captains rounds

[j.sabourn]

#4... Les just seen this post. Accommodation inspection including Galley Pantry Eating areas, was and still is to my knowledge a BOT or MOT or DTI or Coastguard requirement, the same as boat and fire drills. Was at least once a week. So the ones who did more rather than let the head of Dept. do were probably looking for something to do. Unless of course was a Companies requirement. Had to be entered in the Official Log Book the same as the Drills. Cheers JS

[Louis the Amigo]

Hi shipmates A question how long ago did this start? and did only the deck crew get payed overtime? and on some ship a rum.

[John Arton]

Hi shipmates A question how long ago did this start? and did only the deck crew get payed overtime? and on some ship a rum.

Louis
Could not find out when this requirement came into being but would imagine some Merchant Shipping Act in the late 1800's brought it in.
The recent MLC convention has re-enforced the requirement for weekly inspections and recording of same in the Official log book.
Just google "masters inspection of all accommodation, galley and store rooms"
rgds
JA

[j.sabourn]

Rum, I believe was brought in by the RN, probably before Nelsons time. Think if remember they used to call it neaters. Has seen its day also. The last time I was involved on MOD ships in 1982 it was no longer in existence, although there was still the odd bottle available. Think it was also called pussers rum. Most young jolly jacks used to like to go ashore the same as most seamen. Overtime I don't have a clue, was there when I started, but gone when I finished. The tots we received on merchant ships there was no rules about it was purely at the Companies good intentions if you got a tot once a week. Also used shipboard after cleaning tanks etc. Doubt nowadays it is as available as it once was. Another thing that has gone the full cycle, on starting to go to sea were dry ships, then came bars on ships and alcohol bonds, now back to dry ships to all intents and purposes. Have seen illegal stills on ships potato peeling and all the rest, some with an alcohol content way above what it should be and almost lethal. Don't know how some of us have lived so long. Must have given us immunity to all the bad water we used to get. JS

[Ivan Cloherty]

Can still get Pussers rum here John, had a couple tots last week. Still tastes good

[Charlie Hannah]

Elerdemsters used to issue a tot the day after Las Palmas out ward bound Up till day before home ward bound.This was thanks to an elderly lady who traveled as a passenger frequently on E.Ds,she bequeathed it in her will.They the company stopped the issue think it was earlie 60s.Apparently the money ran out and true to form the company put a stop to it no more tots on E.Ds!

[j.sabourn]

What the owner had to supply by law was usually hanging up in the Messroom and this was what one signed up for in agreeance with. The only drinks I can remember was that the owner had to supply a daily ration of Lime Juice on the expiry and consumption of all fresh vegetables on board. A bottle of lime juice if I remember correctly used to be put on the table, was good for also washing the salt tablets down. That's the reason the yanks christened British seamen Limeys. In return they were supposed to live off the best of everything and they were christened Ham Shanks, or maybe that was my interpretation. JS

[Keith Tindell]

In my time as *peggy*, used to love the lime juice issued, not for drinking, but to scrub down the messroom tables, they came out whiter than white. I dont recall any of it was drunk by the crew, KT

[vic mcclymont]

On th SA Vaal, swivel eye Lloyd was a pain when carrying out passenger accommodation inspections. Bernard Cayzer also inspected crew accommodation during th Soton layup..
Vic

[Jim Brady]

On passenger liners the day before sailing day the passenger accommodation was always subject to a good inspection.The story go's on one of the Empress boats there was a first tripper stewardess who worked in tandem with the BR looking after their section of cabins.The BR got a new pizz pot put lemonade in it and a couple of sausages and placed it under one of the bunks.The BR waited until the inspection entourage were in sight and said to the stewardess,let's just have one more quick look around,going to the cabin with the potty in he pulled it from under the bunk gave the stewardess a quick look at it and said bloody hell look at that to late todo anything about it now,he stuck the sausages in his mouth and drank the lemonade and with that the poor girl fainted.
Regards.
Jim.B.