Best & Worst

[Louis the fly]

In my opinion the worst deep sea shipping company sailing from the U.K. was Blue Star.
The accommodation was small, cramped and the most basic. Two men had to take turns getting up and dressed because of the lack of space.
The food also disgusting, no reflection on the cooks who did the best they could with the cheapest of everything they were given.
The ships were full of B.S., trivial petty rules and regulations taken to the extreme. There must have been more D.R.s in Blue Star than any other company.
The only good thing I can say about this company is their funnel marking was a work of art, very similar to the flag of North Korea, an appropriate coincidence.

Two of the best. Ellermans and Bookers.

[Jim Brady]

My son served his time in Bookers Louis and I must admit it was a good little company,I always enjoyed going aboard on docking day and I found the captains and mates to be a great bunch of guys.My brother was down below in Blue Star and the overtime was fantastic obviously leading to great pay off's.,no good for stewards though.
Regards.
Jim.B.

[Captain Kong]

I agree Louis, Adelaide Star, when designed in Germany, 1950, the sailors and firemens accomodation in the poop was along the tween deck, then Blue Star decided that if they cut the accommodation in half they could get more cargo in so all the cabins were squeezedup together. We had to take it in turns to go into the cabin.,

Dunedin Star, not too bad for the day, BUT it was built as the BOLTON CASTLE and then bought off the stocks by B.S. so not designed by BS.
We all had midships accommodation with windows and not ports.
The old New Zealand Star of 1935 again had lousy small accommodation on the tween deck aft.
loads of overtime and shore pay on the Ozzy coast, but hard graft. and big hard case Bosuns.
All the Captains and Mates thought they were in the RN the way they spoke down to us.
Cheers
Brian

[john sutton]

anyone sail with Dene line.Did a trip on the Halindene.Great little company with just 3 ships

[John Albert Evans]

As for good ships, I have to agree with Jim I was on the Sarah and the Phillys Bowater, they were the best I was ever on. The one I disliked most was the 'Rippon', Bolton Steamship Navigation Company, only because the galley was inboard and up the west african coast it was a real sweatbox to work in. I did go aboard one Blue Star boat once and as a visitor she was berthed in Curacao and the crew were all drinking tins of coke. Part of the cargo was whisky so you can guess what was in the coke tins, honestly I have no idea how the whisky got into the coke tins I have no recollection of leaving the ship and going back to my ship so I must have had a good time.

John

[John Albert Evans]

Apologies Jim I misread Bookers for Bowaters. I also did couple of trips on the Booker Venture. She was a really good ship as well.

John

[Jim Brady]

I'm not sure if my son was on the Venture John if he was it would've been between 76 and 82.
Regards.
jim.B.

[Lou Barron]

One of the last ships i sailed was a Sam Boat run by the Blue Star accommodation not to bad grub average but painting the funnel a bitch

[Charlie Hannah]

I was in a few Star boats always had good crowd,overtime was ok that
was it grub was just about eatable.Last one i was in the Imprial star was doing a horse out of a job,skipper used to use gloves on inspection
told the skipper the crowed appreate him wearing the gloves saves us being infected. He didn't like it one bit.One old b----- of a skipper.I backed out in Aukland best thing i ever did.Good companies Macandrews & Bookers,were good ones,Ropeners wasn't bad,also Tos & Jos Harrisons.

[happy daze john in oz]

I agree Louis, Adelaide Star, when designed in Germany, 1950, the sailors and firemens accomodation in the poop was along the tween deck, then Blue Star decided that if they cut the accommodation in half they could get more cargo in so all the cabins were squeezedup together. We had to take it in turns to go into the cabin.,

Dunedin Star, not too bad for the day, BUT it was built as the BOLTON CASTLE and then bought off the stocks by B.S. so not designed by BS.
We all had midships accommodation with windows and not ports.
The old New Zealand Star of 1935 again had lousy small accommodation on the tween deck aft.
loads of overtime and shore pay on the Ozzy coast, but hard graft. and big hard case Bosuns.
All the Captains and Mates thought they were in the RN the way they spoke down to us.
Cheers
Brian

Still in Bolton I see but as for the castle bit, ask your neighbor!!

Uraguay Star, spent most of the time with my back to the bulkheads, more queens on there than UCL.