Discharge book

[Charlie Hannah]

Hi Charlie.
The Kiwi coast was the same all paper discharges, I still have my bundle, plus my old MN discharge book.
Cheers Des

Des I still have my Kiwi Papers and all Aus. ones besides my home boats discharge book.

[happy daze john in oz]

My father's book R96096 issued 1927

I often wonbder how they arranged the numbering. Mine from 1960 begins with a 7.

[Charlie Hannah]

Mine was R 591317 ( 1953 )

[j.sabourn]

Not too far off mine 575129 but think it was issued late 52, first FG ship was middle 53 though. JWS

[happy daze john in oz]

There was a doctor on one of the UCL ships who also had a discharge book. The story goes he kept a record of all members who had a discharge. He was always a busy man about three days south of Las Palmas.

[Dennis McGuckin]

No doctors on the cargo boats John.
Lots of moaning from the heads, caused by the razor blades being passed. Ouch.

[Ivan Cloherty]

I often wonbder how they arranged the numbering. Mine from 1960 begins with a 7.

John yours had six numbers after the R, my dad's only had 5, so it is chronological i.e. 1927 (5), 1960 (6)

[j.sabourn]

Re.. Doctors on cargo vessels and the ruling about how many crew before having to carry. Joined a Norwegian seismic ship with about 70 odd of a crew with a Doctor. The doctor went though the freezers and fridges condemning all sorts of meats and veges. So the Norwegian skipper just sacked him and we got him replaced with a medic. As said I joined a Russian ship and asked for a doctor or medic as knew the medicine locker would all be in Russian. Was told if I could get one OK go and get. So managed to get a medic who had his own ambulance business. This was the same company that has been looking for the missing Malaysian air liner for the past couple of years. Don't think as said before, different flags observe things differently, what we were told about carrying doctors, maybe so on passenger ships where it would be a thriving business money wise. The cargo passenger vessel I was on carried 15 passengers and we are brought up to believe that 12 is the maximum, don't you believe it. In the North sea many supply boats went outside of home trade limits without the official certification, everyone knew this but was cheaper for the owners to just pay the fine. If you brought in passengers on a supply boat and they exceeded the life raft capacity the ship was fined, the stand by boats were usually classified to carry 100,200, 250 or 300 passengers/survivors often wondered on a 100 boat if you got up to 101 would you throw him back. Shipping has many laws on paper it is finding the honest people who keep them. JWS