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

After a couple of weeks in the Icelandic waters we settled into a routine. We would go several days with no action then have a few days of gun boat activity. We had now started to work in liaison with the Royal Navy and we were allocated an ex-Royal Navy liaison officer - his job was to act as a "representative on behalf of Her Majesty's Government". He was a typical ex-RN chap; aloof, pompous, and with a total distaste for us tuggies (in his eyes, we were lower than pond-life). When not on the bridge playing at James Bond he was to be found swilling from a gin bottle. He used to cast so many empty bottles of the old sauce overboard that it's a wonder he wasn't a danger to shipping! Anyway, his disdain for us underlings was quite evident - it took him all his time to reply to a polite "Good morning".

I remember one particular night, when he was on the bridge (as was I, for some reason) and we were under attack from the gunboat Agieer. This pompous git, with his full Royal Navy set of beard and curly moustache, got on the old radio and hailed the Icelandic gunboat. As always in these scenarios, all transmissions were taped, to keep a record of any incidents. Nothing too fancy, simply one of the old press-button-to-record bits of crap which we used to drool over in the sixties and seventies. I think they emerged just after the great 8-track systems.

Anyway, there was Mr Royal Navy in all his glory. The radio crackled into life and he took centre stage: "Agieer, Agieer, Agieer, this is Statesman One, Statesman One, Statesman One! I must protest on behalf of Her Majesty's government that the action you are taking is…" (blah, blah, blah). And, in the background, a couple of the guys were quietly giving the tape a backing track - the James Bond theme tune: Dan da dar dan dar dar dar dan dar da da dan dar! Brilliant! I can still hear it to this day and I can still see the glee on our faces, not to mention the fury of old fuzzy face!

You can actually hear a part of this very tape, which is now available to listen to on the bridge of the Artic Corsair trawler, now berthed as a museum in the River Hull (find it just off High Street). Take time out to catch it and add your own Bond tune! Our crew numbered about 18 if I remember: Skipper at the top, First and Second Mates, Chief Engineer (plus Second and Third), Electrical Officer, Steward/Cook, two "Greasers", which as their name conveys were engine room operatives, and a crew of about six Able Seamen and Deckhands, all of which had a relative position in the running of the ship.

You have to remember that a ship isn't like at home - no National Grid out here - you generate your own power, heat and lighting, food, etc. You are a self-sufficient civilisation in a little steel can. Food of course is the main link to keeping a crew comfortable and we had really good chefs on board (well, apart from the North brothers - read about these notorious Welshmen in future items). A proper three course meal was not uncommon, likewise a good hearty breakfast.

Tea and supper were also top class and it was nothing to find a full salmon platter laid out skilfully garnished at the end of a night watch, a nice change from the old days (although I hear the weevils were quite tasty with a sprinkle of salt). The only time we suffered in terms of grub was when the weather was particularly bad (which was fairly frequently). It would become dangerous to even attempt to cook, as it isn't a good idea to have boiling liquids sloshing about in a force nine gale (or worse) so then it would be stew - bolt the pan down, fill it up, light the gas, stand back for a couple of hours, et voila! Who needs Rick Stein anyway? continued below

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

Food wasn't always used to fill one's stomach though! One occasion I remember very well was our infamous spud fight with the crew of the gunboat the Tyre. She was marauding around the trawlers and she decided to harass us. Well, she was fairly fast but no match for the speed and agility of Statesman 1, so after a bit of cat and mouse manoeuvring we pulled alongside her.

After loading ourselves up with our ammunition (spuds) from our armoury (the galley stores) we let them have it, full broadside! Old Nelson would have been proud! All Hell let loose as the opposing crew started to return fire (also with spuds), then - horror of horrors, it happened! Poor old Graham Boxhall was about to deliver a final King Eddy when the retaining clip on his new (and very expensive) Seiko watch decided to come adrift and, as if in slow motion, (and with an accompanying cry of "Ooooooooooh Noooooooo!!") his nice new watch started into its geo-stationary orbit. It was only half way across to the enemy side when that old chestnut Mr Gravity came onto the scene, and - "Plop" - sadness came over Graham's eyes. The rest of us basically just pissed ourselves laughing. The war was over for that day. England 0 - Iceland 1. Never mind, Graham. I am sure you got over it in "time".

As the days got nearer to winter and a lot damn colder, the boiler in the engine room decided to give up. This boiler was mainly used for hot water but also (and more importantly) for heating and God it was getting cold! As Electrical Officer I tried to repair the unit but hadn't the right parts so I had to "modify" it to get it operational. I managed to get it fired up, but the problem was that it wouldn't cut off automatically, so you had to keep an eye on the pressure gauge, and when it hit the danger line you had to turn it off again until it cooled down. It was quite a palaver and on more than one occasion we came dangerously close to going over pressure. I wonder what the Health & Safety guys would say about that nowadays?!

Daily life in the engine room was great and very rarely boring. There was always something to attend to and at the end of the day, if all was well, we would find something to clean or paint. A clean engine room is an efficient engine room! You just had to take a look at the smelly old sidewinder trawlers of their day, covered in rust and fish gunge, and with a motley crew, some of whom still kept to the old tradition of not bathing until they returned to port - not a pretty sight (or smell)! But go into the engine rooms of these most gracious of all fishing vessels and you would have found not a split-pin out of place. They were the pride and joy of the engineering boys, always painted and polished. Nothing like a bit of polished brass to show off an engine room. More on my experiences on board the less-polished "DB Finn" later! Must go off and get me Brasso out - there's polishing to be done.

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

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