Bert Hunt
British Merchant Navy

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In 1939, a training ship named the TS VINDICATRIX was set up at Sharpness, Gloucestershire, England, where it became the National Sea Training School, teaching young boys the skills they needed to replace merchant seamen lost during the war. During the years 1939 and 1966, more than 73,000 Vindi Boys were trained in the Deck and Catering departments before they were posted to merchant ships.

In 1943, seventeen year old Bert Hunt of Essex, England, spent three months on the VINDI. His first ship was the Baltimore-built Liberty SS SAMUR, where he sailed as JOS (Junior Ordinary Seaman).

During the war years he sailed on a number of different ships. He sailed in many convoys and saw four ships torpedoed. The trips were from London to Liverpool, to Gibralter and the Mediterranean, to North Africa and Italy. There was a solo trip from the Mediterranean to Baltimore, then back to the Mediterranean in convoy, and then to Bombay.

Bert sailed on ships of the BANK LINE, SHAW SAVILLE and ELDER DEMPSTER LINES.

In 1946 Bert found himself on another SAM Boat, the SS SAMTEVIOT, built by the New England Shipbuilding, Portland, Maine.

After leaving the sea, Bert worked first at Dagenham Docks. He later worked as a fitter with a security company, and later became a sales representative. Bert retired in 1991.

After reading an article in the Rumford Times, Bert contacted Project Liberty Ship and, together with two fellow members of the London Branch of the Merchant Navy Association, Dave Evans and Pete Goddard, he has spent several summer vacations in Baltimore working on restoring the SS JOHN W. BROWN.