Stories of Merchant Navy Seaman
Arcadia 1974 The Cinema Attendant,
By Bob Johnston
After all those years ago after leaving Canberra as a first tripper I found myself back in the Midlands awaiting instructions for a new ship. I had experienced the job as waiter and found it hard work but I loved the travel.
My next adventure, if you could call it that, was to join the Arcadia, I received a telegram telling me to report on a Sunday in May 1974 to P&0 Head Office where I would meet the crew to board a coach to take us to Gatwick Airport then to Vancouver.
I boarded the train from Coventry early Sunday morning in May, weather was mild and I was excited about where I was going. I had spent the night before checking out the itinerary that I was given from P&0. This was a serious trip of 7 months, visiting places such as Alaska, Hawaii and Australia. I had only dreamt about these places, let alone knowing where in the world they were situated.
I got off the train in London with all my baggage and then onto the tube to P&0 head office where I found at least 100 crew waiting with their baggage. I felt a little nervous but soon got talking and made friends fairly quickly. Some of the crew had worked on Arcadia for years and for others it was their first ship.
We drove by coach to Gatwick were we boarded a Dan Airways flight to Vancouver. The flight was an experience as I remember the beer was free. We landed in Vancouver very late that night and we got split into two hotels. I waited in line to get my room number with another guy only to be told we did not have a room and we were not on the list. This was the start of something, panic set in. After a few minutes the hotel manager said the only room we have is the bridal suite. I spent my first night in the bridal suite, which I think I should keep to myself (over the years I received many a joke) I wonder why!!!
The next morning we were taken by coach to the quayside, it was a beautiful harbour with seaplanes landing in the distance. The cars were huge, as I had seen in the movies. It was a busy place and I loved the strange accent.
Our coach parked on the quayside alongside Arcadia, which was old, compared to the Canberra and you could see rust marks. At the front of the ship deckhands were painting. There was a gangway-marked crew and we got our seaman cards out and checked on board and were directed to the ballroom.
I waited in line with all my papers, discharge book, union card, and red ID book. An officer in uniform asked me my name, greeted me and then went on to tell me there had been a mistake and I was not listed as a waiter, in fact I was not listed at all. I then felt myself panic saying I must be there as I had a letter verifying everything. It took a few minutes of checking and the line was getting longer and everyone had his or her eyes on me.
The officer said well we have two choices we fly you home on the next available flight or I have a job called Cinema Attendant. I had no idea what this was so I asked him politely what this job entailed. I was told that you show people to their seats! In the end I took the job, as I was not about to fly home.
Once I had done this and I had signed ships articles I was shown my cabin. I nearly died when I saw that it was right at the front of the ship and there were 8 people in the cabin. I thought I would be sharing in a two-berth cabin (I had been spoiled by Canberra). The guys in the cabin were great and most were Public Room Stewards which I had no idea what that meant. They all worked topside in the bars I later found out.
I quickly got changed into a red jacket and my bow tie and was shown to the cinema. The ship was smaller than Canberra and had a real ship smell if anyone can explain that smell. I met the projectionist who was nice guy who I got along well with.
For the next 7 months I was an expert on Alaska and the movie The Sting. As part of my job I spent many hours on the gangway as when in port I got the job of helping passengers on and off the gangway. As we cruised Alaska we anchored off the ports and had to send passengers ashore in lifeboats so I stood in the freezing cold on the pontoons as well.
Many a time a new deckhand would drive the lifeboat and I feared for my life many a time as a novice deckhand or deck officer that could not judge the right angle to come alongside rammed us.
I had 7 months of fun and landed in Sydney in the October and had many a tale to tell to my family and friends (some I could not tell!!).
I signed off in Sydney and flew home to England awaiting the next adventure as a seaman, I had now grown up and classed myself as a real seaman.
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