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Chapter 9
THE NEWFY-DERRY RUN
By Ray Culley from his book 'His Memories Can Survive'

As long as I live, and probably long after I have left this world, I shall never forget my first trip through the gates of St.John’s
Newfoundland’s infamous harbor. Leaving a calm and level inner harbor and even before venturing out through the harbor gates you felt a slow subtle rocking motion, what is referred to as a land swell. This was an annoying but tolerable sensation in one’s stomach, and combated by concentrating on anything but the motion. However, ten minutes past the gates you were hit suddenly and very forcibly with a rolling and pitching sensation, as if you were standing on a cork in a bowl of water. It never relented and was compounded by very thunderous waves of ocean water, called ‘green ones’, which landed with a thud and when they hit you they left a very hard salty film on your face, hands, or outer garments. The pitching and rolling were relentless, and after only a few minutes you were completely void of any nourishment you had consumed within the past eight hours. You hung on to what ever was handy, be it a railing, bulkhead, fellow rating, officer, whatever. You also 1 knew in your heart of hearts that you were going to DIE!
You ate what you could, and drank plew (it was actually black tea, but like everything in the Navy it had a special name) even though you knew it would not visit your stomach for any length of time(if lucky,5 minutes) so you had to be very close to a receptacle, or make it to the outer deck, the preferable of the two. Odd, but in all my seasick days I do not recall anyone having to clean up the decks of a mess deck; there seemed to be a respectful attitude for one’s mess mates, either that or a pro found fear of what would happen to your person should you neglect to allow yourself time for disposal.
This was routine when leaving Newfie, though smoother if more
trips were made, it only happened if you hit rough weather immediately. 1
If it was just a land swell you were long past the seasick point. It could get rough after two or three days, but by now you were able to stand the pitching and rolling.
On my first trip to Derry, I promised myself that I would never return to Canada again on the North Atlantic. They could do what they wanted, but I would never return!!!!! I would jump ship, and hide in the country until the war was over. However, I found out an I 8-year-old has a short memory, and an even shorter sense of courage, for I was to make 14 trips across the Atlantic.

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