Ratings

[Trevor Bodiam]

Never heard of an ENR and don't ever remember any of my aquaintances getting one either.
Too late now of course but if i had this knowledge at the time i would have requested it - twice.

[j.sabourn]

#8... John you were brought up in regular British shipping and if not on company contract came under the title of the BSF where the wages were all itemised by supposedly reps of the shipowner and the unions. Company’s could pay their own rates as long as it didn’t go below the nmb rates. But there were even ways around that in certain types of shipping.
In Hong Kong agreements which I sailed under at various times was a different system again. The deck and engine and catering crew paid their first months wages to the recruiting company who got hem their employment. There was no such thing as overtime. The wages were not of the best. And the ship was run on a monthly portage account. Just like Cappys coastal tanker. The feeding rate was on a daily basis and paid monthly. So the Bosun and the No1 fireman got the months money for their department They did their own shopping. As regards the mates and engineers the chief steward got their money and it was a well known fact the catering staff lived food wise by being very sparse with their stores and used to pocket the bulk of their own, to subsidise the poor wages they received. The chief steward on joining literally had to buy his job, as had to buy whatever was manifested in the freezers and fridges whether there or not , as long as the paperwork was there. There weren’t very many fat chinamen on Hong Kong articles of agreement . There were also 3 galleys usually on the ship, ER, Deck, and midships with their own cooks. Usually found that the firemen and the deck crew were from different parts of China and spoke different dialects and thus ate different foods. I doubt if much has changed today, but again could be wrong. The money certainly hasn’t gone up much with the years. Cheers JS

[cappy]

###yes john some chicanry in all fields as for the union men never saw one ever ....exept our wonderful NUS president ....the mr slater in the shields seamans bars come on lads bugger 28 quid a month i will get you 200 pounds a month .....in fact the seamens union in the 50s was a disgrace to unions in general ....but of course you couldnt work without having to pay the dues...well im sure a AB is getting a lot more than that a week ....if he can see a ship never mind get a bloody job on one .....cappy

[cappy]

Is that why you insisted on interest on that 3/9d trying to recoup your losses.? How many farthings do you still have in that tin box on the mantelpiece. Or did you wrap them up in silver foil and try to pass them off as sixpences. You know Viscount Runciman built a church in Jesmond and was a leading light in the community. He just thought seamen were fair game. Cheers love to Pat. JS

###only got 3 farthings in the box.....the ones mary said you gave her before you pawned her pegleg......lol old mate.....regards cappy

[Louis the fly]

I was cook for a very short period on the Everards tanker Austility. Cannot remember why we sailed without a cook. The skipper asked me to do the job until they found one. This was better than working 5 on 5 off hand steering in a freezing cold wheelhouse. My speciality was opening tins , soup one day , sweet the next. Large bags of frozen chips , frozen burgers , frozen veg. All the cooking instructions were printed on the bags and tins. Didn't stay long , the coast was not for me , headed back to the sunshine.

[Red Lead Ted]

Bit confused by the thread to be honest Trevor, Only thing I can say is A.B. Able bodied ……….. Ask the lady's I met ashore they will confirm

[happy daze john in oz]

We were always told a ship could sail without a skipper as long as there was a suitable chief officer, but could not sail with out a cook or chef.

I came down the coast from Sunderland to Gravesend on a small local coaster, I was just getting a lift and not working, and what an odd ship.
Crew of about 10 maybe including a guy who said he was the cook, cuckoo would maybe have been better.
When we sailed from Sunderland he brought on board three cases of Newcastle brown and one loaf of bread.
He was asked what he was going to do with all that bread?

We pulled into Hull on the way and he said no cooking here you can all go ashore and eat.
He gave all of us half a crown.
I got off in Graves end and the pool sent me to join the Uraguay Star, I thought there were a lot of gays on UCL, but I spent much of my time on her walking with my back firmly up against the bulkheads.
Thankfully it was only a two week working by stint.

[cappy]

##always was taught a skipper might be the old man on a trawler or other small craft ....an old man on a larger vessel was a master....cappy

[robpage]

The title you sailed under didn't match matter as long as you had the correct certification on board the ship 4 navigating officers engineering officers and a ship's Cook and of course going back 2 days of old the radio officer . Back in memory somewhere I do remember radio officer telling me that the old man sign on as ships master the navigating officers were all signed on as first second third mate excetera the engineers were signed on his chief engineer 2nd engineer the Cook was signed on his cook but the radio officer was the only person who actually signed on as an officer with a that's true or a bit of sparkie folklore I don't know

[j.sabourn]

#17... That’s because on British Articls and by BSF standards a certificated cook was part of the manning. In Australia the unions gave that away for ships with less than I believe 9 or 10 of a crew , for an increase in wages. You don’t get nothing for nothing with a shipowner as people seem to think.ships with over 10 had to carry a certificated cook. And the manning re catering staff went up as well with the numbers on board. No where near where it used to be however. The shipowner gave with one hand and took away with the other. Don’t forget as regards British ships a lot were non federated in any case. JS.