Ageing Engineers

[spimps]

Re: Ageing Engineers

jag-12 wrote:When I was doing apprenticeship as a Marine Engineer I was posted to Falmouth dockyard for six weeks.
An old cargo ship came in that was on its final run to the scrapyards in India.A real rust bucket literally falling apart.
Run by a Swedish company that specialised in taking a final low value cargo to pay for the trip.
Manned by a minimal crew the average age was 74, Captain and Chief Engineer in their mid eighties and the youngest member was 68
All were single or had no dependent family
Logic was that if the ship should get into trouble and sink the compensation payouts would be minimal ❗

Served my apprenticeship with Rustin & Hornsby as a fitter building marine diesels.
V 18 weighing in at 75 tons was the largest, with the head off and piston at the bottom of the stroke you could stand in the cylinder with both feet on the piston and shoulders were nearly level with the cylinder head (valves as big as trombones), what a beast!
A year at college first then a five year apprenticship with a weekly day release to college, sadly the end was nigh by the time I was 24ish, Arnold Wienstock and EE/GEC bought out Rustons and eventually roggered the company importing cheaper Cummings deisels so I jumped ship to Electrolux.

[Bill]

Re: Ageing Engineers

I retired at the age of 65 and a I am glad that I did as within the first year I was hospitalised for a total of 11 days. Now if I had been this repairing washing machines the business would have suffered badly as it took more than six weeks to get any where able to continue working. So think what your body can handle as you work beyond a certain age.

Bill Ellis (and YES he is still alive)

[iadom]

Re: Ageing Engineers

Some less fortunate souls don’t even get to 65 before they have to give up, backs, knees and other far more serious problems. 🙁

I am not sure if I will stop playing squash or give up working first, for the time being as I am able to do both and still enjoy them I will continue. 🙂

You never know what is round the corner but as long as you have prepared yourself financially then if it’s what you want to do then go for it. 8)

Jim.

PS. Hope you are keeping well ATM Bill.

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