Padded Cells

[Trevor Bodiam]

Just yesterday an image of the Blanford Shipping company's 'Bedford' flashed in my head. She had a very nice padded cell done in bright pink vinyl.
She was the 4th tanker i'd been on, the other 3 being B.P., but i don't recall any of them having a padded cell.
As the Bedford was too big for the Suez, maybe this was thought to be a requirement for runs from the gulf to Europe continuously, but not sure.
I know the liners must have had them but cannot remember any other of my ships that had one.
So how common were they?

[j.sabourn]

It was common on British cargo vessels , at least I found there were usually in the mates cabin 2 pair of handcuffs and a strait jacket. Firearms were usually two hand guns on a lot of foreign vessels. The only British vessel I saw an official firearm was in John I Jacobs where they latterly they put on board a pump action shot gun. This was. After one attempted murder and one successful one and a case of wounding by gunshot and bodily harm. A vote was taken by all the senior officers in the fleet. I voted against carrying , but don’t know the actual ayes and nays . Anyhow they folded up not too long afterwards. Firearms on ships were a menace as had to. Be declared at. Every port and every round accounted for and entries made weekly in
the official log book, at least that was the way I saw it done. I don’t know if the handcuffs and strait jacket were BOT Regs or not, anyone know ? Guns on ships were taboo and that includes the ones requiring the needle. Maybe Cappys potato gun may be allowable as long as he didnt point it at anyone’s face as they too could be dangerous . As to original query on padded cells have never seen. But imagine on passenger vessels with thousands of people on board they must have had means of containing the nutters. The same as having a place for dead bodies as natural death on such is not uncommon. So would have a morgue. With ample labels to tie on the toe I hope. JWS

[robpage]

On the cross channel ferries in the Western part of the channel we had a cabin that just had a mattress on the bunk and had no loose furniture . We regularly had the occasional nutter normally fuelled by buying a cheap bottle of booze from the shop and instead of purchasing alcohol from the bar necking the bottle of the vodka and becoming absolutely paralytic and then kicking off

The classic one did I remember with humour was a drunken passenger who dropped his trousers and defecated in the urinal and then started to do some modern artwork on the gents toilet wall the ship was the Earl Godwin I thought the best approach with a couple of plastic bags bag in tagging and stick him somewhere safe but we had a young enthusiastic captain who said that he would exert his authority so he walked into the toilet and said now come on I'm the captain of this ship do it the response was he dipped his fingers in the faeces sitting in the urinal picked it up and striped both of our excitable young captain's arms and said you are a Sgt now which case the plastic bags tags and somewhere where you couldn't do so much harm

[j.sabourn]

Rob the classic one for a padded cell would of been on a ship I have mentioned before not I might say under the British flag. After 10 months of like living with the keystone cops and numerous crew changes among the officers few that they were... we were lying in Bangkok the year about 1971. The old man had toddled off ashore away from all the problems. This was about 1800 hrs. Noises of fighting in the accomodation alleyway. Going outside my room found the chief and the second tearing away at each other Indian style as both from that fair country. The chief had the seconds wig in his hand and the second was frothing at the mouth. Called the old Chinese Bosun out to give a hand and got them parted and lying on the deck. It was the time of disputes of the Indian/ Chinese border and no love lost, so had to watch the Bosun who tended to give both of them a sly kick when I wasn’t looking. The chief was shrieking I want this man off the ship. Managed to get the second locked in his cabin and could hear him tearing the place to bits. Sent a messenger ashore to get the old man, he sent a note to me from the shore saying get that man off the ship before I get back, returned the note with the same messenger, with the added observation you get back here and get him off yourself. It was the Keystone cops alright. People would just not believe what went on in that ship. Not too long afterwards I left under my own steam in Japan. A padded cell would have been very useful on that Occassion. Cheers JS. PS I threw the seconds wig in the cabin after him, probably used it to wipe the froth from his mouth before replacing it. JS

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Trevor.
All the ships I was on had a whole row of padded cells on them, it was called the crews quarters. No seriously, there were always a hospital cabin on the tankers and a spare room that could be used for the same on most ships.
cheers Des

[happy daze john in oz]

Do not recall seeing anything like that on the liners, though I have heard that at time the MaA had his hands full with some bloods.
On most cruise ships now I have been informed there area number of straight jackets anda couple of 'special' cabins into which such person would be put.

Only other spot on board for them would be the morgue.

[robpage]

There was certainly a brig of some sort on the Pendennis Castle , a first trip bellboy had been stealing from cabins including some of the ABs cabins , I vaguely reckon he was locked away somewhere securely for his own good health

[cappy]

##secured with cuff chains to his bunk with person on watch till port reached...ie british defender after cleaver attack ......cappy

[John Arton]

We had a padded cell on the Empress of Canada and I saw it used for a passenger on trip. He was a harmless guy who had been released from a low security mental institution and his family thought a sea voyage would do him good so they booked him a round trip voyage to Canada on the Empress. He was the last passenger up the gangway and his luggage consisted of a small grip. At boat drill after leaving the landing stage he proudly informed me he was a stowaway, quick check proved he was a genuine passenger. That night on the 12_4 watch we found the bridge being invaded by cats and dogs. Turned out he had let all the passengers pets they were taking with them to Canada when they were emigrating, out of the kennels. Spent the whole watch with the deck crew chasing them round the ship to recapture them.
Next night, just got on watch at midnight when the m.a. turned up saying he needed help as their was a passenger chasing another threatening to kill him with a knife. Turned out the guy being chased was our pet releaser and the guy chasing him had twice found him in his cabin, once staring at his wife who had just come out of the en suite shower. Had to close a corridor partition door on them to separate them, the deck crew took pet man to his cabin and locked him in whilst I took mr. Angry to the passenger lounge and filled full of scotch to calm him down.
In the morning pet man was taken to see the doctor where he immediately attempted to attack the nurse.
He was thrown in the padded cell where he remained for the crossing, quietly reading books from the library and refusing to come out for any exercise when we did night rounds at 02:00.
On arrival at Quebec two guys came on, slapped him a straight jacket and carried him off. They were going to escort him all the way back to England by air.
Rgds
J.A.

[Tony Taylor]

Never saw a padded cell but did see the hospital used for isolation.
One case, the crew messman walked into the old mans cabin and demanded that he get in touch with the company so that they could put a stop to the Arab - Israeli war.
The old old man asks the Chief Steward to come up and they tried to coax him into drinking a cup of tea which had been doctored with something. However he would not play ball and thumped the old man, ran out onto boat deck and threatened to jump.
So the scene progressed with the old man and C/S trying to get him back inboard, whilst the second mate leaning over bridge wing saying let the f ----er jump.
Eventually brought into hospital with the door on a locked hook and AB with a length of mahogany grab rail on guard outside.
Next night after 12-4 am up second mates cabin for a livener about 05.00 when this yelling out started DA DADA DA DAR - Beethovens fifth or whatever, at the top of his voice.
Second mate jumps up, am effin sick of this had all night last night, he goes up one deck and I hear him remonstrating with this guy, then comes back down; Just as he lifts his g n t it starts again, and almost as quickly there is a loud bang and a scream, followed by a beautiful Irish accent (the AB) "YA HORD WHAT THE SECOND MATE SAID , NOW SHUT THE F UP".
Total silence followed, apparently he received a smart crack across the fingers.
Taken off in a straight jacket by two men in white in Curacao.