Sign-In
Cart
Sea Stories from Springbok
Hardcover
Adventurers & ExplorersAviation & NauticalMilitary Biographies
ISBN13: 9781803819105
Publisher: Grosvenor House Publishing Limited
Published: Jun 20 2024
Pages: 102
Weight: 0.79
Height: 0.44 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Forty former sea-goes, of all descriptions, live in a unique little country estate in Surrey. Their memories, from as early as 1957, have become the inspiration for this collection of varied, entertaining, and salty tales.
Engineers, seamen, officers, fishermen, and yachtsmen (serving on general cargo and container ships, tankers, luxury yachts, trawlers, cruisers, and aircraft carriers) who have travelled the world in all its weathers, have given us some priceless accounts of their adventures. From tragedy to bullets flying, from hilarious to horrific and with loneliness and comradeship, it will keep you guessing and turning the pages. Stories include - paying not to have to buy the chief's daughter; emergency four hundred feet down in a diving bell; watching your thumb go off in a crane strop; losing power in a force ten storm (with your trawls down); bleeding on the floor of the Taverna; caught with your live-in girlfriend by the skipper; surviving the sinking ferry - and so much more!
How did such a collection of seafarers come together in this unlikely place? It all began at the end of the First World War when a shipping magnate and a seamen's union boss got together to take care of the many injured Merchant Navy casualties. They organised a huge fund-raising occasion in London, which provided enough funds to buy a nursing home in Kent that did essential work for years - until the Second World War. In 1947, with the help of a magnificent contribution from the South African government (given in gratitude for our Merchant Navy keeping them supplied during the war) and the generosity of the RMT Union, they were provided with a new home in Surrey; 'Springbok' where they, and all arrivals since, have been given a home and supported ever since.
The Merchant Navy has had to survive drastic changes over the years, moving from general cargo to container ships and then tankers. Each step meant that serious adjustments had to be made by all involved. When containers took over, the turnaround times in port meant there was no longer a week or more for unloading and no longer times for friendly relationships in port! Working in tankers meant crews were so remote at the distant unloading points that they often did not get ashore at all. Then, the introduction of 'Flags-of-convenience' provided much more competition from around the world for our countrymen - conditions changed again. Inevitably ships moved in and out of war situations, often supplying the combatants.
Do not simply imagine lone cargo carriers ploughing the distant waters, the Royal Navy was always busy keeping seaways safe while there are so many other reasons for being on (or in) the oceans; including 'for the sheer pleasure of it'. We have got them all living here on the Estate. Through all the changes, our seafarers managed fascinating careers wherever they were around the world's oceans. Compensations came and went, and relationships too, but they always shared their work and experience to make life more liveable.
It is all in this book of gripping yarns!
1 different editions
Also available
Also from
Russell, Gavin
Transformation Timebomb: 150 practical business adaptations for the digital age
Russell, Gavin
Paperback
Also in
Aviation & Nautical
Solo and Together: Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh, an Enigmatic Life and Marriage
Hansen, James R.
Hardcover
The Last Flight: The Untold Story of the Search for JFK Jr. and the Race Against the Atlantic
Webster, W. Russell
Webster, Theresa M.
Hardcover
The Navigator's Letter: The True Story of Two WWII Airmen, a Doomed Mission, and the Woman Who Bound Them Together
Dondi, Jan Cress
Hardcover
Cleared for Takeoff: A Pilot's Memoir of Purpose and Resilience After 9/11
Gilliam, Captain Nia
Hardcover
The Aviator and the Showman: Amelia Earhart, George Putnam, and the Marriage That Made an American Icon
Shapiro, Laurie Gwen
Hardcover
From Typewriter to Takeoff: The Life of Journalist and Aviatrix Harriet Quimby
Tyler, Norman
Paperback
The Naval Academy - A Parent's Ponderings from Home Port: Untying the Bowline on I-Day
Wade, Steve
Paperback
Stone Age Astronaut: The Astonishing Adventures of America's Forgotten Flier
Callanan, Liam
Paperback
The Lost Boys of Montauk: The True Story of the Wind Blown, Four Men Who Vanished at Sea, and the Survivors They Left Behind
Fairbanks, Amanda M.
Paperback
Titan Unfinished: An Untold Story of Exploration, Innovation, and the Oceangate Tragedy
Söhnlein, Guillermo A. M.
Hardcover
Ohio to Supersonic: Flying the Sr-71 Blackbird to the Secret World of the Skunk Works
Sheffield
Hardcover
Speed: The Life of a Test Pilot and Birth of an American Icon
Gilliland, Bob
Dunnavant, Keith
Hardcover
The Aviator and the Showman: Amelia Earhart, George Putnam, and the Marriage That Made an American Icon (Large Print Edition)
Shapiro, Laurie Gwen
Hardcover
Space Ace: A Combat Pilot's Journey from Vietnam to Beyond Earth
Paustian, Anthony
Gibson, Robert
Hardcover
The Great Lakes Ships of Frank E. Kirby: America's Greatest Naval Architect
Gebhart, Richard
Paperback
Let's Make a Race Of It!: The Story of Those Daring Women Who Flew The Powder Puff Derby, 1947-1977
Rickman, Sarah Byrn
Paperback
Through the Yellow Visor: The Life and (Mis)Adventures of a US Navy Fighter Pilot
Aiello, E. Vincent Jell-O
Paperback
A Sea of Possibilities: The Revolutionary Atlantic World of Captain Thomas Allen
Banks, Kenneth J.
Hardcover
Black Lion One: Topgun Trailblazer Capt. John Monroe Hawk Smith in Command of Vf-213
Auten, Donald E.
Hardcover
The Unlikely Voyage of Jack De Crow: A Mirror Odyssey from North Wales to the Black Sea
MacKinnon, A. J.
Paperback
Pursuing the Leviathan: The Heroic Life of New England Whaling Captain Benjamin Clough
Magid, Paul
Hardcover
No Straight Lines to the Stars: An Unlikely Journey from Lifeguard Tower to Launchpad
Kisco, Ken
Paperback
Military Aircrafts in the Sky: Air Combat from World War II Planes to Modern Fighter Jets That Changed History
Modern Daily Press
Paperback
80 Years, a Tribute to the Pby Catalina: The Ultimate Color Photo Album of the Best Flying Boat Ever Made
Wiesman, Hans
Hardcover
Battle of Britain Spitfire Ace: The Life and Loss of One of the Few, Flight Lieutenant William Henry Nelson Dfc
Usher, Peter J.
Hardcover
Prairie Flyers of Central Illinois: A Century of Aviation in America's Heartland
Hambucken, Denis
Warner, John
Brady-Lunny, Edith
Paperback
Flying Rocks: Stories from the air flying some of the biggest rock n' roll stars of the world.
Lofton, Michael J.
Paperback
Unbreakable Wings: Piloting the Impossible Journey Through Cancer and Naval Aviation
Adametz, Derek
Paperback
Smuggler's Flight: The High-Flying Adventures and Daring Aerial Exploits of a Bootlegging Black Market Pilot
Stewart, Chuck
Paperback
The Great Lakes Ships of Frank E. Kirby: America's Greatest Naval Architect
Gebhart, Richard
Hardcover
The 600 m.o.l. - Black Helicopter Pilots in Vietnam: Tuskegee Glory - Second Edition
Ponds, Joe
Paperback
Single Seat Wisdom: Practical and Valuable Life Advice From America's Fighter Pilots
Curran, Michelle
Anderson, Kevin
Jelinek, Aaron
Paperback
The Shipwreck of the Whaleship Essex (Warbler Classics Annotated Edition)
Chappel, Thomas
Chase, Owen
Pollard, George, Jr.
Paperback
The Man in the Arena: The Story of an Aviator's Roller-Coaster Ride to the Clouds and Back
Cooper, Thomas
Paperback
The Stone from Halfway Rock Revisited: A Lifetime of Adventures on the Coast of Maine
Blachly, Peter M.
Paperback
The Heroes We Needed: The B-29ers Who Ended World War II and My Fight to Save the Forgotten Stories of the Greatest Generation
McIntyre, Trevor B.
Hardcover
Whitney Straight: Racing Driver, War Hero, Industrialist - The Authorised Biography
Kenny, Paul
Hardcover
Rocket Boys: The Exhilarating Exploits of the Early Mach Busters from 1945 Onwards
Baker, David
Hardcover
New England's Lifesaver: Coast Guard Legend Master Chief Jack Downey
Webster, W. Russell
Cicalese, Michael A.
Paperback
When the Lights Go Out: A Vietnam US Army Pilot Reflects on His Service and Beyond
Doherty, Francis A.
Hardcover
Smuggler's Flight: The High-Flying Adventures and Daring Aerial Exploits of a Bootlegging Black Market Pilot
Stewart, Chuck
Hardcover
Soaring with Destiny: A USAF Pilot's Memoirs of Challenges, Experiences & Accomplishments
Miller, Usaf (Ret ). Lt Col Chuck
Paperback
Saber 27: A Memoir: A Female Cobra Pilot's Story of Betrayal, Redemption, and Combat in the War on Terror
Armstrong, Anne J.
Hardcover
Empires of the Sky: Zeppelins, Airplanes, and Two Men's Epic Duel to Rule the World
Rose, Alexander
Paperback
The Battlin' Bastards of Bravo: Bravo Company, 1/506th, 101st Airborne, in Vietnam and Beyond
Ziobro, Melissa
Hardcover
Only the Light Moves: Flying Covert Reconnaissance Missions in the Vietnam War
Doherty, Francis A.
Paperback
Planes, Trains, Automobiles, & More!: Frederick J. Hooven and His Brilliant Inventions
Braun, Becca
Paperback
Goodbye, Papa Golf: "The Riskiest Thing I Do" - A Memoir of Flying, Family, and Self-Discovery
Bearden, Chip
Paperback
Completely Mad: Tom McClean, John Fairfax, and the Epic Race to Row Solo Across the Atlantic
Hansen, James R.
Paperback
Where Dolphins Walk: A Memoir of Bridging National Lifestyles, Positive Change and Powers of Silence
Keehn, Douglas a.
Paperback
Spitfire Girls Trailblazer: Helen Marcelle Harrison: Ata Ferry Pilot, Wartime Instructor, and Flying Boat and Jet Aviator
Serup, Sheila C.
Hardcover
Up in the Air: The Real Story of Life Aboard the World's Most Glamorous Airline
Riegel, Betty
Paperback
The Haddock Family of English Seafarers: Merchant Mariners and Naval Officers 1327-1941
Purcell, Judy S.
Hardcover
So There I Was...: Warrant Officer Stories of Leadership, Laughter, and Lessons Learned
Natalio, Emilio B.
Paperback
India's Forgotten Rocket Pioneer: Stephen H Smith - From Pigeon Mail to Rocket Mail
Singh, Gurbir
Hardcover
The Boy Who Fell to Shore: The Extraordinary Life and Mysterious Disappearance of Thomas Thor Tangvald
Doane, Charles J.
Paperback
Unbreakable Wings: Piloting the Impossible Journey Through Cancer and Naval Aviation
Adametz, Derek
Hardcover
The Schneider Trophy Races: The Extraordinary True Story of Aviation's Greatest Competition
Barker, Ralph
Paperback