LIFELINE. The RMS St. Helena (FULL MOVIE)

and it's today the 15th of June 1988 that we can truly say the center leaner and began to be built representative in the United Kingdom for the government of Sicily and its dependencies it gives me great pleasure to be here today to lay the keel of our new our ms-dos illness in the United Kingdom who take a fc road and rail transport for granted not to mention a daily postal service may have difficulty in fully appreciating the importance of today's events for centenarians to whom these facilities are to say the least limited the arrival of a ship is an eagerly awaited occasion where by scattered families are brought together in person or by mail friendships renewed and vital supplies pulled into the island this ship will in essence provide a very nice blood of island life I thank you all [Music] [Applause] everyone talks about a journey that they go on the RMS same - Nina isn't a ship it's a family member Lucia was made specially for st. Lena looking after the people of our little islands I will never forget it I doubt whether any single Indian will forget it Santiago very sad to see it go yeah he's done your honor probably if anybody's saying that they don't miss the same name I think they tell you lie [Music] [Applause] a Burton the RMS for virtually my entire working life starting at the age of 18 working on the old ship slowly climbing the promotional ladder and then I've been on this new ship now new ship for the last 26 years so firstly all of my my working life I've spent more than half of my life living on the ship and so it's become part of my home but slowly grow and become part of me ships very important to the Orleans because it's the only physical connection to the outside well it's always been important for the island because it's been the only only link purely for passengers and and and also for cargo so if it is has been up and hot most importance and I don't think that can be understated time when day the RMS was just coming off the drawing board and ice to go up to Everdene quite regularly and then at the time when it was necessary I was given the privilege of lady business she was launched in 1989 I joined this ship in Aberdeen as the second officer while she was still being built I stayed up there for about four months and I actually accepted the ship on behalf of the government of saying Delina the the night before we sailed it was quite emotional because there was the ship is normally handed over to the captain but the captain and them decided their saintly nion it should be handed over to me and then I then handed over to the I've been on here for 38 years which is well over half my life so it should be that I'd like my second home really I stood by this vessel when it's built for 12 months in Aberdeen and prima that's ever since but I was there with the electrician initially and we were just meant to be there so familiarize ourselves with the vessel and they were taken people from from the old ship from all different ranks and putting them up unto the new ship for a short wall just to sort of familiarize ourselves would be new new ship and a new operation I actually spend about three months up there house of the launch it was fun quite spectacular and launchers will inclined slipway are always spectacular these ships it's there for a while then what's up it starts creeping and then just accelerates on creaking of Timbers and then good fun enough chain there so it stops before that hits the other same there they released all the chains that thundering sound of the ship going out there brilliant absolutely brilliant yeah there are last few gates we got was out through the doorway with the ship just at rest we swapped over in Cardiff and it was a mad dash to sort of clean up the old RMS ain't lena and run up down the key side but all our baggage all up its and pieces to join the new ship and to get familiarized with it because you know we haven't seen that after that stage the two ships first understand and you can see the picture of their ship and down in they know in a way to was boy and so it was much easy for me to put everything into a bag and troll for once turn to the next and you know instead of carrying it all the way down the gangway yeah in up the next one minute we were all quite excited to see the ship in its final stages I had seen it at the launch and finally we when we got there was four months from ready but we watched the the progress of often last a little bit skidding ready and then four sets of sea trials and finally taken it away that night I remember when she first came to sent Lina on the maiden voyage and I was a 10 year old kid in a boats over 10 of 11 your kid in a boat with a banner and of course we waiting for - to celebrate the arrival and everybody anticipating what its gonna look like coming over the horizon and that still stuck to me that that moment when she arrives and then of course they had an open day in the harbor and I think as as an excited kid which I didn't know it's gonna be then working the ship as an excitable kid I think I did the tour it was a free tour I did the two I think five times that they I was last on the on the ship 26 years ago on their maiden voyage and it's bizarrely I do remember quite a bit about it I think it's mainly the swimming pool with my brothers I remember it's salty - salt water the main thing I do remember about that fall just remember kind of charging around from our mobility it's great fun bit on there on the ship when you're eight years old when you call our super small you know it's an adventure every day [Music] after saddest moments because there wasn't hardly any sad moments on on the ship for me but what if the sad moments was on the way on the maiden voyage of to the UK we'd left Ascension Island on the e-mini on an evening you know however that almighty buying lights out and then sort of like nice little smell and what had happened was the one of the engines I had broken a comm rod came out of the starboard engine and was laid up after six weeks for four and a half months while they cut the side of the ship out took the starboard engine out and put a new engine back in and I've got our lovely ship both of the things go through your mind the first voyage was epic I can tell you they're you know very people got very very little sleep for you know quite a few days you know me but then you know once it was all patched up and painted it issue was again and here she is we used to do the run to the UK leaving the UK as our on board I mean so to Saint Nina by our Ascension Island in Tenerife and then onto caked on and then returning all the way back once a year we would go off to Tristan da Cunha the RMF sinking is is definitely the lifeline of the song and without that we would would be in a dire straits position you know she brings everything to the honor from me people and also you food you some you bottled water all the building materials there can't be sourced locally as all abroad or the RMS same phoniness the rms saline is very unique yet it's the same Elina because it's specifically designed to serve the island this very few ships you'll find in the world now that carries both passenger and cargo I think the unique thing about this ship it is a small ship it is very different to other passenger cargo ships it's unique in where she goes it's unique in what we carry the type of clients all the type of passengers that we carry a lot of these people are either Islanders going to or from using the ship as a long-distance ferry or the others are on a cruise and they're looking for cruise sort of difference in that it's a working cargo ship so they could pool the mud tons as a passenger but likewise they're on on a cargo ship and and one of the very few sort of liner services as such I think we realized as it went on important that link with the rest of all this Terminal Island especially a small island in the middle of the South Atlantic Paul Russell at that time had a track record of building vessels which were lifelines for the communities because it is an important part of their life the layout of the ship was basically from a local point of view on the type of accommodation we needed for the RMS to serve the Ireland and the working cargo handling equipment and type of gear that we needed to serve yharnam because the ship couldn't come alongside the dock so he had to discharge with lighters and so forth or that so it was the cargo handling aspects that we have been mainly interested in [Music] you know something gay vote short in the shops it'll turn out wonders bouncing it'll be a booty maybe a big little china win this gold I don't know come on yeah cause we can carry cargo we can carry live animals as of course we've got a Cathy oh and a bridge at the moment the UK we've got three dogs down there in the animal pen we've carried sheep we've carried ducks chickens turkeys she's a black Labrador called dusty she's she's coming from Tilbury on the - wait Jamie sent Helene I can't wait to see her so the RMS has got my cargo on board and she's very dear to me we order our supplies from all around the world so of course I'm like a kid in the candy store waiting on Christmas when I get all my goodies coming in on the RMS I can't wait till their ship comes back from Cape Town or ascension because I've got a little there's some little goodies afraid it in so it's really important for business in food to pin a needle in cement building materials it all has to come by this show Brunel has been transporting hosts on ships since 1660 the RMS has been a mode of transport for Royal Mail this particular vessel for 26 years carrying vital communication between friends and loved ones when years gone by I can remember as a canal counting up to four or five hundred bikes of Royal Mail today with all the new technologies and the new ways of communicating where we would have carried a few hundred bikes we're now carrying 30 bags this is actually the last RMS that will carry mail as a Royal Mail ship and so we really are coming to the end of an era this is so much more than just a way of getting to and from author just getting your mail [Music] [Music] when you step on the ship from any port it's a bit like being on st. Lena they've got five days on the ship so before they get here they're already on st. inning now you know they're coming from all over the world so when they arrive on santolina the pace really slows right down you know it prepares them for the island you know there's a lot of salience onboard they get to hear all the stories and what to expound so I think this is part of the unique experience just as mentioned that well yeah they feel that we've carried 70,000 passengers on here since 1990 and a lot of people you meet for a ship that has sailed over a million miles it seems in remarkably good condition you know people remarked on how well the ship's maintain but that's because I think that the crew takes pride in their work and they treated like their home the crew I find them to be very attentive and cheerful and very willing you can't ask for most of the crew on board are from st. Nina however over the years we have brought in other nationalities but it's the crew and their work ethic and their friendliness that makes the ship a crucial part of the are missing wood out the st. crew the ship would have been so different you get to meet everybody good Sam yeah you come run for it some late nights together talk about different things yes it was a wonderful job really to me it was the best job on the ship for you to go when I left home it was nice to have that kind of transition where I didn't go straight into strangers I was with Saints and it made me feel more at home because people date the new guru the majority of them are you Saints and this other nationalities on board as well now their dearest that little family unit on water they've also a former same thing so I think it's great well the experience was something that you couldn't replicate anywhere else I know some years ago taking part in the crossing off the line I've did I've done that crossing the line is like an ancient tradition it's celebrated by Mariners to mark the ship crossing of the Equator and I had to get on board at a go on board at this table to get my tummy cut open all of my intestines come out cost the threw at my face and then dumped into the pool [Music] the food's always been off very high standard as soon as she killed the chef Peters polo twink is just constantly eating I always run the starter the menu rate down ways without a doubt the way they've provided the you know different menus the barbecues on deck for goodness sake you know they we've had functions on board the layouts you know can equal any big shipping I saw a lot here in April 2013 and being ever since then and I'm working with the Saints on board there's such a friendly people it's one of the I think one of the biggest draw cards to the ship the guys are so friendly everybody goes at extra mile to make your trip better you know it's such a comfort feeling you've got five days of absolute relaxation until you get to the island experience on and enjoy it and I know for a fact many people actually look forward to those other five days of traveling back on the ship [Music] they were they were the challenges but often those challenges happen behind behind the scenes it's just like when everything sails along smoothly you know we forget about the engineers below the navigation officers up top I know there would be all have up jobs to do but we are a team and that is there's no one team of one team on the entire ship's company on leave or here with all mix-and-match out here you come on hold up in case nobody just days back within days top powers another day I will just essentially go as the Argonauts we'll be visiting and London India to celebrate the life of the RMS but also use this as an opportunity to promote safe cleaner as well [Music] I got quite emotional when I heard that blast seeing that ship seeing myself standing there talking to complete strangers having that confidence it was the RMS that gave from that I'd like to hand you over to mr. war boys from the simply blinding your royal highness ladies and gentlemen it is my pleasure to welcome you all to this reception onboard this very special ship the RMS santolina to mark both a historic visit to London and 26 years of Starlin service to the island to santolina she has provided the lifeline to the people of st. Elina carrying food and medical supplies building materials and of course the mail she is one of only four remaining Royal Mail ships and the last working one it is often said that passengers arrived as strangers and depart his friends this is testament to the friendly relaxed atmosphere and board the customer services provided by the crew including those who work behind the scenes keeping the engines running and preparing the delicious food has been exemplary and is second to none I sincerely thank each and every one of the ship's company for their dedication and hard work and always presenting a smiling face to our passengers it is you who makes the rms special the LMS won't be taken out of service as santolina looks forward to its new airport to provide the necessary access for visitors but ladies and gentlemen the owners is part of our islands history and will always have a place in our hearts can I say thank you for your very kind invitation to join you tonight to greet our MS st. Celina here in the Port of London it's really nice to see her here and what an important part she's played she's been more than just an important part of our lives he's been a crucial element of your island life those of us have been lucky enough to go to st. Alina I think we might have worked out before we got there that you could not exist without a prophecy going service with the benefit of the hospitality on the ship but all of you have been supporters all of you've achieved so much as Saints here in the Ukraine thank you so much safe journeys however much longer those are going to take for all of you and all the very best for the future one word to describe the RMS it's difficult absolute pleasure inspiring actually she's magnificent loyalty food very place murli's because you know like it or not the main engines is the heart of the vessel history I think yeah history that's difficult I think there's too many words that sums up the ship yeah I think you need to go through dictionary look for all the good words and all those good words will apply to the ship yeah you can't describe all I would you wouldn't do it justice there's a lifeline count this one with [Music] the Arles is absolutely probably one of the key Saints to the islands she's proved herself to be a saint she's the sage is one of that she isn't saying yes yes for sure she's definitely one of the violinist people for sure this ship is a pure thoroughbreds thing yes a hundred percent hundred percent st. the ship is of course Jesus Ange I think our maths if I could speak it would be practiced st. as well yes I suppose you could say she's a bit more than a saint yes yeah that's very much a thing I would class they are my saintly Nessus eight oh yes yeah definitely yeah yeah definitely a saint yeah [Music] it just didn't do a job did that henna did it extremely well but there is that emotional bond and I think that's what makes it particularly special [Music] I know that you can't ever take away the memories that have gone on inside this is best let's say farewell RMS st. Elina thankfully man the woman that simple here is named dr. G's patron thing he discovers brms was part of me to spell great when it first started in April people who had discovering the items and I think it's just to continue we're quickly sighted and be quite adaptable so I big boots Tommy we will adapt as new change in our they start and put my Aramis fear hopefully it should be then which is in a lovely memory box homage not backlund by gently thank you you changed my life for the better [Music] [Music] you

Channel: Eji Warp

Views: 2,203

Rating: 4.8857141 out of 5

Keywords: #RMS St Helena, #St. Helena, #St Helena Island, #Mario Gough, #Lifeline, #documentary

Id: U6v9kOw_tG4

Length: 31min 21sec (1881 seconds)

Published: Mon May 18 2020