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Thread: Signing on a ship

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    Default Signing on a ship

    Could I ask what the procedure was for signing on a ship?

    Not knowing about these things I assumed it must have been go down to the docks, show necessary documentation and be offered a ship. Then given date and time to report to dock for preparation to start journey .
    Were you asked to bring anything?
    Especially for a long voyage ?

    Thank you
    Bob

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    Default Re: Signing on a ship

    In my case, sent from the shipping federation, down to the ship, would sign on and start work almost immediately. With regards to taking anything, i never possessed a passport first or last in my time at sea, so you packed what you thought you would require for the duration of the voyage, some packed more, some did with less, (known as schooner rigged), then one of the most important questions, where are we bound?, kt
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    Default Re: Signing on a ship

    Quote Originally Posted by Keith Tindell View Post
    In my case, sent from the shipping federation, down to the ship, would sign on and start work almost immediately. With regards to taking anything, i never possessed a passport first or last in my time at sea, so you packed what you thought you would require for the duration of the voyage, some packed more, some did with less, (known as schooner rigged), then one of the most important questions, where are we bound?, kt
    Thank you
    That’s a great start 👍

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    Default Re: Signing on a ship

    Whether you were a Company's man, or a Federation man you needed your Discharge Book and Certificates if the certificate details were not entered into your Discharge Book, some Shipping Masters (as opposed to Ship Master) required both, some would accept Discharge Book entries as proof of competency in the position you were signing on as. Very rare that your certificate details were not entered into your book, only ones that spring to mind are Radar and First Aid certificates, as normal I stand to be corrected as the memory is very very old.

    You could sign on a ship at a Customs House before a Shipping Master and Master of vessel, or at a Shipping Federation before the same, or aboard the vessel before the same, if no Shipping Master available you could sign-on just before the ship's Master on an ENG2 Form aboard the vessel, this form was either left with the ship's agent to lodge with the Shipping Master, or if signing on in a foreign port, usually in Home Trade Limits it was carried to the next UK port and lodged with the Shipping Master at that port.

    However I am talking 50's/60's and things would have changed in the interim.

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    Default Re: Signing on a ship

    in shields we went down to the pool and it was often quite busy outside ......we asked what was going ......perhaps a british tanker .....one of runcimans or one of joe shells or other cargo vessels some companies were not sought after ...but if you had a bad discharge the trip before you had to take what they gave you .....in the early sixties the ore carriers were much sought after as they were usually no more than six weeks trips and back to the uk good feeders good acccom...mainly single berth...plenty overtime ...most rushed for those jobs .....sometimes a coaster or two if you wanted to be able to leave if reqired ....these were home trade not going far and you could pay off at will ....but the foriegn going agreements were for two years ...plus coming back to the uk...some of the tramp companies were not wanted often older vessels that stayed away perhaps 10 or 11 months ......often up to full term two years plus ...outside shields pool was a gossip shop ......ifyou signedon it was at the federation where the old man looked at your discharge book and then said yes or no ...the federation super was in attendance ....at one signing on ;he was the shipping master
    the old man asked anAB have you sailed with me before the ab said no ....the old man bellowed you are a drunk and a troublemaker bugger of .....and threw his discharge book at him ...you could then organise an alotment for too be sent
    to someone you new would look after you money ....and a note payable on the day after the vessel was sailing ....there was guys who would crack your note now but charged you 2 shillings in the pound ....but lo and behold if you didnt sail ....they were not to be messed with ......we had no passenger vessels out of shields mainly working vessels but some like port line and others took a few pasengers down to kiwi and oz as kieth ses it was always the question where she was bound ...often it was held like it was a state secret .......ther was then of course the stores coming aboard ....often basic foods for 6 monthor so ...but many things went adrift .....and ended up in peoples homes ......the ist three or four days it was quite quiet while folk got the booze out there systems ...and we wieghed up the others .....ie he is trouble he is a bullshitter etc ....then off we went ie ....ist stop curacao for bunkers .....throuhg th panama ...up to LA and frisco ...on to vancouver with timber for oz adelaide melbourne sydney etc ....up to southafrica capetown lourenco marques durban then hopefully up to the uk sending letters with the words ....EACH TURN OF THE SCREW BRINGS ME NEARER TO YOU......to your latest girl lol.......all happy then ....regards cappy

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    Default Re: Signing on a ship

    To sign on a ship, either the shipping federation would offer you one or your shipping company would assign you to one. However you were sent to the ship you would need to have your discharge book (seaman's continuos record of sea service), and if necessary your passport and/or your Seamans identification certificate.
    If in the U.K. you would attend the ship with the above documents and sign the Articles of Agreement in front of the shipping master ( a board of trade official, later on it would be the ships captain). The articles were your contract of employment on that particular vessel and would state the nature of the voyage, e.g Home Trade (basically sailing around the U.K. and near continent) or foreign going ( world wide) or even to certain areas e.g River Plate. The first section of the articles was the list of crew required to sign the articles where your full name, date of birth, next of kin and their address, your position on the ship, rate of pay and your signature (i.e you signed on). Further sections of the articles listed hours of work and type and also the daily amount of food that was to be supplied to you, prepared and cooked by the ships cook who had also signed the articles. Once all this was completed then your discharge book is stamped with the vessel official stamp and the date and port of engagement entered. On leaving the vessel you sign off the articles in the list of crew employed on the vessel and your discharge book is filled in with the date and port of discharge along with the masters signature. Prior to 1973 there were also spaces in the discharge book for comments on conduct and ability e.g VG.,very good or DR.,. decline to report.
    Your discharge book number stayed the same throughout your sea going life and if you filled one up then a new one was issued to you with the same number. The book had your mug shot in it along with the qualifications and date you gained them.
    Rgds
    J.A.

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    Default Re: Signing on a ship

    And most ships i sailed on, trampers, never knew where you bound next, lovely life. On one ship we had a *dear John* board, as most of us knew the relationship would not stand the test of time. I shipped from the Dock st pool in london, and always called into the local pub there, where all the guys were seamen, and knew what ships were available, some as Cappy says were the scourge of the pool, so if they were on offer at the pool, and you could afford it, you stayed clear for a couple of days, till she had sailed. i did not like shipping from the continent, as the shipping office would give you a load of barney about the ship, so by the time you arrived at said ship, it was nothing like they had told you, kt
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    Default Re: Signing on a ship

    Quite interesting answers. In UK with Furness and Prince line, all sign on and offs usually done by second Mate, who also on most of their ships did the crew wages. Master would be in attendance when signing on or off n board. Interesting on Scottish Prince, strike bound in London with a cargo of mainly potatoes from Cyprus, we were ordered to Bruge to discharge. Did not know till 1/2 hour before sailing as to who was to be master, as ships master on leave and asked to return. If he had not got back, assistant Super was to take vessel over to Bruge.

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    Default Re: Signing on a ship

    Quote Originally Posted by Colin Wood View Post
    Quite interesting answers. In UK with Furness and Prince line, all sign on and offs usually done by second Mate, who also on most of their ships did the crew wages. Master would be in attendance when signing on or off n board. Interesting on Scottish Prince, strike bound in London with a cargo of mainly potatoes from Cyprus, we were ordered to Bruge to discharge. Did not know till 1/2 hour before sailing as to who was to be master, as ships master on leave and asked to return. If he had not got back, assistant Super was to take vessel over to Bruge.
    hi colin just as a matter of interest ...my great grandfather was chief officer in the egyptian prince in the late 1800s ..he died of yellow fever in pernambuco ,,,,now recife ...leaving my gran and her brother to be adopted ...the vessel was steam cleaned on arrival in new york....hard times in those days

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    Default Re: Signing on a ship

    For anyone wondering what "the good old days" were like suggest that they read "Typhoon" by Joseph Conrad.
    This was a smart, new ship, two mates and two watch keeping engineers and a voyage of indefinite length under the Siamese flag. You can imagine the hours per week worked on what was seen as a "good billet"

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