a wee question or two

[Colin Wood]

I joined the Rowanmore in the dock yard at Greenock and the captain 'Hurricane Hutch' Hutchinson made me docking helmsman, so I was on the wheel for every pilotage, which was just as well. We had a Greenock crew wwho could mostly made stations for berthing but aty sailing they were totally absent. Forward the carpenter was only held up by the windlass and the bosun was usually half way down the fore deck shouting abuse at the bridge, which left the mate with 2 junior cadets to handle the mooring. Aft the 2nd mate had 1 cadet, and an outer isles ab who was totally inebreated but always made it to stations. Great days.

[cappy]

##sailed with one dhu ......a decent bloke ex RN.....submarines .....his name was rook ..but he was given a hard time ....he could do what he was supposed to do ...he could chip and paint throw a heaving line ....suji ......i remember he could splice ...but was treated with less respect than the deck boy ...regardless of his nature...just someone who was dis respected cos of his title...DECHK HAND UNCERTIFIED .....CAPPY

[happy daze john in oz]

I joined as a DHU and think it was allowed because I had served as galley boy on a ocean going tug plus done time on basin tugs in Chatham Dockyard. What I did was to stay on home trade or run jobs for a while as I reckoned that allowed me to understand derricks and mooring better. Maybe I was blessed but found I fitted in like a finger up the orrifice and sure that if I had not then I would have been given a hard time which is one of the traits I loved about being at sea. Of course progressed to EDH as soon as possible but because I did not do the usual training from deck boy I was adamant that I would not take my AB ticket. Just the way I am about rankings. Mind you the DHU's that did not come up to scratch soon got wittled out and usually lasted for one trip.

Les mate, galley boy to DHU? What happened, did some one think you might have ended up as a ships cook one day.LOL

[Alec Crichton]

I sailed with one dhu i was jos at the time.he was useless but made more money than me .we called him deck hand unwanted

[Bengy Roberts]

In the late 50's/ early sixties how would go about getting yourself get a job as an uncertificated deckhand? What would your duties be?
How could you get made up to be an Ordinary Seaman?

Thanks in advance.

When i sailed you had junior ord seaman,and senior ordinary seaman,, I know someone who joined us,he worked on tugs,these included deep sea tugs,,he sailed as senior ordinary seaman,first trip in MN BENGY

[Les Woodard]

John I can tell you I was bloody crap as galley boy but stuck it out for nearly a year. Mind you now know that the ship I was on did not have any modern gear in the galley at all and even washing up was an ordeal as to make suds I had a tin with scrap pieces of soap in it under the tap. Pump up the fuel to the stove of a morning and as for preparing food was all manual done. Now know that most ships had spud peelers and dish washers on them so might have stuck it out longer. So glad that I did not and when the chance came up to get on deck grabbed it with both hands and never looked back.