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26th February 2019, 08:02 AM
#11
Re: Padded Cells
####on a tramp in 57 a big carry on started after the small jolly boat turned over in sydney harbour due to drunkennes as we returned to our vessel at anchor ...no one was lost but fighting started and it was truly a wild west carry on...one person lifted about six dinner plates and crashed them on an ABs head....we got back to sea and the ab couldnt talk but just walked round the vesel day and night in his vest ......would not get dressed and only smiled when spoken to he would just come in your cabin and stand ...the old man put a24 hour watch on him ..we put him ashore in africa ...he was from shields and i heard a couple of years later he was back in shields and of to sea again ......some sort of concussion caused by a bleed on the brain ...never a dull moment fair weather or foul....happy days ...ps after the jolly boat turned over as a 17 year old my thoughts were not about saving life but swimming with one hand holding my ballocks with a great fear that a nobby clark was looking to seperate us from each other ...world records were broken i can assure all .....NO GREATER LOVE HAS ANY MAN THAN THE FEAR OF LOSING HIS NUTS ...LOL CAPPY
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26th February 2019, 08:35 AM
#12
Re: Padded Cells
Hope you paid for any damage to the jolly boat Cappy. Maybe the one walking around in his vest was working the head so to speak. Was there not another kapuffle when he came to sign for his overtime and there was nothing to sign for ? I heard from our mutual friend in Japan you always had a tendency to keep your hand hanging around your nether regions. We had a donkeyman who had to pay for a ferry to get back to the ship in Kobe as was on the buoy and he missed the last free one, and Roberts had to fork out to pay for the ferry. After a blistering attack about how he should have swum back, the next night the same donkeyman made a big show of standing on the ferry landing and taking a swan dive into the harbour saying he had to swim back. The next day they were dragging the harbour for him . He finally came back to the ship under his own steam , with quite a load onstill, had swum to the first ship a Norwegian and been entertained to many drinks of a wide variety. Don’t think Roberts was very impressed and was in two minds to throw him back in the harbour, although underneath he must have been a very relieved man. Cheers JS
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26th February 2019, 08:59 AM
#13
Re: Padded Cells
## john old roberts was a proper old time master i could visualise him on the poop of some old windbag going round cape horn in a blizzard and huricane.....i was a cocky young buck but soon scarpered when he was about ....learned respect in the shipping office when he called an AB a drunken troublemaker....in a voice as loud as a foghorn ....he said to the AB you have sailed with me before the AB said no ...old roberts bawled him out as a drunk and a liar and threw his book at him told him to bugger off .....shades of captain bligh i thought but he wasnt that bad .....old time masters in the 50s had seen it all .....what a learning curve for life 9 months with old roberts cappy
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26th February 2019, 11:19 AM
#14
Re: Padded Cells
Regarding guns on board ships I have only seen it a couple of times. The first was when I was mate on a terrible OBO in C.P. that had been brought in from C.P,s Atalanta Monrovia registered fleet into the main fleet. We spent over a month in dry dock in Japan changing it to Hong Kong registration and doing massive amounts of repairs, too numerous to list here. On board at handover we discovered a powerful 0.22 air rifle which I wanted to throw overboard but the captain, who was RNR and claimed to well versed in handling firearms, refused to allow it saying we could use it for target practice in a controlled situation.
Hah! Controlled my ass, first time he used it he managed to shoot the 3rd engineer, who was enjoying a coffee on the poop, in the butt. Later on the same ship with the same captain, trying to get her ready to load grain in New Orleans, the shore gang of cleaners used a shotgun to blast loose rust down from inaccessible parts of the hatches. The captain thought this method of hatch cleaning was brilliant and suggested to head office they should put a shotgun on all our bulkers to be used for blasting loose rust scale down from difficult to reach areas. Fortunately head office had more sense and turned it down flatly, telling him not to be so daft for even suggesting it.
The next time I saw a gun onboard was in Stolt tankers where the semi alcoholic, paranoid Norwegian captain rejoined with two pistols. He gave one to the chief engineer, telling him would it for protection as he reckoned the Filipino crew were going to mutiny this trip and murder us all. Two days later he skipped ship taking all the ships cash with him. He was found holed up in the Skandi hotel in Rotterdam with two ladies of the night and a stash of whisky.
I never saw a set of handcuffs nor a straightjacket on any ship I sailed on so out of curiosity I downloaded the MCA medical scales for merchant vessels and in it there is a requirement to carry equipment for "restraining and carrying injured personnel. This refers to the Neil Robertson stretcher, which if you recall, once you were placed in it you were trussed up even more than a Christmas turkey. If you needed to cuff anyone those plastic zip ties could always be used once they become widely available in the 70's.
Rgds
J.A.
Last edited by John Arton; 26th February 2019 at 11:23 AM.
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27th February 2019, 12:34 AM
#15
Re: Padded Cells
Hi Cappy.
Could have saved yourself the trouble; like a starving crew sharks go for the whole dinner AND the sweet.
Cheers Des
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27th February 2019, 03:17 AM
#16
Re: Padded Cells
That sounds very unusual Victoria. Years ago was the normal thing to do. But today would cause a bit of hullabaloo as can keep a body with the modern refrigeration for autopsy reports on arrival. What flag ship are you referring to. As a recent ex Inspector of detectives from Scotland Yard was recently on here looking for information about a ship some of us may have been on regarding foul play. He said that he was part of a group who went solely to British Ships to inspect and report on any and if necessary make arrests of any criminal deaths. There may have been more excuses if they were crew deaths but 1st Class passengers sounds unusual. Do you know how they died ? It was also usual to stop the ship and have a proper burial service , a passenger vessel there would be a few priests or vicars On board to conduct such, if not the master would officiate. Surprised also all on board were not invited to the funeral. There again I never trust anyone as I get older so maybe all officialdom was correctly done. As you would also have on board doctors who could write out a death certificate. Regards JS
Last edited by j.sabourn; 27th February 2019 at 03:20 AM.
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27th February 2019, 05:18 AM
#17
Re: Padded Cells
Saw half a dozen or so on the Windsor, ship slowed to about five knots and at about 1700 hours from the gun port door, over they went.
Only the skipper or Chief officer, clergy if on board, couple of AB to tip the board and any relatives.
That was it, all done very quietly with few on board knowing what was occuring.
It is now, under international law, illegal to dispose of a body in such a manner and most ships now have a morgue on board.
But as to in harbor events brings to mind an incident in Cape Town harbor with boat drill for catering crew.
Fleming gear was all the go then, no messing around with oars, well not that kind, but one poor soul got his leg caught between the lever and the thwart.
Took a decent size chunk out of his leg we were later in formed.
But then climb the Jacobs ladder to get back aboard. fine until one guy lost his nerve half way up and it took about half an hour for some of the deck hands to get him aboard.
Happy daze John in Oz.
Life is too short to blend in.
John Strange R737787
World Traveller
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27th February 2019, 08:58 AM
#18
Re: Padded Cells
####on tramps i was on we had only one death at sea ....the body was put in the chiller room which was just outside the main freezer ...this was cold enough to put a coat of frost over the body ...but a sad atmosphere was aboard and a quiet more than usual from all hands......a brother was lost...my feelings were for his family many thousand miles away ...he was an old liverpool fireman ..old timer swaetrag and long johns .....none of them left now .........cappy
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27th February 2019, 09:07 AM
#19
Re: Padded Cells
Originally Posted by
Des Taff Jenkins
Hi Cappy.
Could have saved yourself the trouble; like a starving crew sharks go for the whole dinner AND the sweet.
Cheers Des
#####wasnt worried about it eating me des ......it was me nuts i was worried about .....cappy
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27th February 2019, 09:47 AM
#20
Re: Padded Cells
#19... Cappy on the Jedmoor in Liverpool loading general cargo for New Zealand, old Roberts called me to his cabin and said... 2 mate we will be loading a coffin this afternoon , I want it carried up the gangway not loaded with a Derrick and make sure it is well noted , put it in no. 3 tween decks where all the booze is stowed. It was done, and we had zero pilferage from that hold and the booze was intact arriving NZ. JS.....
Last edited by j.sabourn; 27th February 2019 at 10:11 AM.
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