Michael Wilson
Michael belongs to: The Doxford Engine Friends Association
Michael was born in West Sussex and went to school in London. He came to the North East to study at South Shields Marine College. He is an engineer in the merchant navy.
Michael was interviewed by Carl Greenwood on 26 January 2006. The interview took place at Sunderland Museum and lasted 25 minutes and 9 seconds.
Meeting George Gardner in Shanghai
"I bumped into George Gardner because we both worked for a company called P&O Tank ships"
I bumped into George Gardner because we both worked for a company called P&O Tank ships, and I first bumped into George when I was, went out to Shanghai to stand by ships being built and George was already out in Shanghai and I was going out to relieve him. George was going to bring the first ship home and I was going to bring the second ship home, so that’s how come we met up and I’ve known George ever since then. The irony of it is, is that George took a ship called the Tankerman, he was the first chief on this ship, he took it out the yard brand new and I am now sailing on this ship called the Tankerman, which is now called the Seven Fishes- it’s been renamed after it was stretched and lengthened and it will probably be the last ship, I’ll probably be the last chief engineer on it, so it’s sort of merging in.
Michael has 16 memories in the memorynet:
Training and apprenticeship- Following his father to sea
- First voyage and New York
- Changes in the merchant navy
- Leisure time and crew sizes
- Living conditions in the merchant navy
- Communication from sea
- Safety at sea
- Meeting George Gardner in Shanghai
- Joining the Doxford Engine Friends Association
- Decline of the British shipping industry
The Doxford engine at South Shields College- Students at South Shields College
- Apprenticeship agreement
- Photograph of michael
- Continuous Certificate of Discharge
This memory has these themes:
Community | Relationships | Skills | Work
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