Becoming an ordinary seaman when one's inexperienced

[Chris Allman]

Typical of some younger people of today I am afraid, want everything now without having to work for it, they dont do themselves any favours that's for sure.

Shows their attitude too as John Albert says, seem to think that degrees are everything, what a load of boll-cks. Sorry, but as far as I am concerned, common sense, a desire to work and a sense of loyalty is tons better than any degree. Anyway, degrees are ten a penny, all Course Work and with answers on the net, so nothing there to prove how good anyone is.

So Mr Blue Whale get out and take the degree in life, there are no answers on the net, you will have to work hard to get them, then maybe, just maybe you will understand what life is all about.

Chris.

[happy daze john in oz]

Degrees can be obtained via the net these days. But a degree does not mean you can do the job, a degree is no substitute for experience. The only degrees I ever got where from a thermometer, and the third degree from the mother in law, but I learned the hospitality trade at sea, the result, never a day out of work in my life. I have seen taxi drivers with a handful of degrees unable to get a job due to lack of experience.

[John Pruden]

gentlemen sorry to say but our time has been and gone no derricks to top no barbarising decks all that put the skill into seamanship was taken over by quick turn around at ports some just a few hours no time to visit many ports its only a job now for the deck crowed only that is{no disrespect to what goes on up on the bridge}that must still be as the old days? i was in conversation with a retired chief engineer he was irate about engine room staff wearing white boiler suites? by the time i had finnished winding him up he was spitting feathers about the changes from his time. but what times they were.john

[John Cassels]

Although I wholeheartedly agree that life at sea was much better in the '60's and '70's than it is now , I'm
not sure that this applies to all aspects.
Apprentices in those days were in many respects treated as slave labour. It's all very well to talk about
learning by doing but I remember being sent to do jobs on one ship that the Indian crew refused to do ;
fumigating a contaminated store room springs to mind.
This was nothing to do about learning one's trade but purely because no one else would do the job.

Later , as ch.mate on an OBO , cleaning from oil to coal , had to do 70 hours straight , only stopping
for food , no rest or sleep.
Would these sort of things be allowed nowadays ?.

[Tony Morcom]

gentlemen sorry to say but our time has been and gone no derricks to top no barbarising decks all that put the skill into seamanship was taken over by quick turn around at ports some just a few hours no time to visit many ports its only a job now for the deck crowed only that is{no disrespect to what goes on up on the bridge}that must still be as the old days? i was in conversation with a retired chief engineer he was irate about engine room staff wearing white boiler suites? by the time i had finnished winding him up he was spitting feathers about the changes from his time. but what times they were.john

Morning John

From what I have seen being up on the bridge these days is like sitting in a airconditioned office suite. Gone are the days of open bridge wings with the doors open in all weathers. Freezing your nuts off in winter weather, mind you it was great in the topics especially as by my day only shorts were required so a good bronzy was guaranteed. Tea with the old connie oggie ahh now that brings back memories. A cappuccino machine is not quite the same. Sat Nav and computers to do everything. You would hardly know you were at sea

[Ivan Cloherty]

[QUOTE=John Cassels;73908]Although I wholeheartedly agree that life at sea was much better in the '60's and '70's than it is now , I'm
not sure that this applies to all aspects.
Apprentices in those days were in many respects treated as slave labour. It's all very well to talk about
learning by doing but I remember being sent to do jobs on one ship that the Indian crew refused to do ;
fumigating a contaminated store room springs to mind.
This was nothing to do about learning one's trade but purely because no one else would do the job.

QUOTE]

Hi John being a cadet in the 50's was slave labour and we were given all the jobs no one else wanted, but by hell didn't it give us a good grounding for later in life when we learnt to take anything that life threw and still throws at us, and we learned to get stuck into any task allotted to us just to show the barstewards we could do it. The training and attitudes it gendered served me well in later life when faced with difficult situations both physical and mental.

Recalling the incident twixt RN and Iranians some years ago our first thought wouldn't have been "Please mister can I have my ipod back", doubt the guys of our era would have let themselves get into that situation in the first place

Nowadays cadets are not allowed on deck without the helmet in case they bumped their head, in our day the only sympathy we got was "Well you should have bluudywell looked where you were going"

Slave labour yes, enjoy it ? probably not at the time, glad I did it, definitely !

And as Tony has mentioned remeber those long open air bridge wings in the tropics, with just a pair of shorts, and the wind and rain bringing tears to your eyes at other times, give me that rather than the enclosed airconditioned cocoons that they have nowadays, where a 180 degree vision for'ard is obstructed by window frames, think of all the blind spots, especially now that they have seats to navigate from. I used to enjoy my pacing up and down the bridge wing keeping fit, getting the all round bronzy that the girls loved especially when they were priviliged to see your lily white ass!

[John Pruden]

no telly video ipods{what ever they are} the mess room radio the size of a piano world service voice of America.dart board crib card games playing for fags{ciggies} and if a crew member had a record player well it was the QE2 hard work hard play? why did we do it it wasn't for the money but what times they were

[Chris Allman]

being a cadet in the 50's was slave labour and we were given all the jobs no one else wanted, but by hell didn't it give us a good grounding for later in life when we learnt to take anything that life threw and still throws at us, and we learned to get stuck into any task allotted to us just to show the barstewards we could do it. The training and attitudes it gendered served me well in later life when faced with difficult situations both physical and mental.

Very well said Ivan, could not have put it better, sums up exactly what it was all about. wouldn't have missed it for the world and yes, yes, yes, I would do it all again.

Chris

[Ivan Cloherty]

being a cadet in the 50's was slave labour and we were given all the jobs no one else wanted, but by hell didn't it give us a good grounding for later in life when we learnt to take anything that life threw and still throws at us, and we learned to get stuck into any task allotted to us just to show the barstewards we could do it. The training and attitudes it gendered served me well in later life when faced with difficult situations both physical and mental.

Very well said Ivan, could not have put it better, sums up exactly what it was all about. wouldn't have missed it for the world and yes, yes, yes, I would do it all again.

Chris

I 'm glad I did it, but do it all again at this age, mmmmmmmmmmmm I'll have to think about that Chris

[Chris Allman]

I really meant, if I had my time over I would do it again Ivan, too old now, but wouldnt mind a nice trip on an old cargo ship now as a passenger, to warmer climes.

Chris.