| Description | Tape 1 Side A. ALLAN COOK youngest of family of 3. Recalls paternal and maternal grandparents. One grandfather of Irish origin, a Hull fisherman, the other worked in Hull shipyards. Father a mechanical fitter, worked offshore with Shell. Recalls parents' divorce, move to Lowestoft. Stepfather was captain of salvage tugs. Details re maternal grandfather's appearance, personality. Paternal grandfather worked in vessel repairs, grandmother a housewife. Explains influence of grandparents, stepfather, father. Recalls Hull High School. Joined Army, learned boxing, member Lowestoft Sea Cadets. Early life with family, mother's marriage breakdown, primary school. Memories of stepfather, Trinity House Nautical School. Fishing industry dominated Hull. Details re stepfather's life. Recalls build up of offshore industry. Brother now working for Smitt International, Singapore. Mentions relations in Orkney Islands, their character. Further details re stepfather. Mother a factory worker in east Hull. Recalls early life in Edinburgh Street, Hull, terraced houses, parents' first house, local community, including 'Mrs. Mollie', 'Coronation Street' area. Moved to Lowestoft 1974/5. Describes house, schools. When 13 lived with father in Hull. Details. Recalls High School, influence of brother. Discusses breakdown of mother's second marriage. Details re family life, work offshore. Further recollections of father, stepbrothers, being encouraged to box, school fights, effect of joining boxing club. Boxed and trained while with Vector Offshore. Captained England boxing team in Holland, results of match. Reference to Seiko Company. Took part in international boxing competitions. Anecdote re passing through Customs after boxing match. Now training others to box. Further boxing memories. Recalls sports at school. Present social interaction at work. Attitude towards religion.
Tape 1 Side B. Details re religion, Sunday School, with Vector Offshore, met born again Christian from Tanzania. His gift, present family involvement. Mentions christening, Church Mice club for mothers, prayer, parallels to boxing. Describes engine-room on ship, noise, loneliness, isolation, workload. Offshore activities described. Recalls smaller vessels, rigs, having sense of isolation. Reading as hobby, studying, childhood reading. Describes ship's library. Musical tastes, availability of music on ship. School leaving age, influence of boxing trainer, sojourn in Army, advancement through sport, pursuit of engineering career. Describes first fishing job, then round the world on salvage tug, details of pay at 17. Fishing experiences. Joined engineer training scheme, Lowestoft. Mentions Dave Haslem, recalls life on inshore fishing boat. Details re lining vessel, baited lines. Opinion that North Sea fished out. Describes area fished, fish species. Now in Fire Service. Compares with fishing life, experience of alcoholism, frequency of divorce. Fishing was hard work. Comments on pay, drawbacks, discipline. Describes move to offshore work, 1988. Mentions time in Army then work as deckie learner on salvage tug. Mentions Youth Training Scheme. Politics of family, probably Labour. Own feelings re strong union. Current situation re Fire Brigade Union, outlines pay demands, risks incurred in job, militancy, government intervention. Anecdote re murder of family friend. 1989 returned from voyage, towing ice-breakers. Recalls places visited, tales of crew.
Tape 2 Side A. Recalls tug experiences, eight months contract, anecdotes re being protected because of youth, age range of crew. Two months home, take home pay. 1989, motorman job with North Sea survey vessel. Discusses 1988 Piper Alpha disaster, presence of oil industry in Lowestoft. Joined Danish survey vessel, went to Westberg, describes different companies out of Yarmouth, their unpaid chandlers' bills. Worked on Survey vessel, 3 to 4 day contracts, testing bedrock Details re procedures. Worked in engine room as Day Motorman, helped with exploration equipment. Routines on ship. Explains rockers. Description of ship, jobs, 'purifiers', their use. Recalls Danish engineer. Received instructions about engine-room. Recalls engineer's hobbies. After 5 months survey work, worked as deck hand for 6 weeks, left boat at Leith. At home in Lowestoft, broke collarbone. Details of trainee engineers' course, 1990. End 1990, went as deckhand on cargo ship. Details of training course pay, courses taken, sea training. Describes fishing on beam trawlers, aged 19. Story of life on fishing boat, antagonism, engine-room work, cooking. Discusses oil industry. Ex-fishermen employed. Role of stand-by boats, pay rates. Recalls general interest developing in oil industry. January 1991, passed offshore survival certificate course. Short contract on rig, Banaman Explorer, Atlantic Drilling platform. Recalls first time on oil rig, impressions, describes engine room, job as motorman on rig, heliport for landing and evacuation. Describes journey to rig, arrival, safety induction to new men, working night shift. Compares with job on ship, location of engine-room. Describes learning curve for job on rig.
Tape 2 Side B. Recalls safety standards on rig, personnel, evacuation of platform. Completed Fire-fighting, safety survival at sea courses. Enrolled on trainee engineers' course, advice given. Details re engine size, safety, log-keeping, twelve-hour shifts, crew changes. Worked one-week contract. Describes Job Club, work in canning factory, attitude to factory workers, friend's murder. Offer of job with Vector Offshore as Motorman, 1992; there five years, solo watch-keeper in engine room. On standby rescue ship, details; supply work, contracts in North Sea, relief vessels, number of ships in fleet, role of standby ship. Explains close standby, comments on time at sea, rescue drill. Describes FRCs (fast rescue craft). Explains discharge book, entries in log. Recalls monotony of standby work, shift system, hierarchy aboard ship. Describes Vector's standby ships, drawbacks of flat-bottomed boats. Employed officers of both sexes. Describes opportunities to learn, form friendships. Worked aboard VC Typhoon. Describes American vessels, Seiko contracts. Details re Captain Perry Porter, sea rescue, Antony Docherty, 'Spanner', posthumous bravery award. Details re dry dock, tarpaulin muster, dry ships. Explains discipline on ship/rig, compared with Fire Service. Details re courses, training undertaken, updated for SPV standby vessels. Discusses Piper Alpha re safety instructions for rig fires. Comments on Cullen Report, aftermath. Discusses courses arranged through OPITO, (Oil/Petroleum Industrial Training Organisation), and MNTV (Merchant Navy Training Vessel). Details re course, benefits. Personal experience re rescues, helicopters ditching off Aberdeen. Mentions flying squad, Howie Leaman. Crew were known as Howie's Commandos. Describes routine for relief of platforms. Details re nationality of crews, officers.
Tape 3 Side A. On standby ship, VC Typhoon for two year contract in 1994 in New Zealand. Worked as deckhand. Describes working on engines, rivalry between deckhands, engineers. Recalls VC Zircon's damage in bad weather, ships lost. Describes night watch, authority of captain, atmosphere on board, rescue work on, off shore. Mentions Hutton TLP (tension leg platform), unique in North Sea. Explains properties. In southern North Sea, different rigs used. Details re jack-up rigs, semi-submersibles. Comments on crane with basket now obsolete. Describes competition for contracts, recalls companies, size of fleet, Vector's plans. Reference to Boston-Putfords. Describes off-duty activities, boxing 1992-1995. Mentions ABA( Amateur Boxing Association) championships. Recalls turning professional, boxing as career, friendships made, fights lost. Details transferable skills from boxing. Tells of teamwork on ship, renewing acquaintances, close community, liability to disruption, need for mutual trust, dangers of alcohol on board. Anecdote re drugs theft on ship, Aberdeen police investigation. Time with Vector, on Typhoon, then on Topaz. Mentions Montrose field. Details re crew changes in Lerwick and Aberdeen, dry dock at South Shields. 1997 left Topaz. Met wife. Gained engineer's licence, took fire-fighting course. Background to discussions re career in fire service. Passed operators' licence exam, became engineer on Dutch boats. Details re crew size on standby rescue ship, training. Mentions Zodiac inflatable rescue boat, Compares Dutch, United Kingdom safety regulations. Mentions employment agency, A and P, Sea Works Company. Describes rotas worked, crew nationalities, training standards, rate of pay in late 1990s. Wife from Lowestoft. Describes residence before marriage.
Tape 3 Side B. Contrasts foreign, British ships, restrictions of engineer's ticket. Details re engine size. Describes Dutch standby boats, legislation, living standards on board, food. Compares British, Dutch ships, rigs, including food budget. Anecdote re sharing cabin with cook. Compares cooking standards. Recalls hearing politics, business news at sea. Union NUMAST gives North Sea bulletins in union newspaper. Details re subscriptions, aims of union, membership. Explains flags of convenience, MSA (Marine Safety Association). Describes safety investigations on foreign vessels, union representatives on standby ships. Recalls problem after oil spillage. Mentions union. Discusses Brent Spa, Greenpeace protest. Describes oil pollution, seepage, dismantling of rig. Outlines reasons for protest. Reference OILC (Offshore Industry Liaison Committee). Mentions Petans Company, Oulton Broad, offshore survival trainers. 1999, on shore, married. Describes contracts with Dutch companies, work as chief engineer. Explains chase vessel. Story of chase off Norway. Anecdote re rig being towed, near miss with cargo ship. Details re MAIB (Marine Accident Investigation Branch) recording accidents, near misses. 1999, Second Engineer on standby ships. Reasons for entering Fire Service, Norfolk. Describes previous attempts. Mentions Endeavour award. Compares on, off shore work, similarities, details of crew size, social interaction, own specialisation. Describes marine incidents lecture, incidents of ship fires, dangers, training, drills involved, dangers of confined spaces. Describes experiences in fire service, personally coping with related stress, effect of religion.
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