Chief Stewards Info

[Ivan Cloherty]

Was never on what I call a bad feeder, having survived on wartime rations and still going strong, the food provided on ships was equivalent to the Ritz for a boy who had been bombed out three times, evacuated around the country and gone to sea at 13 on deep sea trawlers upon which if you didn't like fish-hard luck. Even on coasters we fed reasonably well and if the cook/steward was crap you got rid of him. I always found the complainers were not used to good food at home, so what the hell they complained about I never fathomed out

[Keith Tindell]

Fully agree Ivan, never on a bad feeder, if my memory serves me well, on most ships I was on 3 x cooked meals a day, and STEAK !!! Every Friday, certainly never got that at home, come to think of it, I don't get that now !, kt

[j.sabourn]

Like Cappy even though people complained about food never really found on a regular British flag vessel any real cause for complaint. On my first trip got very embarrassed though when asked for a teaplate instead of a sideplate which I had never heard of at home probably another good reason for not going in the saloon. One of the most remembered line in the Shipmasters Business and Law was " Every British Registered ship shall carry a Certificated Ships Cook", that doesn't apply on Australia ships until you reach 13 of a crew, and although there were many who did their best cooking, any type of real ships cook would have been welcomed with open arms. The food available was there in mass amounts, and couldn't have been more of. As regards other foreign vessels the feeding system was open to abuse much more easily. JS

[Jim Brady]

What is your memory of steak,egg and chips on a Friday tea time.Many ships I was on because you were getting a fried egg on Friday evening the fried egg for breakfast was replaced by tinned tomato's,you couldn't have two eggs a day now could you.
Regards.
Jim.B.

[Captain Kong]

When I sailed on the London Greeks, ...`Nicholas K` of Kiriakides of Athens and `Commodore Grant` of A.Arvanitopolous of Athens, they were registered in London and under the Red Ensign. old Fort ships, in the early 50s
They were really BAD Feeders, on your Pound and pint every day of the voyage, if you were lucky, your food and stores was weighed out with the Chief Stewards thumb on the scales to try and cheat. every one had their own stores, like tea, or connie onny etc , to keep it locked in a locker , or some one would steal it.
On the BEECHFIELD one of Savages, in 1952, [ wonderful name for a ship owner ], it all depended on the Cook, you paid the Cook 15 shillings a week for food, If he was a plonky, he went ashore to buy food and then disappear, then we would have to search all the alehouses to find him before he drank all the food money, or he would buy a few bottles of whisky with the food money and take to his bunk, When the Cook was killed in the galley we looked in his cabin and his bunk was filled with whisky bottles.
Blue Star were hungry ships, a crew galley down aft separate from the midship galley , We got crap down aft.
12,000 tons of food, meat, fruit, and dairy products from Australia and New Zealand and we were starving. We would have to go down the hatch to get a case of peaches or corned beef and stow it under the bunk and eat it in the cabin.
Christmas day one Chicken between all hands down aft, and midships they got Turkeys.
Banana boats of Fyffes, our diet was Bananas after all the stores were sold in Las Palmas.

Then ESSO, the best feeders of all, Menus on the tables, the best steaks, Lobsters, and wine on the table twice a week. We had Fresh fish daily, we caught hundreds af mackerel and put them in the swimming pool, we fed just like being in the best hotel.
That is what seafaring was all about,
Brian.

[Dennis McGuckin]

Cappy you are right on.
Better food than I ever got at home.
On my first ship I thought I had died and gone to heaven.
Never saw a steak until then.
As far as most seaman were concerned they also had never been feed like that.
Recall one trip on a 'reafer' think it was a Star boat.
We actually served steak for breakfast. One of the crew complained that he wanted two.
As you say. Seaman have the right to complain. Often never happy.
If I ever heard them asking for more tab nabs, I used to replay.
You barstewards are lucy to get jam and bread when you are home, so *** off

[j.sabourn]

#116... I want my rights, I don't know what they are but I want them. JS

[happy daze john in oz]

Catering crew never had a problem getting a good feed, but passenger ships were very different to cargo. Ships cook to look after all the other crew and by all accounts they fed well.

Den, my best mate was in an hotel when he applied to go to sea and was taken straight away by P&O without going to sea school.
When he came ashore he continued in hospitality but had by then developed a liking for messing about with cars.
Monday morning hands still black from grease he would offer to make the fruit salad as he claimed the acid in the fruit whitened his hands.

[Brian Charles Williams]

I was never on a bad feeder. Maybe the old Loadstone wasn`t that good so I would eat with the Malay deck crowd who would cook their own chicken thingie` looked a mess but tasted ok you just sat around the pot grabbed a jerpatty and all dived in !!
The Pinemore would serve up on occasion salmon steaks with warm mayonnaise sauce . Have to say that most ships meals were made up of foods that I had never had at home. Ragout of beef, and Danish Blue cheese & compot of fruit ....never heard of such luxury`s . Brian W.

[Keith Tindell]

When I first went to sea I was amazed at the food wastage, coming from the war period where you were told that men had given their lives for that food, and you were expected to clear your plate. First ship as Peggy would go to the galley and collect all the dinners for the mess, they would go in the hot press, and when clearing up after the meal , would find some not eaten, and the Rosie full, which all went over the side. My dear old mum would be screaming if she could have seen it, kt