# Parlez vous Navy lingo



## Jocko (Oct 31, 2011)

I am new to this sight but I love it. Where else can you talk about the sea with other people who actually know what you are talking about. I consider myself priviledged to have been at sea in the late 1950s into the 1960s. Ok the ships were small and they were slow compared to today but we weren`t in a hurry. Most ports that I remember were safe, no Aids and as far as I know no drugs. Just good old fashioned booze. The camaradie was there among all nationalities. I mind a bunch of us coming back to our ship in Auckland. There was a young guy slumped on the ground at the watchmans hut. It seemed he was too drunk to be let in on his own, they were afraid he would end up in the dock which happened a lot. We some how acquired a wheelbarrow, put him in it, found out the name of his ship and took him back. He was German and when I went up their gangway and got some of his mates down. They were estatic and hugging us like old friends. Yes they were good days.
In London the Kray twins ruled but you could go into any district and nobody bothered you. Pensioners could walk the street after dark and didn`t get mugged. Could you go anywhere in London or any large port nowadays? I doubt it very much.


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## Pat Kennedy (Apr 14, 2007)

Jocko, 
I fully agree with you about the great times we had at sea in the 50s and 60s, that was my time as well.
Everything you say about the cameraderie of seafarers ashore in some foreign port rings true.
But, I must take issue with you on the mugging thing.
I was mugged in 1959 in Glasgow, on a Saturday afternoon, in that little park by the Southern General hospital in Linthouse!
I'm afraid thugs and robbers have always been with us, and probably always will.
Best regards, 
Pat(Thumb)


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## stein (Nov 4, 2006)

The wheelbarrow story brings back memories, but in my story it was one of our own crew, he wanted to repay us with a couple of prepaid ladies...

Knew a Finn once who had sailed with nearly every nationality (Ossi Juntonen - anybody knew him?), I once walked past a French ship on a wharf in his company, and he started talking to the crew. I haven't the foggiest idea what was said, but it ended with the Frencmen coming down, embracing us both, and handing us wine and baguettes. Such friendship between nations I've never experienced anything like since, but maybe the Finn told them a good lie.


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## Pat Kennedy (Apr 14, 2007)

Stein, 
In Blue Funnel we would often hit the Far East at Penang, and bump into a crowd from various Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Dutch and German ships in that port. We would almost certainly meet them again all around the coast and on to Hong Kong, Manila and Japan.
Like brothers, we were, boozing, whoring, fighting and singing our way around the Far East.
Regards, 
Pat(==D)


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## Nick Balls (Apr 5, 2008)

Strangely enough , I remember getting drunk ashore in Rio Grande in Brazil when I was on my first trip, having 'lost' the ships crowd, Found myself back on board the ship (Which was out at anchor) and discovered later that some Norwegian lads had taken the considerable trouble to make sure I was safe! And Pat don't mention the fights out in the far east!!!!!!!!!!! That was indeed something else.


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## stein (Nov 4, 2006)

Yes, I think we mingled easily. I remember visiting the British seamen's clubs: playing pool there, and borrowing the football field, never experienced a single protest. 
The Norwegian ships were half crewed by foreigners btw, hardly any Brits, who had a fleet of their own, but Spanish, Portuguese, other Scandinavians.


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## Ron Dean (Aug 11, 2010)

Excellent thread this! Please lets have many more contributions. (Applause)

Ron.


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## jimthehat (Aug 5, 2006)

Pat Kennedy said:


> Jocko,
> I fully agree with you about the great times we had at sea in the 50s and 60s, that was my time as well.
> Everything you say about the cameraderie of seafarers ashore in some foreign port rings true.
> But, I must take issue with you on the mugging thing.
> ...


Well you should NOT have been out on the streets wearing a England shirt when celtic were playing rangers


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## Nick Balls (Apr 5, 2008)

Coming from a small village in Norfolk, At 17 I was ill prepared to be a reluctant participant in a Japanese bar room brawl involving British and Norwegian seamen! Only in a movie could this be happening I thought. Yet there I was crouched behind the bar along with the mamasan at 'Junes Bar' (I think it was anyway) as in true spaghetti western style the place was trashed! 
How could that be? Only minutes before everyone had been chatting and drinking! I quickly learned that this was indeed a recurrent event as the same ships and men followed each other from port to port around the far east of those distant days of the 1960's & 70's! Wow it kind of sticks in the memory of the 'Good old days"


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## Satanic Mechanic (Feb 23, 2009)

Finest bar brawl i ever saw was in the 'mish' in Yuzhne an Ammonia port in the Ukraine involving Polish Officers, Romanian crew, Us and our Filipino crew - utter carnage - this was straight out of a wild west, honestly there were people hit by chairs, bottles , thrown behind the bar - you name it. Tell you what though I'm glad the Filipinos were on our side !!!!!!!!!! dear Lord do they know how to fight 'dirty'


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## Pat Kennedy (Apr 14, 2007)

The brawl I remember best was one in Hong Kong around 1965. There was a USN carrier in the harbour with her escorts and there must have been several thousand yankee sailors ashore that night. Inevtably there was a clash with some merchant seamen in some bar or other, and it spread into the streets.
There were running skirmishes all over the place until the US Navy shore patrol arrived in force.
You dont want to mess with those guys, all of them about seven foot tall,black, and mean, they set about them with sticks, battering anyone who looked vaguely like a seaman. We took refuge in a bus and ended up miles from the ship, but at least got away unscathed. One German we heard got a fractured skull, and another had a broken arm, they had stayed to fight!
I think the Yankee admiral cancelled all shore leave after that because we didn't see anymore yanks ashore.
Pat


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## brian3 (Jan 25, 2010)

best scrap malta (some dancehall) 4 of us v the us 7th fleet (my knuckels feel sore now just thinking about it ) mugged twice 1st time in good old dundee 2nd melborne put me of both places for life oh and the very nice ny cop who took my last few $ off me in case i got mugged for them


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## Jocko (Oct 31, 2011)

Pat Kennedy, you must have been really unlucky. I went to all the different dancehalls in Glasgow including the notorious Barrowland and the F&F in Partick. I walked home through all kinds of districts ( you never had money for a taxi ) from 1954 to about 1964 and never once was I accosted. I`m only 5ft 7ins so it wasn`t my size that saved me. 
As for bar-room brawls, the only one I ever saw was in Nicaragua and it was our deck crew and some engineers. I didn`t get involved as I was ashore with the Sparky and the Chief engineer started it. The Sparky and myself sat in rocking chairs listening to Fats Domino while those ejits knocked the sh*te out of each other. Eventually those huge black guys came with rifles and marched the lot of us back to the ship with (I swear) our hands in the air. When I got to the the engineers alleyway the 2nd and 3rd came at me with the fists up because I hadn`t joined them against the deckies. The best form of defence is attack. I knocked the 2nd **** over tit and proceeded to give the3rd a very sore face. Ha ha you should have seen the state of us at breakfast next morning. There was hardly anyone on the ship who didn`t have battle scars. I kept the 3rd worried the rest of the trip as I said I was going to drop something heavy on him when he was on watch. I bet his neck was sore by the end of the trip with looking upwards for flying missiles.


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## Jocko (Oct 31, 2011)

Hey Pat Kennedy. Do you remember the bliddy size of the Shore Patrols batons? They must have been 3ft long, I would have become a very fast runner if those guys were after me. What is it they say about Discretion and Valour.


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## Pat Kennedy (Apr 14, 2007)

Jocko said:


> Hey Pat Kennedy. Do you remember the bliddy size of the Shore Patrols batons? They must have been 3ft long, I would have become a very fast runner if those guys were after me. What is it they say about Discretion and Valour.


Jocko.
At least 3ft long, and about an inch diameter, and they weren't holding back with them. This bus came along at just the right time and took us to some place called Lai Chi Kok which was where the bus depot was. We walked back, and it took hours. 
I should have mentioned earlier, we were with a crowd off a Ben boat which had accompanied us around the coast, and I became firm friends with a Glaswegian AB off her named Ian. I ended up going out with his sister some months later, her name was Lilias, the only time I've ever encountered that name.

As for the neds who mugged me in Linthouse, well, they didn't succeed.
best regards, 
Pat(Thumb)


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## TonyAllen (Aug 6, 2008)

Pat the biggest fight I ever saw was in 1955 hong Kong side at the union jack club,started small at first between MN and RN but slowly picked up steam when a few yanks came next thing MN/RN against swabs then europeans against yanks,red caps and shore patrol started to wade in, four of us got out sharpish was never a big drinker so I kept my wits about me ,right back to the star ferry and then the Red lion,those were the days Tony


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## tsell (Apr 29, 2008)

*Now THAT was a bar brawl!!*

I have posted this before, but it was the biggest brawl I was ever in and may give a laugh to those of you who haven't read it before.

Barahona, San Domingo. SS Nurtureton. 1952.

After a lengthy trip from Newcastle with numerous breakdowns, we finally unloaded our cargo of coal in Trinidad.
Sailing, we worked our guts out for days cleaning down the holds in preparation for a cargo of raw sugar.
We arrived at what we assumed was a piece of island Paradise and looked forward to a great time ashore.

Sacks of sugar were unloaded into the holds by prisoners from a prison ship at the jetty that poked out from the jungle. The guards ('vigies') were straight out of a Hollywood 'B' grade movie - gray uniforms crossed gun belts, gold handled revolvers in hip holsters and carrying rifles.
They meted out rough treatment to the workers who toiled all day under a hot sun, while down below the cargo trimmers worked without breaks. Nobody came up to use a toilet - we wondered about that!

An older crew member befriended a guard, no doubt with a few bucks, and got the inside info on the best spot for ' hungry ' sailors.
We, stupidly as it turned out, donned our garbardine zoot suits the first night and headed ashore.

It was a shock! Firstly we were accosted by shoeshine boys who, when we pointed to our shiny shoes threw boot polish at us while the local " vigies " laughed at our plight. So much for our suits, designed to pick up the local girls!

Then it pissed down and, caught out in the open, we got drenched!! I had never seen such heavy rain. Little kids were swimming in the street.

We found a bar and had a couple of rums then the older crew member led us to the shanty town area he had been told about by the guard.

You couldn't call it a bar - just a jungle shack, but they had plenty, plenty cheap rum, a couple of tables and curtained cubicles around the sides.The music was great, with a throbbing beat that would have excited a bishop.

Soon the 'girls' of varying ages, shapes and sizes, were plying their trade and they enticed a few of the older crew into the cubicles.

The night wore on and the rum did it's job as the boys including yours truly, became more raucous. It was great fun!

Suddenly, there was a scream from behind a curtain and all Hell broke loose.
Out came our Cornish shipmate, absolutely starkers with a similarly clad big momma punching the sh1t out of him.
He was jumped on by a couple of locals and, looking back, it was like an old Stanley Baker movie as we all jumped in to help him. Chairs, tables and bodies were flying everywhere! Johnny Cash would have loved it! Talk about the mud and the blood and the beer (rum)!

Well there were ten or more of us and even more of them, but we were gaining the upper hand when the " vigies " arrived, around a half dozen of them.
There were at least a couple of shots and then we were ordered at gunpoint into the open.

Naturally we were terrified, expecting to be shot by these yelling tyrants. However, looking back it was quite funny as three or four including our Cornish mate, were standing there without a stitch on, hands over their jewels. (I still roar with laughter when I recall the debacle).

Their clothes were brought out and eventually our captors surprisingly saw the funny side of it and escorted us to a nearby German doctor in another jungle shack who tended our wounds.

Judging by the Swastikas and other paraphenalia around the walls and on the bookshelves, he was obviously an escaped Nazi, but he bandaged and plastered us, although we were already somewhat plastered, and then told us to leave the women alone as most of the locals had Syphilis, hence the large number of deformed kids we saw.

Naturally we did not go ashore again and needless to say many of the lads spent a lot of time looking down for the rest of the trip!!! I lost a couple of front teeth!

Regardless of how many times we asked our Cornish mate what he did to antagonise his 'date' - we couldn't think of anything they would disallow - he was adamant that he did nothing out of the ordinary. Liar!

I always wondered how many of the gang were clapped out so to speak.

Taff


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## Jocko (Oct 31, 2011)

I`m reading some great memories here. I often found that shore wallahs never believed us Ha ha. I mind we were in San Pedro between L.A. and Long Beach. You could get the train to either easy enough. Down in Long Beach all the bars were named after ships at Pearl Harbour. The only one I can remember was the Saratoga. Anyway we drank with a lot of U.S. sailors and at one time we were considering jumping ship and joining their navy. We loved their white uniforms and fancied we would look like Gene Kelly. The young sailors told us we would be accepted no problem as we were engineers and you didn`t have to be an American citizen. But it was only drink talking. Another time somewhere we were invited aboard a U.S. cargo ship. The engineers could hardly believe that we were engineers being so young. They had to go to college and they had their certicates on the outside of their cabins. They also showed us a book they were issued with. It was printed in Russian, depicting a super description of American life where everyone is well off and if they met any Russians they had to give them the book. I got the impression most of them would have preferred to just dump it over the side. I think the point I`m trying to make here is that seamen just naturally bond as they all have the same thing in common. A massive respect for the power of the big waves in bad weather.


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## Pat Kennedy (Apr 14, 2007)

I was coasting on Blue Flue's Ajax, with a deck crowd who all came from Birkenhead, and were all long time mates from childhood. (Peter Trodden will know the characters of whom I speak)
Anyway, in Avonmouth, we went ashore on Saturday night and caught a train to a little place called Severn Beach. There was a big pub there, and we were all having a great time with the local girls but the local lads didnt like it, and sent for reinforcements.
Next thing we are battling it out in the carpark with about thirty locals.
When the police arrived and broke it up, I'm proud to say that Ajax was winning.
We were all marched to the station and put on board the return train to Avonmouth.
I wonder if Severn Beach ever recovered from its encounter with Birkenhead?
Pat(==D)


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## senior pilot (Aug 18, 2007)

once in malta about 63 the yanks were in port and at the end of the night they had landing craft at custom house steps to take them back aboard the shore patrol took great pleasure knocking any drunk sailor over the back of the head with there night sticks so that they fell into the bottom of the boat there was a pile of them when a few r n sailors took offence at what was happening and wanted to do something about it but one of the shore patrol said that those in the boat would be shore patrol the next night and it would be them getting belted but they did stop hitting any one else as the r n boys still where not happy .


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## Pat Kennedy (Apr 14, 2007)

Another one I recall with great pleasure. I was coasting on another Bluey, the Antilochus, and went ashore for a pint in Belfast with a lad from Birkenhead, Stan Walker.
We ended up in Du Barry's Bar in Princes St.
We were sitting there minding our own business when half a dozen locals decided we looked like Fenians, and it all started to kick off.
Then the door opened, and in walked Frankie Branscombe, the biggest, hardest, man in Birkenhead, an ex pro wrestler, and AB on our ship.
Frank took in the situation with one glance.
'Leave this to me lads'
And he proceeded to wipe the floor with them, trashing the bar in the process.
Stan and me could only stand back in amazement, it was like the Terminator had come to help us from the far future. Another legend was born.
regards,
Pat(EEK)


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## Cisco (Jan 29, 2007)

Pat Kennedy said:


> I ended up going out with his sister some months later, her name was Lilias, the only time I've ever encountered that name.
> Pat(Thumb)


Maybe this was named for her grandmother http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point_Lillias
It sticks in my mind 'cos I once 'felt the bottom' there in my little ship...........
The bottom there was rock.........


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## Jocko (Oct 31, 2011)

Hey Pat Kennedy, I know that bar Du Barry`s as I lived in Belfast for a number of years. If I even considered going into Du Barry`s for a drink I would be carrying a machine gun and a couple of hand grenades. You certainly picked a dive but then again every dockside bar could dodgy.
By the way Pat, ref the Shore Patrols batons. They were more like an inch and a half thick at the end. I`ve just measured my baton from another interesting job I once had and they would break a skull easily.


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## Pat Kennedy (Apr 14, 2007)

Jocko said:


> Hey Pat Kennedy, I know that bar Du Barry`s as I lived in Belfast for a number of years. If I even considered going into Du Barry`s for a drink I would be carrying a machine gun and a couple of hand grenades. You certainly picked a dive but then again every dockside bar could dodgy.
> By the way Pat, ref the Shore Patrols batons. They were more like an inch and a half thick at the end. I`ve just measured my baton from another interesting job I once had and they would break a skull easily.


Du Barry's, in my considered opinion, was a dive allright, but it was also the haunt of some of the best looking girls in Belfast.
I remember a crowd of them came back to the ship with us and stowed away with us to Glasgow. Fun and games on that passage, nobody wanted to go on watch. One guy took his bit o stuff up to the Focsle for two hours lookout, dressed in a duffelcoat and flipflops and nothing else!
The look on the Glasgow watchman's face when nine young ladies paraded down the gangway and disappeared along KGV quayside and into the night was a pure Hollywood doubletake.
I wish I had photos of that crowd of beauties. Mine was called Marty and was a photocopy of Shirley MacClaine. I was in love!! 
Happy Days indeed, we didn't have a care in the world.
Regards
Pat(Eats)


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## Gareth Jones (Jul 13, 2007)

Worse fight I ever saw was in Constanza - in a big nightclub on the seafront, some German seamen started throwing their weight around beating up some of the local men, the place was pretty trashed and the fighting spilled out onto a big wide promenade where the locals got reinforced. I saw one German get his face ripped to pieces with a small plank ripped off a palisade fence which still had the nails in it, then another got hit with a wire waste paper bin and ended up with his eye out on his cheek. At this point police started arriving so we left rapidly.


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## Jocko (Oct 31, 2011)

Hey Pat I heard about some ships taking smuggled passengers around the coast but never came across anyone who had actually done it. I`ve had a good few laughs reading this thread. The most amazing thing is -- How the hell did we all survive to live on to old age?


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## Tony Crompton (Jul 26, 2005)

"Nous sommes along a notre bateau" (Rudyard Kipling)

See :-http://www.poetryloverspage.com/poets/kipling/et_dona_ferentes.html

Tony

"In extended observation of the ways and works of man,
From the Four-mile Radius roughly to the Plains of Hindustan: 
I have drunk with mixed assemblies, seen the racial ruction rise, 
And the men of half Creation damning half Creation's eyes.

I have watched them in their tantrums, all that Pentecostal crew, 
French, Italian, Arab, Spaniard, Dutch and Greek, and Russ and Jew,
Celt and savage, buff and ochre, cream and yellow, mauve and white,
But it never really mattered till the English grew polite;

Till the men with polished toppers, till the men in long frock-coats,
Till the men who do not duel, till the men who war with votes, 
Till the breed that take their pleasures as Saint Lawrence took his grid,
Began to 'beg your pardon' and-the knowing croupier hid. 

Then the bandsmen with their fiddles, and the girls that bring the beer,
Felt the psychological moment, left the lit Casino clear; 
But the uninstructed alien, from the Teuton to the Gaul, 
Was entrapped, once more, my country, by that suave, deceptive drawl.

As it was in ancient Suez or 'neath wilder, milder skies,
I 'observe with apprehension' how the racial ructions rise; 
And with keener apprehension, if I read the times aright, 
Hear the old Casino order: 'Watch your man, but be polite. 

“Keep your temper. Never answer (that was why they spat and swore).
Don't hit first, but move together (there's no hurry) to the door. 
Back to back, and facing outward while the linguist tells 'em how -
`Nous sommes allong ar notre batteau, nous ne voulong pas un row.''

So the hard, pent rage ate inward, till some idiot went too far... 
'Let 'em have it!' and they had it, and the same was merry war -
Fist, umbrella, cane, decanter, lamp and beer-mug, chair and boot -
Till behind the fleeing legions rose the long, hoarse yell for loot. 

Then the oil-cloth with its numbers, like a banner fluttered free; 
Then the grand piano cantered, on three castors, down the quay; 
White, and breathing through their nostrils, silent, systematic, swift -
They removed, effaced, abolished all that man could heave or lift. 

Oh, my country, bless the training that from cot to castle runs -
The pitfall of the stranger but the bulwark of thy sons -
Measured speech and ordered action, sluggish soul and un - perturbed,
Till we wake our Island-Devil-nowise cool for being curbed! 

When the heir of all the ages 'has the honour to remain,'
When he will not hear an insult, though men make it ne'er so plain,
When his lips are schooled to meekness, when his back is bowed to blows -
Well the keen aas-vogels know it-well the waiting jackal knows. 

Build on the flanks of Etna where the sullen smoke-puffs float -
Or bathe in tropic waters where the lean fin dogs the boat -
Cock the gun that is not loaded, cook the frozen dynamite -
But oh, beware my Country, when my Country grows polite! 


Rudyard Kipling


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## Denis Picot (Sep 2, 2008)

I was on the New York Star in 1971 and smuggled a Lady from Galveston/Tampa/Charleston/Philadelphia to New York with the full cooperation of all the officers EXCEPT the Captain. The Purser even brought sumptuous meals to my cabin for said Lady and I even took her into the Officer's bar sometimes at night when the Skipper was known not to be around [email protected]@!! Ahhh, the delights of sailing from the Gulf up the east coast !! Happy times indeed................


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## Andy McGuire's daughter (4 mo ago)

Jocko said:


> I am new to this sight but I love it. Where else can you talk about the sea with other people who actually know what you are talking about. I consider myself priviledged to have been at sea in the late 1950s into the 1960s. Ok the ships were small and they were slow compared to today but we weren`t in a hurry. Most ports that I remember were safe, no Aids and as far as I know no drugs. Just good old fashioned booze. The camaradie was there among all nationalities. I mind a bunch of us coming back to our ship in Auckland. There was a young guy slumped on the ground at the watchmans hut. It seemed he was too drunk to be let in on his own, they were afraid he would end up in the dock which happened a lot. We some how acquired a wheelbarrow, put him in it, found out the name of his ship and took him back. He was German and when I went up their gangway and got some of his mates down. They were estatic and hugging us like old friends. Yes they were good days.
> In London the Kray twins ruled but you could go into any district and nobody bothered you. Pensioners could walk the street after dark and didn`t get mugged. Could you go anywhere in London or any large port nowadays? I doubt it very much.


Hi Jocko, my dad (Andy McGuire) was at sea too. You were at school together in Maryhill, Glasgow. He'd love to get in touch.


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