# bow snatching



## nobby clarke (Mar 18, 2008)

hi all, have been watching telly do***entry NORTH SEA all the latest anchor handling boats it took me back to the sixties with united towing, i served on two or three anchor snatching tugs most memroable the MERCHENTMAN, with les derrick skipper and johnny hanley mate (top bloke) you had a small platform welded outboard with a hand rail you stood on this whatever the weather with a combination rope with a hook attached to the end , you had to get the hook in the eye of cable attached to the bouy this done you winched inboard secured it in a stenhouse clip and took it to it,s new position, to release it you stood well back hit the clip with a sledge hammer and prayed it did,nt take your legs of ,there was that much weight on it when released the clip spun round like a rotary mower blade, if the barge was to be taken in tow you ran the bouy to the barge where you had to attach it to the crane to be lifted inboard ,the block on the crane was as big as the wheelhouse and it would be swinging wildley above your head even smashing against the bulwarks or the wheelhouse, whilst you where running the bouy the barge would wince in the slack anchor cable giving very little control over the tug, one time pulling us in towards the barge so quick , as the anchor cleared the water they pulled us straight on to it and it went straight through the hull , as luck would have it straight into a fuel tank, we listed over to port and limped back to HULL for repairs GOOD OLD DAYS nobby clarke


----------



## keithsparks (Sep 1, 2009)

i was bow snatching with jack golden on merchantman when starting to build the gas platforms in mid 60s couldent get relieved for love or money until united put up the wages for snatching crews then every man abnd his dog wanted to be on them still got the scars on my ankles from blocks parting on the foredeck and i was the r.o all hands on deck oh happy days my a....


----------



## nobby clarke (Mar 18, 2008)

*more bow snatching*

hi kieth how are you, what about all the perk,s gig,s ten bob for two hundred all the king edward,s you could get your hand,s on not forgetting if you got aboard the barge for breakfast tbone steak with six eggs, i was trying to remember the name of the tug we were on when we did the six month,s in angola/luanda/cabinda, nobby winterbottom was skipper,kieth leaming mate,charlie boxhall chief eng, we were towing jacket,s off the beach for brown root to be fixed to seabed,the only way we could get the towing gear ashore was by having a bloke swim from beach with a rope in his mouth and we took it from him with a boat hook trying not to poke the poor sod,s eye out. we brought the tug home after the six month,s towing a small barge, got into that storm in the bay of biscay lost the tow and all the wheelhouse window,s hell of a mess united sent a tug out from uk to escort us home,i mean all that was good ? well merengie weekend,s ashore were ,all the best nobby clarke


----------



## keithsparks (Sep 1, 2009)

ywes nobby how could one ever forget the exotic port of cabinda after six months down there its a wonder we all didnt end up in the loony bin but we had some laughs didnt we poor old nobby winterbottom and leeming have passed on now dont know about the rest catch you later keith


----------

