Leaving a ship.

[Fouro]

Re: Engineers.
Apart from one's discharge book being filled in referring to ability and character etc, was it also normal practice to receive a handwritten reference from the Chief Engineer?.

Regards from
Fouro.

[vic mcclymont]

Four, never received a hand written reference fro C. E. I sailed with.
Vic

[John Arton]

Most shipowners would require the Master and Chief Engineer to give a more in depth report on any paying off personnel than the stamps in your discharge book. The reports would give opinions on promotion, need for any specific training, how a person interacts with fellow seamen etc.
My last outfit had a "Report on conduct and ability" form, a copy of which had to be given to the off signed for him to sign and agree/disagree with and for him to hold.
Prior to that all watchkeepers had the B.O.T issued certificate record of watchkeeping which at change of Master/Chief Engineer, was filled in stating the person concerned had been in sole charge or assisted in, of the watch from xxhours to xxx hours whilst at sea or in port and had space for report on conduct and ability plus sobriety.
These record books were used when totting up sea time between certificates.
Going back to the 1920's I have tpewritten reports for my father's sea service basically giving the same information as the above mentioned watch keeping record book.
Rgds
J.A.
Rgds
J.A.

[Tony Taylor]

#1.
never got anything except watch keeping cert. from C/E and comment in disch. book from Capt.
Company report forms issued when you paid off or if c/e paid off, but they were sent to head office, I only got to see them, and there was provision for my comment and signing to say I had read it.

[Ivan Cloherty]

#3 I still have all my watchkeeping certificates, for some reason, whatever that reason is, but would be churlish to get rid of them now: anyway they are far better than my school reports!

[Bill Morrison]

Hi Fouro They were of a standard form for each voyage. This example of mine. The Wife's late uncle had hand written references among his papers which we have.
Bill

[j.sabourn]

A lot of company reports consisted of the usual questions and a choice of five boxes to tick in answer to each question. A few masters that I knew used to give them to the person they were reportingg on and tell him to fill in the report on themselves, by themselves. Whenever I filled my own in I always ticked the choice of boxes down the middle which was average. Ones own modesty prevented honest people from expounding on being supermen. In any case the office if they ever read would know it was phoney.As Regards watchkeeping certificates these were sometimes necessary for proof of seatime.. letters of reference you had to ask for them. I once gave one to an Indian seaman , which was a glowing report , but at the end of such , wrote however don’t pay him any money as isn’t worth it, He went away as happy as Larry. Whoever read that reference “ To Whom Itt May Concern “ must have scratched their head. JS.

[happy daze john in oz]

We of catering, the elite of the ships company did not have such lists.
But we did on occasions get a very nice mention rom the chief or second steward saying find your self another ship.
Not wanted next voyage.

[Doc Vernon]

Only naughty ones got that John!
Me i was always asked "Are you doing another with us"
Cheers

[Ivan Cloherty]

#7 reminds me of the only time I gave an indeterminate reference whilst working/living in Pakistan, I told Mr Ali K... that he would be better without one, but he 'please Sahib' so many times I gave him one which basically read

Mr Ali K... has served this company from xxxxx to yyyy and during the whole of this time has worked entirely to his own satisfaction.

He went away very happy as he had something on Company headed paper, he was one of those employees who had no redeeming features. I, like most, have sailed with drunk seamen and a complete nuisance in port, but at sea you forgave them their sins as they were an asset on deck