Accommodation

[Louis the fly]

Two metal bunks , two tin lockers , maybe a small daybed and chair. This was the usual cabin on a cargo ship , taking turns to get up and dressed.
Tankers I sailed on were single berth , air conditioned cabins although the air conditioning was for safety reasons not comfort. With all doors and portholes closed lethal gas escapes could not enter. The worst accommodation of all were passenger liners , the crew were an unavoidable expense crammed into the smallest space possible , for AB's this could be 4 to a cabin which was luxury compared to the stewards with as many as 16 per cabin. The fact that they were so clean and well dressed while serving showed how professional they were.

There must have been vast warehouses stocked up with green tomatoes , brown lettuce , tons of baloney , beetroots , onions , carbolic soap , lime juice and green gage jam.

[Captain Kong]

Here is the cabin on a Sam boat, Four men squashed up in here and one man on a different watch than the other three, so lights and noise going on while trying to sleep. same on the Fort Boats. On the Empress of Scotland and France ABs had six to a cabin. On the old Queen Mary up to 20 stewards to a cabin. Never saw A/C until 1961
On the T2 Tankers we had four to a cabin, NO AIR CON.

Brian

[Richard Quartermaine]

On the Moreton Bay 1948 it was 8 stewards to a cabin with standing room only or in your bunk. Right up in the bow. One porthole with a scoop if the sea was calm. Between Suez and Aden head first into a mighty swell being either pushed into the mattress or nearly floating off it. Porthole closed and punkers spewing hot air.
I suppose it would have been luxurious compared to a hundred and more years previous when M's ancestors came here under sail and her great-great-grandma gave birth on board to her great granddad.
Richard

[cappy]

####worst accom ever ..the mission of the helping hand adelaide .......sleep with your gear on and any thing else under your shitty stin king matress ....plonkies throwing up all night and shiting themselves the stink was unbelievable fallling down all over and punching anything near ........only because i could get nothing from the sally ann unless i had 2 bob ...and was threatened by the police for seven days for a vagrant if kipping out ....only 2 nights then a scouse family took me in ...and lent me 10 bob to get up the murrey to barmera for work .......paid them back and spoke to the sonand daughter on the phone 37 years later the mam and dad had passed on .....a truly humane kind family .....named antrobus....the daughter married a aussie greek and i think they came back to the pool in later years.......was never down and out again.....cappy

[Dennis McGuckin]

My worst.
First tripper on the Warwick Castle.
Eight men to my cabin. One port hole.
Was on nights. Trying to get some sleep during the day.
It was either too hot, or too noisy as only two of us on nights.
Would be happy to do it all over again though.

[Keith Tindell]

I can remember usually first couple of nights at sea, new ship,4 or more to a cabin, having a piece of paper with the bunk plans on who you had to call for the next watch, creeping in the cabin, hoping you were calling the right bloke, otherwise a mouthful of abuse. After a few nights you knew who was who, . We could not have done without those 5 gallon cut down wind scoops for the portholes!kt

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Louis.
My mate and I were sent down to Southampton to join the Queen Mary, took one look at the accommodation plus the smell of scent and fled. Tankers may not have been the choice of many but overall the accommodation was good mainly single cabin on the later 1950s, Good big recreation room, food as if; but not too bad . I was on one tramp crossing to Canada accommodation in the forecastle; bunks lining the sides dripping with moisture stove in the centre the only thing missing was the Donkey's breakfast. Boy do I miss it all.
Cheers Des

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[Charlie Hannah]

Second trip to sea the Deido. forard accommodation ABs Two to a cabin J,o,s, and S,o,s, shred a cabin me as deck boy i shared a cabin with the spurling Pipe. I couldn't move about much spurling Pipe was a greedy b****** took up all the space.

[happy daze john in oz]

On UCL only 4 wingers to a cabin and whe Assitant Pantry only two of us. As officers steward only two to a cabin.
On the 'Paparoa' with NZSC I had what was original the Butchers cabin. Very nice with a sink, day bed, bunk and writing table.
BP tanker, single berth with day bed as well.
At the Vindi, 5 star accommodation which could be seen at night through a hole above my bunk.

[Jim Brady]

I still have a scar longways across the top of the muscle at the back of my leg from the time I was on the Millais.I was taking a shower when the ship rolled I leaned back against the bulkhead,did I jump !!.There was an unlagged steam pipe running through the shower cubicle.It was quite deep and turned very nasty,the chf/stwd wasn't amused because I wanted to see a doctor about it in BA,could'nt miss work had to go in my time off in the afternoon.The attitude seemed tobe it's your own fault for leaning back,I imagine today there would be a good claim going in if that happened.Our accommodation was right next to the engine room.
Regards.
Jim.B.