In From the Cold
by Published on 19th June 2022 09:29 AM
In From the Cold.
It was a cold winters day when we arrived in Philadelphia late in1961with a full load of general cargo. The schedule was from Philly, down the eastern seaboard, light ship to Newport News for more general cargo back to the UK.
The discharge was handled pretty quickly and the stevedores moved on to another ship.
Not long after their departure, the sparks decided he needed a smoke and went onto the bridge deck for a breather. Leaning over the gunwale towards the shoreside he noticed a line of rats making their way aboard up the forward mooring lines. Unfortunately the Bosun had omitted to put out the mooring line rat guards and these huge vermin were taking full advantage of the invitation.
The sparks told the mate, the mate told the Bosun and the Bosun turned out the deckies who quickly attached the rat guards. Real stable door scenario.
Initially, there wasn’t much concern regarding the additional passengers until checking out each of the empty holds, when it was discovered the extent of the invasion, they were absolutely everywhere. Not only were they in the cargo space but in the accommodation too.
In an effort to bring some control, the mate offered an hours overtime for each rat killed. All apprentices, ABs, EDHs and Peggy’s too, armed themselves with lengths of wood some with knives attached and some with marlin spikes. The lamp trimmer had a fid pushed down the front of his dungarees. The hunt was on.
After leaving port and heading south for Newport News, I was on the bridge chatting with the mate just before the end of his 4 to 8. “Wonder how much this is going to cost me in overtime” he muttered as we stared along the foredeck to the bow. “I’ve never seen the deck crew so keen in making quick bucks”.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw some movement to my left and turning to see what it was, a shiver ran down my spine as I spotted the outline of the biggest rat I’d ever seen. It was sat on a radiator underneath the port wing bridge window.
The mate threw a pair of brass dividers at it and it vanished. After a quick scout around the wheelhouse we returned to our positions at the forward wheelhouse window.
“Thing about these rats” I said, “they’re looking for somewhere warm, that’s why it was on the radiator” jokingly and in a wind up I said “ if they can’t find warmth they will actually run up your trouser legs, and if you try to pull them out, they’ll sink their teeth into you calf.” The mate was a cool cookie and had a calm level demeanour and replied in his usual casual manner “ that’s a load of rubbish Mullins, where’ve you got that from, I’m going in the chart room to check our position”
Dead on 8 the third mate came into the wheelhouse to start his watch.
I mentioned to him about the rat on the radiator at which he quickly (against normal procedure) switched on the wheelhouse lights to see if the rat was still around. The mate tried to scurry around the opposite side of the binnacle but it was too late, I saw his trousers tucked into his long socks almost up to his knees.
Tears of uncontrollable laughter ran down my face as I watched him trying to pull his pants out of his socks.
“ hope you’re not laughing at me Dave” he half whispered through gritted teeth with a sheepish look on his face.
During the roundup of dead rats and applying the count to each crew member, quite a few carcasses made multiple appearances until the scam was spotted and after counting each carcass it was immediately thrown over the wall.
Last edited by Doc Vernon; 20th June 2022 at 06:37 AM.
