Great mediterranean passenger ships -- amerikanis

[Doc Vernon]

Amerikanis docked NYC.jpg

​In our new book Great Mediterranean Passenger Liners, Greece quite expectedly has a chapter.

The Chandris Lines ​is included. Beginning in 1959, that Company amassed a huge collection of passenger ships, most of them extensively and sometimes extravagantly refitted and restyled. Here's the splendid, 910-passenger Amerikanis, seen at New York (in the 1980s). She had been Union Castle Line's Kenya Castle in her previous life.

[Doc Vernon]

This was my late Uncle Dusty's first Ship on joining the Merchant Navy from Cape Town ,then it was of course the old Kenya Castle,remember it so well as I saw him sailing off on her .it seems like Yesterday!
Cheers



Kenya Castle off Zanzibar 1955

[j.sabourn]

Going back to this 60 odd year old notebook I have where I can barely read my own handwriting which I have written with question and answer for an examiner, think the answers must go back to the 1952 Merchant Shipping acts Most of the questions I haven't answered, think there was one some time back about certificated lifeboatmen on passenger ships.
Question.....State number of certificated lifeboatmen to be carried in a foreign going passenger vessel.
Answer...The crews of such vessels, shall include for each boat at least 2 when complement of boat is less than 41 persons.
3 when complement of boat is 41 to 61 persons.
4 when complement of boat is 62 to 85 persons
Over 85 persons 5 certificated lifeboatmen
This was 1963 Regulations. Today Wouldn't have a clue.
JS

[John Arton]

J.S.
Here is the certification requirements for U.K. Registered ships. As regards number of certified lifeboatmen to be carried I can only assume that it falls under the remit of the Safe Manning Certificate and how they determine the number of personnel required on board is beyond me. The certifying authorities only seem to look at the minimum manning required to get the vessel from A to B with regard to watch keeping, though I guess on passenger vessels they have to look at crowd control in emergency situations but as regards lifeboatmen would not have a clue. I have also attached STCW requirements for seagoing personnel.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/vessel-c...er-information
http://www.mptusa.com/pdf/STCW_guide_english.pdf
rgds
JA

[j.sabourn]

Thanks JA, as regards the manning for vessels, although talking about a different part of the Industry, when employed on Safety Vessels was always saying to ever who would listen that come a disaster and the vessels that were in place were not capable of being too much use. My words came back to haunt me. However I still continued along this line and others at the enquiry must have heard my voice in the wilderness and was recommended the larger crews that should be carried. Later about 2 companys later, as I was always looking for better ships and wages, I was employed by Seaboard Offshore one of the bigger companies in the Safety vessels available to the oil companies. Working out of Lerwick on a converted supply vessel, I asked them for a crew list before leaving home, they supplied and it only contained 1 seaman who they described as a Bosun. I told them that that was not on, they just said it complies with the manning scale. I told them to stick their job. The company went to the wall later and think was taken over by Tidewater. Such is the Rules and Regulations that British ships were landed with, the ruling authority of the day should be ashamed of itself. As you say the excuse always given it is to take the ship from A to B. It doesn't take an Einstein that 2 men could do this, it is the work which the ship is involved in which should be the deciding factor. Cheers JS

[j.sabourn]

Going back to the pictures of the passenger vessels who show 6 boats each side, then the very minimum of certificated lifeboatmen would have been 36. Today with the larger boat capacity and also the greater number of passengers this would have been much more today, I suppose the rules now correspond to the convenience of the situation. JS

[happy daze john in oz]

I have attempted to get an answer on this one from ship's captain's on cruise ships but to no avail. I have seen the crew taking part in lifeboat drill and all embarking passengers must do the same. It looks that there may be two or three in charge of each boat. I have been informed that they must carry enough fuel to sail at four knots for 24 hours. After that who knows?

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi John.
First you have to get out of the accommodation; with the alleyways crowded with old age pensioners shuffling along with their walking sticks, then UP the stairs with 90% asking where their lifeboat station is; and should I go back down and get a shawl, probably get some dragging their suitcases with them, a bit like passengers on a plane getting their stuff down f rom the lockers while still in the air.
Cheers Des