Burial at sea

[Doc Vernon]

Thanks JA
I thought it may have been by a search at FMP.
Did not open the File as its Pay Per View .
Cheers

Arton H.JPG

[j.sabourn]

#3 whilst on the subject does everyone know what “ A days Work “ is ?. Apart from going out cleaning windows . It is a navigational question and looking for answers as to distance and average speed fuel consumption etc. etc . From information in the deck log book , courses will be various and could be a dozen different ones in the space of 24 hours. It was usually found at intervals in the 2 mates navigation paper, and as navigation was a failing paper and the first written exam among the many other subjects , then fail that and the examiner would go no further and back to sea my lad and find out what one should know. No chart was required only the information and times of altering course and log readings , was basic navigation if you were a navigator. The answer was your DR position from your last known position or fix. Cheers JS
PS For example a Great Circle from Liverpool to New York is the shortest distance and not a straight line on a Mercator Chart. The more often you alter course to maintain on the arc of that Great circle the shorter will be your distance. For those not navigators a great circle is a circle drawn on a sphere whose plane passes through the centre of the sphere . The best examples of this are the equator and any meridian of longitude. JS.

[David Allan]

I was told by an old Chippie that he was taught to make canvas shrouds and that the last stitch was put through the deceased s nose as this would get a reponse if there was a case of Catlepsy

[j.sabourn]

That is correct David ,also helps to keep the body from slipping down the weighted shroud by carrying on the nose stitch through the canvas , could say I nose you know. It was also prudent to keep a physical presence on the body for at least 24 hours to see any signs of Catlepsy. Know this as was one of the watchers when at the grand age of 16. Would have been out of that steering flat like a shot if the body moved.
There was a true story in a Sea Breezes years ago where the body was laid out under the focsle head years ago, the Indian lookout on the focsle in the middle watch came running onto the Bridge as pale as the ghost he thought was keeping him company on lookout and walking around, a deputation took him back to his point of departure and showed him the body reposing peacefully on his wooden hatch board . The second mate then noticed that the soles of the dead man were wet, and on further investigation the ship being in the tropics with the usual heavy dew on deck the same foot prints were all over the focsle head. The lookout finished his duties on the wing of the bridge. I have similar weird experiences with the supernatural so have a completely neutral mind on the subject. Think what you will. Cheers JS.
PS Think it was a a Bank line vessel ( Andrew Weirs). JS

[Chrislofotos]

I remember attending a burial at sea in the 1960's, I was Cadet, we were in the Indian Ocean when one of the Asian crew members died, it was a very poignant moment. The deceased was placed on a hatch-cover, the engines were stopped, a handrail was removed, and after a brief ceremony the body was tipped into the ocean. There was a bit of controversy regarding this death, the deceased was previously being treated by the ships doctor, who subsequently turned out to be a drug addict, who had reportedly been using up the supply of ships drugs! The doctor was later found in a coma on the surgery floor and was airlifted off by helicopter to a destination in India. I never found out what happened to him!

[Des Taff Jenkins]

I was comatose a few times leaving port, glad no one put a needle through my nose to check me out.
Des

[j.sabourn]

She’ll be right Des, it has been estimated that a body buried at sea in deep water with oxidisation outside of a casket will be or could be skeletonised within 4 days , the pain in the nose will soon disappear then. Although the pain in the head due to lack of vitamin C and the absence of a livener may persist for some time. Today being Sunday hope the hoovering was satisfactory for your missus ? Cheers JS

[john jenkins]

whilst in the Med,we picked up 5 deceased lascars from the sinking of the SS Clan Keith and buried them with a ****** ceremony...this was 5-11-61

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi John S
All done and dusted by lunch time, jut like the ships mess room, but better.
Des

[j.sabourn]

Did you did you do a quick check with the white gloves on before presenting your labours to the missus ? JS