WW2 Atlantic crossing times?

[chetan]

Hello, could anyone inform me of how long on average it took to sail to New York on a Merchant ship during WW2?
What was the average wage for a Fireman and also a Greaser?
What were conditions like onboard, time off, food, how long were the shifts, how many to a cabin?
My Dad sailed on the Empire Pickwick, Empire Milner, Empress of Russia and the Dorelien between 1942 and 1946 and I've been trying to put a picture together in my head.
He was also severely cautioned and spent two weeks in jail for missing a ship from Southend Pier. Where would the jail has been?
Sorry there are so many questions, I only wish that he was still alive to ask, I really miss him.
Many thanks, Geraldine

[Des Taff Jenkins]

HI Geraldine.
Welcome to the site, hope you enjoy browsing, there will be answers aplenty for you.
There were various times for ships to cross the Atlantic depending on what U-boat activity was around. Trips I did after the war on old cargo boats were around eight to ten days depending on weather. Wages for a fireman / greaser would have been about 28 ponds a month plus war bonus.
He would have on an Empire boat been living down aft in a four man cabin, and eating in a small mess room with the other firemen. They were very brave men, as; if ever a torpedo hit it was usually aimed at the engine room so very few survived.
Here are pictures of the Dorelean, and the Empress of Russia, I couldn't find the Empire boats. Click on pics to enlarge
Cheers Des


Empress of Russia-06.jpgDorelian-02.jpg

[judith george]

Hi Geraldine my uncle Alf was a fireman and greaser on the British Renown in 1941 just checked the crew list and his wages were £12.2/6 per calendar month plus war bonus

judith

[Ian Malcolm]

Convoy ON 271 sailed from the Mersey on 9th December 1944. I was on the Samforth and we dropped anchor in Halifax, Nova Scotia, at 3am on the 26th.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Ian.
I sailed to Nova Scotia a few times and once we took about twelve months, or it felt like it, we hit a hurricane coming up from the South Atlantic which met a massive storm out of Canada, I think every wave we hit took us back about three days, when we got to St Johns I think the firemen weren't using shovels they were throwing what lumps of coal they could find into the fires by hand.
Cheers Des


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[eric fisher]

Sailed many trips across the Atlantic starting Oct. '42 to '45. Then April from '49 to July '56. Wartime crossing averaged 2 weeks.

[John F Collier]

Hello, could anyone inform me of how long on average it took to sail to New York on a Merchant ship during WW2?

Many thanks, Geraldine

Hi Geraldine, RE: jail, it would either have been Chelmsford prison, Colchester prison, Essex. Or the local police station cells if it was only for a couple of weeks. Good luck with your quest, JFC.

[happy daze john in oz]

I have heard the crossing time was directly relavant to the speed of the enemy ships chasing you!

[j.sabourn]

As the convoy speed was said to be the speed of the slowest member, I wouldn't like to been on some of the convoys with some of the ships I have been on even 50 years after the war. When other ships were zigging they would have still been zagging. JS

[Captain Kong]

We were in a severe Hurricane in the North Atlantic on the Empress of France and arrived in Montreal four days late. all the accommodation flooded, ports smashed etc.
as we were approaching our berth the Cunard , `ARABIA`, had a large Banner over her side saying, "CUNARD GETS YOU THERE ON TIME" so all our Passengers could see it.
Cheers
Brian