Mental Illness and the MN

[robpage]

I watched the third engineer doing boiler tests one night , he titrated 100ml from one bottle and 100 ml from another into a clean calibrated glass jar , then drank it . He then wrote the results of the test in the boiler log book . I used to try and work out how drinking those chemicals gave him the result , untill i realised that one smelled of Gin and so did the other , the few drops from the little brown bottle were Angoustoura bitters . Somehow 200ml of gin and six drops of bitters meant that the boiler was always within the speciified reading .

That was on a tanker , which used to attract an inordinate amount of crazy people . A proffesional Third Engineer from Belfast used to not only talk to himself , but also used to reply to himself as well . There was a second engineer that spent a large chunk of his watchkeeping time high as a kite on weed . Several wives on board that were certifiable . I left before I became nuts too

[Jim Brady]

I sailed with a few Sparks that were suspect,one with an Icepick and another with a large Hammer under their pillows.
Regards.
Jim.B.

[Keith at Tregenna]

Apparently the first sign of madness is the hair on the back of your hands:

Take a look.

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Apparently the second sign, is actually looking for them.

K.

[happy daze john in oz]

Apparently the second sign, is actually looking for them.

K.

[/QUOTE]

But as we know if you find some on the palm of your hand























Naughty boy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[john sutton]

the shortest medical I had during my sea time was when I was sent to the doctors who happened to be quite a glamourous young lady(unusual in those days.Lady doctors that is)She got me to drop my trousers and then took the weight off my testicles and said" say ninety nine".By the time i,d counted to four I was out of the door

john sutton

[robpage]

On reflection some of the things you saw at sea . you could not make it up , it would sound too stupid for words .

Like a skipper who mumbled , on stand by going through the harbour mouth at Durban , the deck apprentice had slipped on the wet deck earlier , he was manning the engine room telegraphs , " How's your head " , mumbled the slkipper and after the apprentice put the telegraph to Half Ahead he repeated what he thought was the command . Whoops did not half mess up the docking , bit of a bump into the quay , before the skipper realised the error of the apprentice's ways .

I mean !! who would believe it ,

[EIFION]

Well it sure as hell helped to be mad to even sail on a duck pond on some of the ships I was on

[Don Rafferty]

The whole worlds mad, 'cept for me 'n thee, 'n I ent too sure 'bout thee!

What about the urine sample - that's surely taking the p*ss!

[John Arton]

Hello all
Radio Operators seemed to have the most madness of any group on a ship, any number of them could be found talking to lifeboats etc.
Before I went to sea professionally my departed dad's company (Blue Star) offerred me a taster trip around the U.K. and near continent on the Queensland and California Star which I accepted.
The California Star was the eye opener, a mad mate who tried to seduce me, a 2nd mate whose only interest was reading the section on veneral disease in the ships captains medical guide, but best of all was the old sparky.
He was one of the few who actually had his own bathroom, he living in ex. passenger accommodation, and across the alleyway from his cabin was a very grand bathroom. But he never used it, every night he would fill buckets of hot water in the bathroom and carry them across to his cabin where he would fill a zinc bath tub with water for his daily bathe. When I asked why he did that his reply was that it was a passenger bathroom he could not use it...I dont think the ship had carried passengers for a number of years but in his eyes it was still a bathroom for passenger use only.
The same sparky also had a bicycle with which every day whilst in port, he would carry down the gangway and cycle off, returning some time later with the daily papers. He would then take the bicycle to his cabin, strip it down completley and clean every single part, then hang them on pegboard he had put up in his cabin. The next day he would assemble his bike and go through the same routine.
One day we were in London Docks and watched him cycle off, when he got passed the stern ropes he just turned and cycled straight into the dock. If my memory serves me correctly I do believe he drowned but I could be wrong.
Mind you sparkies did not hold the banner when it came to nut cases on that ship anyway, the senior apprentice/4th mate was well on his way to joining the club and as For the old man, well who joins a ship to do a N. European coastal voyage with a steamer trunk full of every single uniform under the sun from Blues to Tropicals including dinner suits and also a bloody parrot. This was a guy who apparently had never done a deep sea voyage since promotion to Master and was permament coastal reliever as his missus refused to let him go deep sea.
Wonderfull induction to sea life for a 14 year old.
rgds
Capt. John Arton (ret'd)

[Captain Kong]

Lovely story John.

Eeh I bet plumbers, Tilers , Tradesmen and factory workers never had advenhtures that we had.
What a wonderful diverse life it was. I am so glad I went to sea. It was a wonderful world.