Seaman Ship

[Ivan Cloherty]

Hi John,
I guess I must have been Mad looking back, but at the time it was excillerating [sic] I was 21, I was invincible, I enjoyed the challenges,
I thought it would be good to show the folks back home what it was like on the Western. People always thought if you are on a passenger ship then life was wonderful, just cruising.
I think it is a great photo considering the type of camera. A Kodak Box camera which usually had to held in two hands, look into the window and then operate the shutter. Whilst clinging on with two legs. "I guess a mans gotta do what a mans gotta do" still it is a good record of a famous ship going through a western ocean winter. That is what seafaring is all about, without the `Elf and Safety ` people interfering.
Cheers
Brian.

Have a similar photo I took from the masthead of the "Samanco" burying the foc'le into a North Atlantic trough, why did we do it- because we were young, fearless and wanted a record of what we did, because we enjoyed what we were doing. The mate had no hesitation in sending us aloft in a storm if something broke adrift which had to be fixed regardless of the weather, taking a photo was easy compared to trying to get a lashing around a wayward wire or block, and we enjoyed the satisfaction in achieving that also. We went to sea because we wanted to go to sea, not because it was a job, every department had great seamen in their own right, the stewards balancing food, the cooks trying to control pans of hot oil and water, the engineers and platemen on slippery steel plates working with machinery big enough to crush a man without noticing, I always thought the safest place to be was on deck when you could see what was coming, I wouldn't wanted to have worked down the engineroom in a storm and I know the engineers thought we were mad for working on deck. I guess there are few of us oldies on this site would have changed our way of life and experiences. Even some of the bad ships gave us pleasure on occasion, even daft things like 20 days at 8.9 knots and then you broke the sound barrier when you achieved 9.1 knots..................................memories aah!

[Tony Wilding]

cant imagine how many miles i travelled at 9 to 10 knots, first 12 knotter was so fast , now only slow, but at 10 knots every 4 days was a 1000 miles, amazing really.

[Capt Bill Davies]

Hi Lou,
The *board of trade* wire splice was the one we were taught at sea, if i remember correctly, you put the first strand through 3 lays then 2 lays with the next strand, then through 1 strand, the other 3 were then followed up the wire through 1 strand each, if that makes sense!!!. we were told the disadvantage with that splice was that it could under certain conditions twist out, but i never saw that happen ever.All brings back memories regards Keith

Keith,

The splice you refer to as the BOT splice was also or better known as the 'Liverpool' splice and I believe it was the Australians stevedores that suggested that it was possible for this splice to un-ravell itself or 'twist out' as you quite rightly put it. They insisted on having this splice 'cut out' and a 'Bullivant' or 'Locking splice' (third and fourth strands) locking substituted. I have to say I never witnessed a Liverpool splice twist out and I doubt if anyone else did. I suspect it was the Australian stevedores making a point which they were no strangers to doing.

Brgds

Bill

[Lou Barron]

Well i sure have some very good answers to my post about seamanship as regards to the wire splicing the BOT splice was the one we used but then splicing wire just about died out as they used bulldog grips would be right in saying that .When i went back to sea on the tramp ships i was suprised at some of the deck crowd lacking in some of the things i had learnt but on the other hand i was to learn a lot more but as it been said on these posts seamanship does not only consists of the things i have mentioned .One thing i did learn use common sense and look,learn and listen

[Bob Cheeseman]

Yes on joining the NZ coast and given my first splice job, which i set aboutwith good intent ,i was stopped half way through it and was told in no terms, we dont use that here,that scouse splice is crap, and was shown the Aussie lock .All though it might be a safer splice in the running gear ,it was never a splice that looked neat in standing gear regards Bob c

[Capt Bill Davies]

Bob, their argument seemed to be that a freely suspended weight would simply ' unravel'. The 'Bulivant' was an ugly splice indeed.
The introduction of the 'Talurit' in the early/ mid 60s was the death knell for this art.

Bill

[Willie Saunders]

Lets not forget the "Everard Splice" a big row of bulldog grips !

[Peter Trodden]

Lets not forget the "Everard Splice" a big row of bulldog grips !

I was never in Everards,but if we needed a quick splice using bulldog grips we always done a "Flemish Eye" first,then B/D grips.
ttfn.Peter T.

[Capt Bill Davies]

Peter,

The Flemish Eye would be standard on 'Runners'

Bill

[Keith Tindell]

Hi Bill,
Talurits were used on all of the yacht stays that i have sailed on, on the bigger yachts they would be tested frequently, with an electronic tester. We had to replace them frequently, due to test failure, they always looked fine, so who knows. On my own boat i always wrapped self almalgamating tape where the top of the talurit met the stainless wire, in an attempt to keep the moisture out. Regards KT