The ship itself was sealed as best as could be too prevent corrosion taking place. There was dehumidifiers everywhere. It was marvelloue when you washed your jeans, they were dry in 30 minutes if you placed them next to one.

Every week it was my job to go around taking humidity readings all over the place. In the boilers, condensers, superheaters, economisers, the bridge and several areas in the cargo hold sections. As it was a LNG carrier around the tanks there were primary, secondary and tertiary insulations, we were not allowed in the tanks as special clothing had to be worn.

The accommodation on board was absolutely magnificent and palatial, the Cadets even had there own sort of block.

I was onboard during the winter months the days were short. Monday to Friday, the first job was to pick up the crew from ashore, whose turn it was to stay ashore that week. Being an engineer obviously driving a boat was not that hard, so I thought. The Chief Officer took ages to be convinced that I could go and pick them up be myself. I think what turned it for me, was, that with the Ducth crew there was a Blue Flu Deck Cadet and one evening when they were staying on board someone wanted to go ashore to phone home or something, well, he ran the boat aground. What a hoot, no doubt we received a call in one of the local hostelries.You can Imagine the jokes the 2nd Engineer and I had after that. We did eventually get it off, somehow, I cant remember how.

Other jobs were taking humdity reading basically these were carried out all through the week and all the records logged. Tuesday was generator oil change day. We would use the ships emergency generator on that day and it was my job to chip the tank tops and paint them.

We did not take much booze on board I think we only took 1 or 2 cases for the three of us. We made up for it though on the weekend after it. The chief officer came from outside Glasgow and went home those weekends.

Usually at least once a week, a fire alarm would go off. I have never heard and alarm like it. It was OK during the day but at night although I have no fear of the dark it was eerie. This night about 3 in the morning the fire alarm went off. It was muggings job to go to the fire panel on the deck below the bridge. Now just imagine this. Its pitch dark, silent apart from this horrendous noise from an alarm on deck that quietens as soon as you enter the ship. Shadows from you torch are being cast everywhere and the bleeping noise from the fire detection board is getting louder. The cheif officer over the radio keeps on asking you are you there yet. You eventually get there and inform them which zone the alarm has gone of in so they can locate the detector. On this occasion it was in the accommodation. I now had to wait for them too confirm they had located the faulty detector before cancelling the alarm. 5 minutes went by then 15 minutes and all of a sudden the pair jumped out on me, I nearly had a heart attack.