Beer Issues

[philipmthompson]

Does anyone remember the beer issues,i worked for BP for a couple of years and i used to get 6 cans on a wednesday and a Saturday,i used to save them up and have a party.Im sure it taught me how to have Benders and often fall from grace whilst under the influence.It takes a long time to grow upPHIL

[Doc Vernon]

Hi Phil
Yes recall those Beer Issues,and also the extras we used to nick,whilst doing the Beer Carries(catering Dept with UCL) from the Stores to the various bars etc!
On the way we used to take one out of a bottom case (carried two cases at a tme) that gave us en extra two Beers on each days carring haha!
Some we drank almost immediately,and some we hid on Deck till later on!
What a good laugh that was!
But it was well deserved after all the Beer and Linen carries each day!
Good one mate! Yes does take some time to grow up haha!

[Keith at Tregenna]

We had similar C. 75 ashore, a beer fridge was the norm, topped up twice a week and no one took the preverbial. Nearly. Elf and Safety began and wrecked all. THAT'S LIFE. K.

[Trader]

One Blue Flue ship that I was on the issue was 2 bottles per day. We used to get them at midday and the second steward who dished it out used to take the tops off so that you couldn't save them up.

Alec.

[happy daze john in oz]

Castle liners had a pig, but it all depended on the barman as to what you could get as a take away. draught beer to drink in the pig was no problem and there were cans if you wanted them. But unless you were well in with the barman all you could get was two, but for the right people a slab could be obtained to take out just before closing. NZSC two cans per day issued by second steward usualy around 1700 hours. BP was same I think.

[Lewis McColl]

Went foriegn flag Danish outfit in the 80's EAC. Only beer we could have was Carlsberg we were allowed 4 cases a month, now that was a fair whack. Thing was it was about £6.00 ?? a case a lot in those days. All the stores came from Denmark in a container and we used to pick it up in Liverpool. The officer complement onboard was top 4 Danes and the rest Brits. We had a Scouser who was Cook /Steward.
He arranged for a local chandler to do a beer run for us Brits and the price we were paying was £2.50 a case??
The Danish old man was a lazy bugger and never checked stores or stock. He did however wonder why suddenly all the brits seemed to go tea total as we were not buying beer from the Bond.
I got on really well with the Danish C/Eng and he knew the score and soon joined in on the Brit beer club!!!.
Eventually the oldman found out what was going on. He had us all up to his cabin for a chat. He was not concerned about the Brit beer club but how he was going to get rid of his expensive beer. We agreed on buy from the bond until the stock was depleted and then when more beer was due to be ordered from Denmark the order was greatly reduced. On a ship visit a super commented on how impressed he and the office were that the FP Clipper was being set up as an example throughout the fleet on how we had reduced the beer consumption.
Happy days one thing I will say, most of us were steady drinkers but the Danes come Friday through Sunday night used to get wasted.
Lew

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Phil.
I was on quite a few BP tankers in the 50s and for the life of me can't remember getting any beer issues, might have come in at a later date.
Ships, Scout, Fern ,Navigator, Piper, Captain, Guardian,Builder.
Cheers Des


redc.gif

[Frank Appleford]

I seem to remember 6 cans of beer issues daily on most cargo ships I was on, the ones that that didn't have a crew bar. I found 6 plenty and also managed to save a few for special occasions. Made up for it occasionally on runs ashore sometimes lol.

[Captain Kong]

Apart from the Liners, Cunard and CPR who had pigs, very few ships I sailed on had a beer issue,
Some would give two cans on a Saturday and that was it. Shell tankers we got a tot of rum, EDs we also got a tot of rum on the West Coast. but a lot of ships were Dry ships.
In ESSO we had bars on board then after the EXXON Valdes event all bars were taken off,. dry ships again, not even a tot for tank cleaning.

[Dennis McGuckin]

Never heard of a beer issue.I was mainly on cargo boats. No trouble getting as much beer as I wanted.
On one ship, I was even given a bottle of rum every Friday.
No idea why, and never asked!
Yes John, I used it for the Tab Nabs.

- - - Updated - - -

Sorry couldn't crop the other one off.
That was on the CPR boat Beaverdell.