Cartoon Corner
Some of the cartoons that follow were drawn by Dave Clarke, Second Engineer Townsend-Thoresen, whilst on board Free Enterprise II, Viking Venturer, Viking Valiant etc. in the mid-70s and early 80s. As I recall Dave left and went to work on the North Sea supply vessels. The following are a tribute to all sea going staff who are often expected to work miracles, do the impossible under extreme conditions and pamper to the demands of those ashore who don’t, in most cases, know their ass from their elbow.

April 2006

Pre State of the M.N.O.P.F. Meeting.

January 2006

Stadive days, aimed at a control room operator who was having one of his ‘not speaking to any of you bastards’ weeks and generally being a miserable git.

Kindly suppied by Dave Clarke

October 2005

Engine Room Lavatory.

Dateline: Southampton 1975.

Company: Thoresen Car Ferries.

I had transferred down to Southampton from Townsend’s in Dover in the January of 1975, my arrival allowed the Second Engineer to go on daywork but only on the weeks that I was actually onboard, other weeks he remained on the 4-8 watch. As the first British Viking (Viking Venturer) upped the tempo re crossings it soon became clear that another Third Engineer would have to be employed, thus releasing the Second for permanent daywork. However as the number of crossings increased so to did a small problem with regards who the hell relieved the Third between the hours of midnight till six in the morning should he feel the urge to visit you know where for more than a ‘Jimmy Riddle.’ To say the Companies response bordered on the ‘why don't we have all these concerned committed’ would be putting it mildly! Anyway, their final response was that the Greaser on watch could be left in charge whilst the Third could tear up from the control room to ‘B’ deck, hurriedly do the necessary and repair once more to the lower confines of the vessel. To say that we were once more amazed at their lack of understanding would be an understatement leaving us no option but to demand a written form that would relieve (no pun intended) the Third from all responsibility re the workings of the engine room for that brief, but oh so necessary period of time. Hallelujah, one could actually see the dawning of realisation arrive on their respective visages and very soon, low and behold the said ‘chamber of responsibility’ was fitted within the confines of the engine room within sprinting distance of the control room. Relief for all concerned had been fitted!

The above cartoon done by Dave Clarke was completed during the protracted negotiations and presented to out marine superintendent by way of explaining our collective predicament and went some way to resolving the problem. We are indebted to Dave Clarke and Stewart Earnshaw, our MS for allowing us to reproduce it here.

July 2002

Grateful thanks to Cartoonist Steve Bell for permission to reproduce the above cartoon, which first appeared in The Guardian 12th July 2002.

March 2002

February 2002

December 2001

Drawn for Christmas 1992

November 2001

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October 2001

All those who have been to sea will recognise this scenario!

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July 2001

A penny consortium was formed by the aspiring tycoons amongst the Mates and Engineers on one of Dave's ships. Whatever the Black Day was, Wednesday or Thursday, the graph which had been drawn in the alleyway suddenly took a dive for the worse and finished up a deck below, the cartoon depicts the mood of pessimism which descended on the ship.

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June 2001

Willy Garden nicknamed the Great Gonzo was working on the Clayton Steam Generator when events took a turn for the worse and the boiler took over. Everyone envisaged that Gonzo plus boiler had taken off and Dave shows the pair landing at Aberdeen Airport only to be met by the Office Gopher Sandy Reed whose infamous catchphrase was 'in the van', 'in the van'!

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May 2001

Dave went to work in the North Sea for Seaforth Maritime Ltd and the first in the series is how all those employed by the said Company viewed how the Company was run, on a shoe string!

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March 2001

Dave Clarke's impression of the deck Officers' capabilities in manoeuvring round the line of ships at the 1977 Silver Jubilee at Spithead.

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February 2001

Not that long ago there had been quite a few Engineers who didn't have the required qualifications for advancement and settled into a routine of watch keeping quite content and happy in that role. As time went on their numbers started to diminish with the decline of the Merchant Navy. Norman Magee and myself had been bemoaning the fact that professional Third Engineers were a dying breed. This cartoon was Dave's response.

January 2001

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The potato peeler was causing no end of grief and it was decided to jettison both it and the Electrician Len Lomax if he didn't fix it once and for all. The cartoon depicts the threats made by the Chief Engineer.

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December 2000

Does anyone remember the Rubik's Cube craze? Well we had a Chief Engineer who was determined to 'crack it' so to speak regardless of how long it took. Dave's submission as to how long it would take him!

November 2000

After the Venturer had been running for some time passengers' complaints were growing about excess vibration. To reduce this Chockfast (a resin mix) was placed under the Main Engine holding down bolts. We, the Engineers, had little or no faith and this was Dave's cartoon to that effect.

October 2000

Dry dock in 1977 was spent in Cardiff. The film a Bridge Too Far was on release and the Chief Purser John Turner had been to see it. He talked about it constantly to the extent that it moved Dave to pen this cartoon!

September 2000

"It says you have to mix 'instant electrician' with 'instant shopgirl', develop together, then drag 'im off"... It had reached quite desperate straits in Thoresen Car Ferries when the Engineers onboard could not proceed on leave because no reliefs were available. This was Dave's solution sent to the Personnel Department at Head Office. Bonus cartoons for August August 2000 We believe that this cartoon is self-explanatory. Bonus cartoons for July July 2000 Cartoon in supPOrt of colleagues everywhere July 2000 When the engineers first arrived in Alborg, Denmark for the building of the first super 'V' and saw the V.T.S which they had never seen before this was how Dave envisaged releasing missing passengers. June 2000 In the early days of Thoreson car ferries the british ships deck officers took the pilotage exams for the solent. This was Daves tongue in cheek response as to their ability. May 2000 We believe that this cartoon is self-explanatory. April 2000 This cartoon shows a wastewater unit designed to separate solids from liquids, part of the VTS sewage nightmare. After this little gem came the incinerator which was supposed to burn the solids with waste oil. You would not believe the thousands of man-hours that were spent trying to achieve the impossible. Part of the same system was called a mixing tank where the obnoxious brew was heated prior to burning (joke). One day a certain unnamed Engineer pressurised the tank and sent most of it up the vent pipe spraying tens of passengers on the stern end. Compensation was paid for ruined apparel and we thanked them for taking part in the experiment. On another occasion an unnamed Engineer, after spending an entire watch trying to get the incinerator to ignite (the engines looked after themselves), was seen trying to get the jet to light by using a flaming taper, believe me!