Worst ship or voyage and why, ?

[Tony Morcom]

Can't say I really had a worst ship. They all had their good points and a few had their bad points but on reflection the most uncomfortable ships to sail on the gas tankers carrying Ammonia. Not a very pleasant experience especially when venting off the tanks. Good cure for hangovers though!

[Doc Vernon]

Similar answer to Tony,however not the same sort of Ships,but indeed the ones i was on were all Passenger,so from me no really bad Ships at all!
Only thing that i can say was a bad experience was on the old Wincherster Castle on one trip we nearly collided with a Tanker at Night in the famous Bay of Biscay!
Woke everyone up,with the sudden Ships Horn blowing full blast,the Ship lurching to one side quite a lot,as the Capt (or whoever was at the controls)steered hard to one side so as to avoid the collission!
Quite a scare i may say,but all turned out AOK!
It was really near though,and i recall the Tanker going by us what seemed like one could nearly touch it! But then the vision at night wasnt that good! I suppose in hindsight the Tanker was a fair way off us,but i still can see the Lights on her which seemed so very close!
Oh well still here to tell the story haha!
Cheers

PS Tony that Ammonia would have kept one P-----d mate!
Something like when i worked at Prolux Paints in SA,went home half cocked each and every day i was there!
Those Paint fumes boy did they make yu High!

[happy daze john in oz]

Only one bad one on the Paparoa with almost no fresh water going through the Indian Ocean. Something had gone wrong with the fresh water tank supply and we were down to two pints per day, water that is not beer. Two cans of that and only salt water soap to wash with. No shower curtains as they had all be flogged off going into the canal in exchange for all manner og goods. Cook whao spent all day in the cool room as he did not like the heat. Two days adrift just out of the canal. But apart from that I think we did OK.

[Tony Geeves]

Not so much a case of the worst ship, but your thread brought back memories. I was on the Lord Kelvin in 1984, safety just starting to be introduced. We had to clean out the ballast tanks (bucket and shovel) and the skipper wanted us to wear full safety gear, including hard hat and breathing gear. Great,for one bay but to reach the next one you had to take it all off, exposing yourself to the deadly fumes, climb through, reach back into the bay you had just climbed out of, and put it all back on again! of and on, of and on, of and on, absolutely crazy. I did manage to suvive, even though after one change of safety gear ,I left it all in the seacond bay and got on with the job. Regards, Tony Geeves.

[Kenneth Kenny]

On the Liverpool docks working down the Hold of the Ships for over 25 years,all the Stevedore company's Ocean Ports,West Coast,TJ Harrisons,Elder Deps.many more,they all had more than three Ex Merchant Navy Captains as Supervisor's never seen any of them down the Hatch,alway's looking down the hatch with the Ship's Boss on deck,some times the Ships Boss would come down,the Hatch,anyway we did not need them to come down they had there trust in us,and they were all great men,they did make sure the Ship was safe for Sea.Ken.