Entered service as mate on Loch Seaforth and ended up as Captain since 1953 on same vessel right up until the ships final voyage. However he did not serve continuously as captain from 1953 to 1972. When the Clansman was launched in 1964, he was appointed captain (against his will) and he served on her for a period before being allowed to return to the Loch Seaforth. To complete Captain Smith's career, he served on the Iona from 1972 until 1973, and then returned to the converted Clansman for most of her short spell on the Stornoway - Ullapool crossing, retiring in 1973 before the introduction of the Suilven.