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Thread: 1874 Death Question

  1. #11
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    Default Re: 1874 Death Question

    HI All.
    I was lucky, no not that I survived the canvas jump ship caper, but I never saw a death at sea all the time I served, must have been all healthy crews.
    Cheers Des

  2. #12
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    Default Re: 1874 Death Question

    Des there is a difference between a violent death and a natural one. Have seen 5 seamans deaths, 3 violently. and 2 peacefully, as well as 167 real violent ones all within spitting distance fortuanetly a great deal of them not visible, but the brain can do wonderous things in the imagination, especially when can hear them dying. How many ex seamen were among them I wouldn't have a clue, but they were human beings and employed on the sea. When we are young we cant envisage death as is hopefully too far in the future, as one gets older one loses that fear of death I suppose. We now have young soldiers returning from conflict in others wars who are traumatised, some of them I am sure seeing only a small part of death. A real violent death the first thing that hits you is the unbelievability that a person can disintergrate so easily, and what was once a living person finishes up like a squashed kangaroo on the road that has been run over again and again. Every one will have a different attitude to such, but as said once before is nothing like the Hollywood deaths with the dead person lying there in one piece with a benign smile on his face with a flag flying above his head. You are lucky in all the time you were at sea to see no deaths, as by the law of averages you have won the jackpot. The likes of the Jervis Bay has been made into a memorable piece of our History and the imagination shows us a ship steaming into the guns of a much more powerful adversary, and much is made of its Captain. The real heroes were the crew who had no choice in the matter but stood by their posts whether in the engine room, wardroom, seamans messes, having no visual contact with what was going on, these are the men who should be lauded. Duty used to be the word, but this has little impact on todays generations. JWS
    Last edited by j.sabourn; 30th May 2016 at 03:03 AM.

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  4. #13
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    Default Re: 1874 Death Question

    Excellent John, makes it all the more real coming from someone who has experienced so much.

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  6. #14
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    Default Re: 1874 Death Question

    Quote Originally Posted by K Cowie View Post
    Thank you to everyone for your replies - and a few chuckles along the way!

    You have confirmed what I had thought might have happened but good to get it all confirmed from people who know far more about the workings (and the unwritten rules/laws) of the MN.

    Many thanks.
    If you have any more queries concerning the sea or shipping please do not hesitate to get in touch, there are many wonderful people here who will help all they can.

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    Default Re: 1874 Death Question

    My father died on board his ship as it was leaving Durban.
    The ship returned to port where a death certificate was issued.
    He was later buried at sea off Durban.
    The first my mother knew of his death was when an aunt phoned her after seeing a report of his death in a U.K. paper.
    This was in 1960 and is an example of how even well known U.K. ship owners treated their ships crew, apart from the war years my father had spent virtually all his sea going career with that company from cadet to Master.
    rgds
    JA

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  9. #16
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    Default Re: 1874 Death Question

    ###very sad story john ...and how hard for your mother to get the news that way.....the shipping companies at that time were very dismissive of crews in those times ..as JWS regularly states.....respects cappy

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    Default Re: 1874 Death Question

    John the old saying business is business the rest is bulls#it is quite true when it comes to the shipowner. There were many like your father who were good company servants all their life and were sacked at the drop of a hat. In one of my posts I mentioned the Rosewood which was a carry on from a seamans post on my worse Xmas at sea. Where he experienced a murder on board and I think a couple of woundings. The trip I was on previous to this the master was stabbed and I brought the ship back to the continent, on the phone I insisted his wife was told that he was still alive, and am sure if had not, no mention would have been made. Maybe Gulliver or someone could find the News report on the Internet it was sometime in 1972 think it was the Daily Express, and they must have been short of a story as think it was front page stuff. The murder of the Electrician on the same ship at a later date didnt receive so much publicity, so suspect there may have been a royal birth or something as interesting at the time. Every shipowner I worked for I have a clear conscience over as know I looked after their interests to the best of my knowledge, my own thoughts on their hanki pankering was up to their conscience but what I saw it was never an even trade. JWS

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  12. #18
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    Default Re: 1874 Death Question

    This is nowhere as serious as previous posts but also shows how little the shipowners cared for their crew.
    We paid off a ship in Rotterdam and many had decided to go back for the next trip leaving much of their gear aboard. It was only when we arrived at Heathrow that we were informed the ship had been sold to the Greeks.

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  14. #19
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    Default Re: 1874 Death Question

    You were compensated by the company of course Louis.!!
    Regards.
    jim.B.
    CLARITATE DEXTRA

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  16. #20
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    Default Re: 1874 Death Question

    You already know the answer to that Jim.

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