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#19 Theres one good thing about that hobby Des , a good excuse for collecting whiskey and Rum bottles , and then having to empty them to get the ships in, bet you never thought about leaving any residue in so as to make them appear to be floating. ?
Shore people to me are a different species altogether and there are times when I just shut off altogether when they start complaining about insignificant things. Cheers JS.
#20 Remember one ship was on cant remember which one, where we had to do the usual and hang the anchor off and put the cable on the buoy. either Kobe or Osaka, We lost over the side the tapered pin for the joining shackle over the side , and had no spares . I think out of the 7 engineers on board only one had the know how to set up the lathe as to do the taper correctly. I found and I may be prejudiced , that the practical engineers were more inclined to be time served in the shipyard. This prejudice I admit may of come from cousins who were all marine engineers , and the ones I knocked around with were also the same, and if any excuses needed I will blame them for telling me so. Cheers JS
Out here in Australia is a bit unlike the UK I knew in the Marine World. It is assumed if you have a licence for the job then you can do it. In the UK you were usually asked to describe your history going back to your great Granny. My 11 years of working life out here consisted of working on various and a menagerie of ship types. Apart from supply vessels and anchor handlers , Safety vessels and survey vessels , Drill Ships and Rigs, was expected to bring an assortment of vessels down from their graveyard in Singapore and take them back to their graves on completion of the terms of their charter, one of these vessels was a trench making vessel. Also you were expected to go master on a rig under tow as Australian law insisted on a marine crew on any rig being moved.
I started this progression through the ship types when after a couple of years out here I was asked if I had ever done seismic work , I said yes which was true , but not the full story, my total experience had been towing a single streamer from the stern of a supply vessel for about 6 hours. I just did not elaborate on the truth. So I found myself 6 weeks on and 6 weeks off on a seismic survey vessel towing 8 streamers about 3 miles in length. Not a particular hard job compared to shifting a semi-submersible but one had to keep up with modern day science. Have been all round Australia and more than likely visited parts that the real Aussies dont even know exist. I really enjoyed my working life out here , and came very close to being as enjoyable as the 4 years on charter to the MOD. So that was 15 years of Bliss. The other 35 years is where all the bad things happened, not all bad , it also had its various good moments, like going home at times. Cheers JS
Funny thing John when we arrived here we found work within about three days.
Both with Myer but in different departments.
The human resources section said they preferred overseas workers as they had more experience than the locals.
Not quite sure which kind they were talking about.
I had the maritime union to get past and accepted . Better known as the Guild. Too many unions however in the maritime industry , There was the deck officers , the Guild. The Engineers Union,the Seamen’s Union , and the. Stewards union. They spent more time arguing amongst themselves. However as previously said have nothing against them as kept me worthily employed for 11 years . Think there was also a fireman’s Union. ? JS
One difference out here John was in most ports unlike the UK they had walking delegates, these blokes visited the Aus ships as they arrived to see that everything was OK. On the NZ coast every ships delegate put in a list of things that needed fixing ei the fridge, toaster etc to the mate, who got them done before sailing. Maybe it was easier to do here, but once a month we had stop work meeting in every major port in NZ where the union would inform everyone about what was what. Maybe that was what was wrong in the UK
Des
Des over here in WA the Guild had its meetings every 4th friday in the P and O hotel in Fremantle and if at home you were expected to go. The first meeting I went to the Delegate who was shore based and an ex fisherman had to stand up and explain why I had been accepted into the Guild. The truth was I had to bulldoze my way in and use my UK membership as a crowbar. The first barrier was getting through the door as a small grill opened up and asked what I wanted , after gaining entrance I was told they had plenty of people to fill all the jobs, my reply was I wasnt there for a job, I was there to join the Union. If no jobs I was quite well enough to go up to Singapore and find my own. The next barrier put in my way was qualifications which were British and not Australian , I asked for 30 minutes grace , went and saw the head Federal Surveyor in Fremantle and he issued me with the written authority of the Australian equivilant . Going back to the Guilds office , the next barrier was that they couldnt put me on the A roster but on the B roster. I said ok good enough, at the time I didnt really know what he was talking about . That same evening I had a phone call from Total Marine of Fremantle offering me a job . Apparently they had been keeping their ear to the ground to see how far I got. The next day had a call from the Guild saying at great trouble they had found me a job, which of course was the same one, so I went along with the Charade. On joining the Pacific Dart up in Dampier to relieve the master he was very short and wanted to know how I had gained membership to the Guild, he was Danish and had been master on the sheep carrier running from freo.to the Middle East, he said it took him 4 years to gain membership , so I told him that was his problem and should have done what I did and threaten them with court action , as a union should be open to anyone with the right qualifications, whether that was true or not dont know and still dont know but wasnt going to get messed around by a bunch of zombies. However the conditions that the union got for its members was to me used to lousy standby north sea wages more than 4 times better and with the leave ratios taken into account more than 6 times better. So in all fairness I cannot complain about conditions at that time. Out of all the Unions and their pension lump sums on retiring the Seamens were the best. I saw ABs walking away with 25 service with $500.000 pay outs . You compare that with anything UK seamen got from the NUS ... When the intergrated rating system came in similar to the General Purpose of the UK . The seamens union put all its members at various times through the Launceston College for either a 4 or 6 weeks course and paid all the monies out of union funds. Dont know the actual numbers but was the total of the offshore group at the time. They put their money where their mouth was. However all good things come to an end and dont think things are the same today somehow. Cheers JS
A ROSTER Permanent employment with company and get all benefits such as pension pay outs . 5 % Salary goes into Union Funds.
B ROSTER TEMPORARY employment , 26 % loading on top of salary , nothing paid into pension pay out . 2% of salary into Union Funds
Leave in 1991 was 1.1 days for every day on. Changed about 1995 for 1 for 1 . with an increase in salary . Always have to give something away to get something new
JS
Hi Everyone,
I have to relate my experiences with a compulsive fantasist who kept us enthralled for at least 6 months of a two year trip on my first trip to sea as an Apprentice. Frank was 3rd Engineer on our ship SS Marabank. Those of you who have served in the 'old ' MN will remember that you would congregate in one or other's cabin to spin a story , play Scrabble or even to play cards. Initially we young sprogs would gravitate towards Frank L.'s cabin and he would keep us amused (?) and entertained with story's of his life.
Story No1. Frank was one of the British Paras dropped into the Suez Canal area to ......... well we never did find out his apparent heroics.
Story No2. Frank was a Freestyle wrestler in his home area of Derbyshire and because of his slight stature he was billed as Derbyshires "Great Big Little One"
Story No3. We arrived in Melbourne in 1956 just before the opening of the Olympic Games. Frank claimed that he knew one of the British Team Olympic cyclists, so Frank (accompanied by 3 very naive Apprentices) went ashore with Frank, who on this occasion was dressed in a smart suit and an American Cowboy hat. We went to the Olympic Information Centre and the conversation went like this:-
Frank (In an American accent) "Excuse me Ma"am can you tell me if the British cycling boys have arrived yet?"
The Australian young lady on reception "I'm not sure Sir, but I will find out... could you tell me why you wish to know?"
Frank "Yes, I am a Cicus Promoter and I've heard these boys are the best in the World,and I have this fantastic idea for these British boys that will make them loads of money and fame.
Receptionist Oh yes Sir and what is that?
Frank "THE WALL OF DEATH ON A PUSHBIKE!"
Exit the rest of us in embarrassment.
Story No4. We went to Corpus Christie in Texas, Frank said "Tell you what Boys, let's put on our epaulettes and whites and visit the US Naval air station. The US boys will make us welcome and perhaps show us around." Which we did and sure enough we were made very welcome but only saw some hangers at a distance and their PX quite close up. One of their personnel questioned us about equivalent ranks in the British armed forces and I guess from our answers they didn't think we posed much of a threat to the US of A!
We only found out after we had left US waters on our way to Oz. That Frank was a card carrying member the Communist Party ....... But there again, that might have been a lie as well!!!!
Having said all that I will always remember him ...... He was about 23 years old .... but his story and tales made him 50 or 60!
Keep Smiling and safe.
Chris Hurren
#28.... Thats a good example of someone testing out the Theory that B......t baffles Brains. Theres always some true believer in any group. That one then carries the message forth and it multiplies. Just like the old saying in the Bible go forth and multiply , when you are caught doing that however they class you as a sex maniac. Its not a fair world by anyones thinking. JS
Think we have all met similar when at sea, and a few ashore.
We have a lot here in Oz, most sit in our various parliaments and can tell some of the most fantastic tales of what they have done but of more importance what they are going to do.
Frighten the life out of any God fearing man, or women for that matter.