Merchant Seamen

went to sea got 2 dinners aday went round the world got paid loved it all good mates bad mates
thats life regards cappy

Lets face it only seamen would accept some of the conditions, however dont think the modern day ones would think too highly of, certainly not our lady sailors which the media is prone to push forward. I put a line out of a not so long ago report I sent to someone.
"...................................had 2 toilets and both believe it or not were fresh water flushing. I locked up one toilet shut the water off the toilet and everyone had to throw a bucket over the side on a heaving line to flush............................................. .........."
There was of course a lot more to this report. Cheers John Sabourn

morning john just wondered if you at any time sailed from the west coast of canada down to oz with captain roberts we laid off pitcairn ile and out came a long boat rowed thro a massive surf with about 12men rowing inperfect time
they threw aboardbig silver fish we returned various goods ibelieve doing that run old roberts always stoppd there good fish on the menu for days 3or 4logs also went over which were towed away
happy days that was 56 57 regards cappy

Remember going by Pitcairn a couple of times. They used to light a bonfire as a beacon if knew you were going past at night. Think I was with Roberts one trip going past but that was from Liverpool via Panama to N.Z. That trip we had 3 dogs on board 2 sheepdogs being sent out for breeding purposes. They were in the kennels on the funnel deck to start with.I took one into cabin with me and the Cook took the other one and Roberts took this prize daschund I think it was. The cook wasnt feeding his dog on the strict menu they were supposed to have but feeding it mutton chops, dont know if the dog got a taste for sheep or not as never found out. Roberts was almost in tears when he had to hand his dog over and tried to buy it, but was a no goer. I cant remember stopping at Pitcairn, but I was on the 12/4 and may have stopped when I was turned in. It would have been an unofficial stop so would not have been logged I suppose. This would have been either the Hazel, Glen or Jed, cant remember which ship would have to go through paperwork. That trip we also loaded a coffin with an embalmed body of a lady who had died on holiday. Roberts told me to make sure everyone saw the body come on board and to stow in the spirit Locker in the Tween Decks. There was believe it or not no break ins into thebooze locker that trip. Cappy beleive you belong South Shields is the Mechanics still going. Cheers John Sabourn.

The happiest ships I would say without doubt were ships where there was plenty of overtime,never any complaints about the food etc.No overtime=no pay off plus idle hands with time to dwell on things.Seen many delegation over the food,first approach cook no satisfaction so to Chf Stwd same so upto the Captain.Some funny story's about the delegation to the Captain,one was the fish was realy high,upto the Captain he asked for a knife and fork he had a a pick at it and remarked "yum yum take it away before I eat the lot".Remember the minced scallops,when I was galley boy I remember mincing all the old meat through the meat mincer to make the scallops,these were normally served at breakfast,I would never eat them.I believe on one ship the delegation took them up to the captain he said "first class hotels serve these on the breakfastst menu (he had a beard)behind this beard is an honest man I do not tell lies"This AB from the highlands in a deep Scots accent "Aye and where I come from they keep goats behind things like that".refering to the Captains beard.
Regards.
Jim.B.

yes john the old mechs is still there but no seamen left in fact agood seaman wouudnt go in now its a bums joint with joint being a main feature
but was in about 58 with the crowd of a shell tanker due to sail about 21 hundred hours and all hands in the mechs incomes an apprentice ses the mate ses any one of the hemipleta get aboard now the shout from thecrowd was so loud he set off at run later comes in the mate and every one shouting it will be 10 when we come which we did left a good mate drunk at the entrance to brighams who said effit he wasnt going and he went home
saw him months later he said he only remembered the next day he is long gone now like you said wish some were still here
regards cappy

When you consider where some of us came from, i.e. the bigger inner cities such as Glasgow and Liverpool and the poverty that we were raised in, 3 square and a single berth was a luxury, all the hot water you wanted, oh aye, and soap too. Never had it so good.

Pitcairn-We stopped there on the 1st January 1956 onboard "Salinas" (PSNC) on our way to NZ, we were on charter to Sure Swivel & album, we had orders not to arrive there before the "Gothic" which wanted the honour of being the first ship there in 1956; but our Captain Litherland was having none of that and increased speed to be there first, we beat "Gothic" by about 8 hours. We sailed as we saw her masts appearing on the horizon. We heard later that the Pitcairn longboats flew the PSNC flag as "Gothic" approached and we got a write up in the NZ Press, still have the cutting somewhere. Of course we all bought the carved wooden flying fish, the effect of which were spoiled by having the carvers name stamped into the woodwork, perhaps some kind engineer had given them a set of stamping tools whilst visiting, my dad had one with the carvers name carved into it, it looked much better.

Accommodation on a drifter in the late forties one cabin shared by 11 men,only place to put any gear was your bunk,heating was a big coal bogey,lighting was carbine gas,herring for breakfast the other choice was bread and jam after you had cut the green mildew from the bread,the cook made one good meal every day if you wanted any thing in the evening it was back to the bread with cheese or jam.
No toilets so it was bucket,sometimes we were away from home for 3 months working from Aberdeen,Shields,Hartlepool,
Grimsby etc,etc. should imagine we must have had a pong about us when we did go ashore.
Signed on a steam coaster as OS lived forrard very basic 3 bunks but a lot better than a drifter at least we could have a good kip,luxury lndeed.
Last 2 years at sea as Bosun my cabin was nearly as big as what 11 men shared.
Must say I was eleven years sea going fishing or deep water enjoyed every minute of it.
The cook fried the fish for breakfast,also the one good meal a day then he was free from the galley,then he was involved with shooting and hauling the nets,hauling the nets he would be down the rope room coiling ropes sometimes 12 hrs plus,I did the cooks job as a greenhorn for 3 months was glad when the voyage ended,next voyage I was on deck.
I reckon some of my dumplings (Suffolk Swimmers) which were dumped over the side are still floating some where
in the oceans of the world.

I must be one of the lucky ones because every ship I sailed on had single berth accomadation, outof them,the worst was as galley boy on the San Fernando an 18000 ton tanker it was on the lowest deck and so far aft the screw was right next door, but it was Happy Days.:smileyship:

John