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28th January 2020, 11:04 AM
#11
Re: Description of Voyage
I have not thought about this for 55 years. Just seen "DR and double DR", but I can't remember what it meant.
Frank.
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28th January 2020, 11:13 AM
#12
Re: Description of Voyage
Never got either of them Frank, but believe it stood for *decline to report*, and then having to go on the coast or anything offered to cover them up, happy days, kt
R689823
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28th January 2020, 11:18 AM
#13
Re: Description of Voyage
Hello Keith.
Would that be after signing on but not turning up on the day?.
Frank
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28th January 2020, 11:40 AM
#14
Re: Description of Voyage
Was usually at the end of the voyage i think Frank, depending on how many loggings etc. I had heard of guys being offered to work the loggings off in their own time in exchange for a good discharge, but don't know how true that was. My only other discharge was a *engagement cancelled*, after signing on in London, my mother taken ill, so had to cancel after doing two trips on the St Merriel, kt
R689823
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28th January 2020, 12:11 PM
#15
Re: Description of Voyage
The Discharges at the end of a VOYAGE were,. ………
ABILITY ……………GENERAL CONDUCT.
VERY GOOD...…..…VERY GOOD.
GOOD...…………….. GOOD. ……………….. [not so good]
DR …..………………..DR ………... [ Decline to Report, a bad discharge ]
VNC,...………………. [ Voyage Not Completed.]
Last edited by Captain Kong; 28th January 2020 at 12:15 PM.
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28th January 2020, 12:23 PM
#16
Re: Description of Voyage
Originally Posted by
happy daze john in oz
I wonder Vernon if the good old VG/VNC/DR and double DR are still in use today?
Indeed do the ships of today even have discharge books or ID cards?
As far as I can tell speaking with cruise ship crews they have an ID card but that is all.
John
All seafarers have to still have and carry a discharge book, or as it's correctly called "continuous certificate of discharge". The column regarding conduct and ability disappeared in 1973?. Ship owners and/or managers replaced those entries with there own report forms which dependent on the company could contain rating on a number of subjects including conduct, ability, suitability for promotion etc. My last outfit used a scoring of 1-10 for all the subjects along with a section to write in any comments applicable to the seafarers ability, how they work with there fellow crew members etc. There was also a section for the seafarer to enter his own comments. The form was signed by the mate (in the case of deck crew), master and the individual concerned. Copies were held on board, sent to head office and given to the seafarer.
As regards discharge books I have filled in books from Norway, Philippines, Latvia, russian federation amongst others and apart from size, colour and language (if foreign they would always have English subtitles), they all contained identical columns for entry you would see in a u.k. discharge book.
Rgds
J.A.
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28th January 2020, 01:32 PM
#17
Re: Description of Voyage
There is one other endorsement you were allowed when being discharged in the ability and conduct sections which was Endorsement not Required. The Union guy told me to ask for that instead of the double D.R. which I was about to receive when signing of the Orcades in May 1970. I had missed the ship in Auckland and re-joined her a few days later in Suva. All agreed that for conduct I deserved a D.R. but certainly not for ability, the Chief Steward tried to talk me into signing back on to cover up the discharge. I took my chances to go before a disciplinary panel at my pool in London who found in my favour. I then went to the catering counter and was offered straight away the Cicero a great little passenger cargo ship lying in the West India dock and did about an 8 week trip to the Med. and back it turned out to be one of the best ships I sailed on. I guess I was lucky as I had been told I would have to take what ever ship was offered.
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28th January 2020, 02:59 PM
#18
Re: Description of Voyage
Originally Posted by
Keith Tindell
Never got either of them Frank, but believe it stood for *decline to report*, and then having to go on the coast or anything offered to cover them up, happy days, kt
or the alternative, if you've got grandchildren tell them it means 'Distinquished Report'
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29th January 2020, 02:48 AM
#19
Re: Description of Voyage
Dodged the DR by the skin of my teeth a couple of times but copped the VNC for a brief sojourn in NZ .
R 627168 On all the Seas of all the World
There passes to and fro
Where the Ghostly Iceberg Travels
Or the spicy trade winds blow
A gaudy piece of bunting,a royal ruddy rag
The blossom of the Ocean Lanes
Great Britains Merchant Flag
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29th January 2020, 05:28 AM
#20
Re: Description of Voyage
Originally Posted by
John Arton
John
All seafarers have to still have and carry a discharge book, or as it's correctly called "continuous certificate of discharge". The column regarding conduct and ability disappeared in 1973?. Ship owners and/or managers replaced those entries with there own report forms which dependent on the company could contain rating on a number of subjects including conduct, ability, suitability for promotion etc. My last outfit used a scoring of 1-10 for all the subjects along with a section to write in any comments applicable to the seafarers ability, how they work with there fellow crew members etc. There was also a section for the seafarer to enter his own comments. The form was signed by the mate (in the case of deck crew), master and the individual concerned. Copies were held on board, sent to head office and given to the seafarer.
As regards discharge books I have filled in books from Norway, Philippines, Latvia, russian federation amongst others and apart from size, colour and language (if foreign they would always have English subtitles), they all contained identical columns for entry you would see in a u.k. discharge book.
Rgds
J.A.
The crew on cruise ships are all on contracts, normally about 9 months with the option to return to the company on maybe another ship.
They have ID cards but speaking with some they made no mention of certificate of discharge.
Which makes me wonder are they treated differently to those on cargo or tankers?
Happy daze John in Oz.
Life is too short to blend in.
John Strange R737787
World Traveller
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