Engineer. At the end of every watch we would log down all temperatures, pressures and fuel data, etc, and the final job of each watch was to top up the service tank with fuel from all the other supply tanks. This job I hated as the fumes were usually quite nauseating. Well, the end of another watch and time for some scran. We carried a chef on board so our bread, etc, was freshly made each day and the food was excellent. They would lay out a platter for the night time guys, so it was a doorstep sarnie and a can of Tennents before heading off to bed for a bit of reading. After a couple of days you get used to the constant throbbing of the engines and sleep comes easy.

ON THIS DAY 19 January BBC Website >> 1973: Super tug to defend fishing fleet VIDEO : The supertug is sent to protect British fishing trawlers VIDEO : Charlie Noble speculates on the mission ahead VIDEO : Joseph Godber "We don't wish to escalate this struggle"

Onward - for tomorrow we reach Iceland!

Continued on www.thisisull.com...... Part Two - 1973: Super tug to defend fishing fleet.

Music Reviews - A Champion Night - Welly Club 16th January By Cilla and Greg
	One cold night in January (actually it was bloody freezing) my mate Greg and I went along to the Welly for a night with Champion Sound, the Reggae and Dancehall magicians who are currently gracing the Hull night club scene with their individual and blistering repertoire. We arrived early - about 10.15 and the club had a cold feel. There was a steady trickle of people arriving and after an hour or so, so the music began to build .. Read more...

Humour - Is it All Over for the Personal Ads? by Jane Foster

	At one time, joining a dating agency or putting a personal ad in the paper was seen as the mark of desperation. If anyone did do it, they seldom admitted it - unless they actually ended up meeting someone and staying with them. Then the details of how they met might leak out slowly.. But technology has changed the way people meet and interact, and one of the most common pastimes is.. Read more...

News - Victorian Valentine Hunt at Wilberforce House
	From Hull City Council Press Office Come along to Wilberforce House Museum during the half-term holiday and take part in our Victorian Valentine Hunt. There are six original Victorian Valentines hidden in rooms around the Museum for you to find. Read more...

Articles - Radio Airplay - Why just go for English Radio Shows? - It's a Big World Out There

	By Glenn Williams (Lazyswede productions) Bands are always complaining that they cannot get their CD's played on air and it's true, for most unsigned bands is not easy unless it's something really special. There are shows Like Alan Raw's Raw Talent which does its best to give all bands an opportunity to be heard which is very good. Read more...

Humour - Valentine Special...Odd Couples by Jane Foster

	As the old saying goes, opposites attract. Love can blossom between unlikely individuals. Love can cross boundaries of age, culture, distance..even extreme political ideologies. Let me show you our gallery of some of these couples.. people who have found true, everlasting love, despite cultural and political barriers, despite the prejudices and reactions of others. Read more...

Articles - Wilberforce Turning In His Grave...
	(Diversity In The City Of Hull) By Rich Mills When I started thinking about this piece, I was originally just going to write about the evening out I had on Saturday (July 19th). I and others around me experienced the cultural diversity that Hull has to offer. A Zulu wedding, a Salsa Night in aid of Deaf Children, Déjà Vu at The Welly, my diverse bunch of mates. Read more...

Articles - NEW BEGINNINGS
	by Uncle Jim In late 2001, disillusioned UCATT members in the caravan building industry were looking for another union to represent them, one which would not sell them out in their disputes with their employers. Some of them approached the Hull Direct Action Group, some of whose members were known to them from previous campaigns. Read more...