John Watson
John belongs to: The Doxford Engine Friends Association
John was born in 1936 in Hendon. He started his apprenticeship at Doxford's in 1952 with the intention of going to sea. John has no regrets about the people he has met, and friends he has made.
John was interviewed by Carl Greenwood on 26 January 2006. The interview took place at Sunderland Museum and lasted 21 minutes and 13 seconds.
Apprenticeship at Doxford's
"Well, when you first start at Doxford’s you went into the store"
Well, when you first start at Doxford’s you went into the store, you were in there, and then from there you went into the fitting shops. I went into what they call the gallery where they assemble valves and things like this. I spent a year in there and then went down to the erecting shop and started the assembly of the engine, setting bedplates, building the engine up, right from the bedplate right to the finished product, and then stripping it down ready to go down to the quayside to be installed into the ship. I was about 20 years old when I went down to the quay and didn’t have any idea what it was like in the engine room, of course. I got sent down below- empty engine room, nothing, just a big hole. Got introduced to the fitters and from then on everything was straight forward; the engine came down, the bedplate dropped in, all the auxiliaries, done the auxiliaries and we made the ship ready for sea. Done sea trials, and that was the ship going to sea.
John has 14 memories in the memorynet:
Apprenticeship at Doxford's
- The value of a Doxford apprenticeship
- Sounds and atmosphere in the Doxford Works
- Asbestos
- Moving on from Doxford's
- Bill King
- First voyage, carrying dynamite through a hurricane
- Being in a hurricane
- Joining the Doxford Engine Friends Association
- What does the sea mean to you?
Doxford's reference- Diary
- Working on a lathe
- Catch of the day
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