Air Conditioning

[Captain Kong]

On a Blu Flu Sam boat in the Spice Islands we had the Punka Louvre blowers. when you turned them on a million Copra Bugs would be blown out all over the bunk.
Nice little critters gave the occasional bite but quite funny when drunk. put some beer on the desk they would drink it, get bevied and they would do the Dance of the Copra Bugs, spinning around standing on their back two legs.
In the Bataan Bar in Tanjong all hands would do the Dance of the Copra Bugs with the Mik Maks after several Javanese Brandies.
No Place like it on the Planet.
Cheers
Brian

[Richard Quartermaine]

Punkah Louvres were what we called the blowers and Scoops for the portholes. Shaw Saville's Raranga took more than two months from Sydney to London in 1947 with the line trailing astern registering around eight knots so the only thing that came through the scoop was coal smoke and grit regardless of the tall stack. Compared with the SS&A's New Australia (ex Monarch of Bermuda) in 1951 Southampton/Sydney/Southampton two months a week and a day.

But then in 1948 in a tiny eight berth cabin in the foc'sle glory hole of Aberdeen and Commonwealth Line's Moreton Bay heading down the Red Sea to Aden plowing into a heavy oncoming sea thus with the porthole lugs screwed up tight, would have made the rowers job on the quinquerime of Ninevah on route to 'distant Ophir' seem like a trip on the Manly Ferry by comparison. The Moreton Bay's foul smelling sauna of a glory hole bunk was no place for a nap. As the bow was lifted and the swell reached midships momentarily your body wanted to continue upwards and sort of hung there with the sweat soaked sheet leaving the mattress as it stuck to your back. Then, as the bow plunged into the next trough the body collided with the mattress as the ship struck it's next assailant and repeated the whole exercise again and again an.............

At six am after a night of that joining the boys lugging boxes of booze up about five or six decks from stores to the top bar and then grabbing a bucket of water plus cabolocene with scrubbing brush and soogie cloth applying myself on hands and knees to what seemed like an acre of linoleum by the saloon entrance. That finished, on with my (sort of) white jacket served breakfast to a bunch of starry eyed immigrants - oh yes, and two middle aged blokes who were part of the backstage team of the Old Vic Theatre on it's tour of Australia. Laurence Olivia and Vivian Leigh's transport arrangements were no doubt on the DM or some other plush conveyance.

Wouldn't have missed it for worlds!
Richard

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And Brian - what about the whopping great cockroaches - if you happened to tread on two at once it was like being on roller skates.
Richard

[John Gill]

Between the 16th and 19th century during the infamous era of the Slave Trade, and during the notorious 'Round Trip' of Europe, Africa, USA and Caribbean, after discharging their human cargo and before loading goods for home, most vessels would implement their own version of 'aircon',. Ships were emptied of anything moveable and beached in the shallows of some Caribbean Island and allowed several tides to cleanse the accumulated stench of their nefarious trade. This procedure, as most will be aware, was 'careening'. A number of English cities, including Liverpool and Bristol dealt and prospered in this dreadful trade. We've all complained about Board of Trade rations on some ships we've sailed, but we usually survived the 'Round Trip.' Gilly

[Ivan Cloherty]

Just been reading an interesting book about the voyages of Vasco de Gama, the Portugese were the first Europeans to become slave traders and the first to navigate to the Cape of Good Hope keeping their charts secret for almost 100 years.

[Captain Kong]

Hi Ivan ,
How was Cuba?? like the old days or changed??
Cheers
Brian.

[John Adamson]

I always thought how considerate it was of the makers of the Punka Louvre to design it so a can of Tenants beer fitted snuggly inside it, to produce a nice cold one when you came off watch. Bliss.....!

[Richard Quartermaine]

Punka or punkah is the hindustani word for fan and there are some great images of the punkawallas/punkah wallahs on Punkah - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia but the electric ones are my preference.
Richard

https://www.google.com.au/search?q=p...Q&ved=0CCMQsAQ

[Ivan Cloherty]

Hi Ivan ,
How was Cuba?? like the old days or changed??
Cheers
Brian.

Brian, the weather was fine 82/88F sunshine daily, nice breeze all the time, people were lovely, food was great for such a poor country, the dark eyed maidens made an old mans heart flutter, 50 years of sanctions have certainly taken their toll on the infrastructure. Our friends had booked a complex, miles from anywhere and although it was lovely if all you wanted to was relax it was not my ideal holiday as I need to be out and about in the country I am in. We were in a place called Playa Pesquera nice but isolated and about 500 miles from Havana, thought we'd go to Havana but internal flights are booked three months ahead so no chance of flying, alternative was a 16/17 hour bus journey each way spending one night in Havana at a cost of £640 per couple! so gave that a miss, as can get a 10 day holiday in Cuba including Havana for just over£800 each from here, all other trips were expensive £90 each to swim with the dolphins and a few hours on a boat. As said the complex was lovely and lacked for nothing and would be an ideal location for a family holiday with a choice of restaurants, pools, snack bars and wall to wall entertainment for youngsters and teens but alas no dancing for adults but did get in a few impromptu dances in the lobby when the band came serenading. Dennis had advised me that some daily items were unobtainable such as toothbrushes etc, so we took a load out and some baby clothes which were greatly appreciated (so thanks for that Dennis) would also recommend taking out fancy hair slides for the waitresses as they appreciate them more than tips, because they cannot buy locally and they all have to wear their hair in a bun (hotel regs). Apart from the old cars and trucks all modern motors are Chinese (Geeley) apart from a few Peugots, the French always seem to get in there. Cuba is a favourite place with the French-Canadians as it is less than four hours from Montreal, so there were more Fre-Cans than any other nationality, the complex held 1800 people with over 1000 staff to keep it spick and span, and it certainly was, never any trouble getting a sun lounger even though some had towels on them at 0600 hours. Did take some taxi rides in the old Yank tanks, you don't go anywhere fast but always go in a cloud of smoke! On the whole had a relaxing time, put on bloody weight and the Cubans have not lost their friendliness and the maidens are just as alluring as they were in the 50's (not the same ones I hasten to add)

[Lou Barron]

Talking about air conditioning i think the worse ship that ever sailed on would be the Duchess of Bedford for us boys our accommodation it was situated in the middle of the fo*c*sle head with no port holes a blower system that did not work
Knowing that these ships was built for the North Atlantic run before the war and was not really suited for tropics going through through the Red Sea we tried to sleep on deck but mostly it was taken by the troops or whoever we was on board
The troop sections was unbearable and when we evacuated the women and children from Singapore it was very distressing for them we tried to help them as much as possible it was very tough on them not only that they would never see their fathers again

[Captain Kong]

Hi Lou,
when I was on the Duchess of Bedford, aka Empress of France, it was just the opposite. In the Canadian winters we had two inches of ice on the outside bulkheads of the ABs cabins forward. Toilets and bathrooms frozen up.
I can understand her in the Red Sea heat, no ventilation, The GEORGIC was like that. In July 1955 on her way to Australia with emigrants, five young children died with the heat in the Red Sea and buried at sea there, a bad start to a new life for the families. The remaining children were kept all day in the Cool rooms with the veg. Ver hot ships in the tropics.
Next voyage we went around the Cape with emigrants to Oz, a bit cooler.

Cheers
Brian