Ship licences

[j.sabourn]

That should be nuttin Peter. A lot of the seismic ships carried a Doctor. If not a Doctor a Medic. Myself and 9 other Australians went up to Singapore to bring a Russian Survey ship onto the coast for about 5 weeks. I spoke to the Russian master from a phone visual in Fugros office in Perth. It was agreed that the Russian crew about nearly 50 would remain on board and they would double up and give up accommodation to Australian crew. I questioned the medical facilities on board and the medicine locker all the drugs etc were written in Russian. So asked Fugro for a doctor to be amongst the crew going up. Their response was if I could get one to do so and go ahead. So I went ahead and got a medic who had his own private ambulance business, told him to arrange his own wages with the charterers. He took his own medicines and drugs by arrangement with the Singaporean authoritys, it was an experience for him and he thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Poor beggar died about 10 years later and only a young man at time. Norwegian and Scandanavian seismic ships all seemed to have a doctor or a qualified medic as they had large crews on board. One I was on didn't, and one of the seismic crew came to me for treatment he was covered in rashes so I sent him ashore in the chase boat, when the chase boat came back the skipper on was fuming saying you could have told me he had some weird disease, and had used the skippers bunk and the mattress and all linen had to be burned. If had had a medic on board he would have realized how contagious he was, he had been in Africa previously. This 12 passenger item seems to be put there with cement. We carried 15 passengers but was a Liberian Registered ship. The 12 passenger rule applies to British Maritime law and at the time they had no jurisdiction over other flags, unless they were signed up to a mutual binding agreement. If they had I saw the law being flaunted many times and don't think the Canadian authoritys would have turned their back on. Doctors and medical staff were carried on ships where it was considered necessary. Have seen one Doctor on a Norwegian ship sacked and replaced with a medic as was interfering with the running of the ship and going in the cooks storeroom without permission and condemning certain items. That was not his job. JS

[happy daze john in oz]

NZSC had accommodation for up to 12 bloods on a number of the 10,000 tons cargo ships.
We carried 8 on one voyage but I recall the second steward saying that although there was room for 12 they would never take any more than 11. He did not elaborate as to why.

[Colin Wood]

In the 50's 60's you could carry 99 people(providing LSA was fitted) but the 100 person had to be a doctor.
As regards the hospital being an isolation unit, that I would query, as on the Furness 12 passenger Pacific boats the hospital was on after end boat deck and the house also incorporated the apprentice accommodation. OK we probably needed isolation anyway.

[Ivan Cloherty]

In the 50's 60's you could carry 99 people(providing LSA was fitted) but the 100 person had to be a doctor.
As regards the hospital being an isolation unit, that I would query, as on the Furness 12 passenger Pacific boats the hospital was on after end boat deck and the house also incorporated the apprentice accommodation. OK we probably needed isolation anyway.

I think you may find Colin that if you carried more than 12 passengers you had to carry a doctor, that is why most cargo liners had only accommodation for 12 passengers, break even point (to cover expense of carrying a doctor) was 18 passengers, I think most of the small Blue Star liners were 18 passenger ships. On the ships I sailed on the hospital was always on the boatdeck

[j.sabourn]

That may have been the general rule for British ships, but as said before we carried and had cabin space for 15. Liberian Flag. No Doctor. JS

[Ivan Cloherty]

That may have been the general rule for British ships, but as said before we carried and had cabin space for 15. Liberian Flag. No Doctor. JS

Eh John lad think we must assume British unless like speed limits otherwise designated

[j.sabourn]

That may have been the general rule for British ships, but as said before we carried and had cabin space for 15. Liberian Flag. No Doctor. British flag tonnage as applied to offshore vessels as well, was restricted to LSA appliances only. As regards Safety vessels was no restrictions but was supposedly restricted to seating arrangements which was a farce. As to seismic vessels and such was in the lap of the Gods, and also restricted to LSA requirements. I used to believe in the 12 person theory and may have been in the curriculum for British certification, but in practice away from British flag saw different. Even on a merchant ship under the navy never even thought about it as usually down the Meddy runs where every bed on the ship was taken had no need as we carried apart from our own Doctor two more spare as passengers. However these Naval Surgeons were there officially for other purposes than to give out aspirins. Cheers JS

[John Arton]

Many of us will have taken the Ship's Captain Medical exam as part of our Masters ticket in the U.K. (now needing re-validating every 5 years). A fortnights course that basically teaches you how to diagnose many ailments using the Ships Captain Medical Guide to diagnose and treat minor ailments, how to splint and bandage injuries, how to give an intramuscular injection etc.
If you went to Norway for the same exam, you would undertake a month's course with a very stiff exam at the end and would be classed as a paramedic.
rgds
JA

[Captain Kong]

I have just read through the 1958 , THE NATIONAL MARITIME BOARD, YEAR BOOK 1958,
There is no mention in the Manning scales regarding carrying a Doctor or Medic of any kind..
I know we had to do the Ship Captains Medical Certificate, In Fleetwood College when we were doing it in 1976 We had a day out at the Liverpool University Hospital and in the dissecting room the Surgeon and assistants, demonstrated to us, how to remove an appendix, from the cadaver of a 17 year old girl who had died of drugs and her body had not been claimed in over six months. A bit gruesome but very interesting
Cheers
Brian

[j.sabourn]

#18... When I did in Liverpool it was the same year whatever that was that they had the big fire in the Isle of Man, as my parents still alive then were over there at the time. However can remember when doing the part about childbirth, the Sister/Tutor said I can tell you all these things, but my father is a shipmaster and my own private advice would be for you to tie the ladys legs together and make for the nearest port. A bit like that one where , I'm responsible for what I say, not for what you understand. Also on drug taking the Customs admitted that some of the old chinese crews who had smoked opium all their lives turned an occasional blind eye to. Having sailed with Chinese know what he was talking about. Although doing this course I like many others make no claims to being anywhere near the standard of a proper medic. Giving injections and so forth ..no problems.. as did this before such courses. However being a medic is like being a nurse and one has to have the likes for the job, it was always a chore to me. Thank God for professional medical staff. One of these days I am going to count all the certificates I have tucked away somewhere, even the ones only after the late 70"s may prove a surprise to some of those who went ashore in the 70"s. The old lifeboat ticket as such and first aid, spread to much more, and is probably much more even today. Cheers JS