Discharge Books.

[vic mcclymont]

Looking through my old discharge books I notice that at least on two occasions I signed on in London. The only time I was on a ship in London was on a Bowater as relief.
I never ever signed on in London, so how accurate were discharge books.
Vic

[Doc Vernon]

Vic
Are you sure that your old Grey Matter is not failing you LOL

I wonder if that is like quite a few other things just Human error. I myself cannot see why that should have happened,as surely the Books were filled in and Stamped at the appropriate Port!?
Cheers

[Des Taff Jenkins]

HI Vic.
It was always stamped in the shipping office of the port were you joined, the only time ashore that the book should have left your possession. Curiouser and curious-er Sherlock.

[j.sabourn]

Vic what sort of year are you talking about. Sometime in the early 60s you didn’t need a shipping office to sign on at. Signining on and off was done without a Shipping master present..They were being signed off and on in 1964 on board the ship by the master, all the. Pool required was the federation forms signed saying that those they sent to the ship were acceptable. The port of engagement would be written in by the master or whoever he deputised. Now if that had been someone who was suffering some disease like forgetfulness as to where he was could be a reason.JS.

[vic mcclymont]

John, early 70's
Vic

[j.sabourn]

Shipping masters were a dead breed by then. They were there when we first went to sea because of the amounts of money floating around as far as I could see. Shipping Master was a title I could never understand , just a much vaunted title ? .when wages were paid direct to the bank what were they going to be in attendance for.? You put in for a pay off sub. Got your travel warrant from the ship, and away you went to the nearest pub. Being careful not to get too inebriated in case the mate talked you in to re-signing on and you came to back at sea instead of home in your own bed. The last time I saw a shipping master at a pay off was when I was 2 Mate and was in Liverpool , I had done all The Pay slips for the voyage , but the NHI had changed during the trip and the master forgot to tell me, the shipping office crowd didn’t even check and the pay off went ahead on my figures. The crew were under payed on their stamps and I had to contact them all to do the right thing and pay the correct amount, they all did as well. Don’t think the shipping office ever knew to this day. JS

[Keith Tindell]

In July 1959 i was sent with a deck boy to Dover, overnight stay in a boarding house, picked up by the agent in the morning, down to the harbour to join the St Merriel, she had just come in from Hambourg, went to the skippers quarters and signed on, and as i walked down to unpack my gear she let go and sailed out again, the quickest ever, i was still in my go ashores. nearest i got to being Shangaied, kt

[Ivan Cloherty]

If no shipping office available, or you did a pier head jump to board then you would have signed-on, on an ENG 2 Form and the Master would have lodged the Form at the nest available shipping office. Signing-off was different if no shipping master available then you would have signed off on an ENG2 form and in place of the shipping master's signature the notation ENG2 would have been entered by the Master.

What qualifications a shipping office 'Shipping Master' had to have I never did find out, because they were just basically clerks with years of experience.

[j.sabourn]

I knew only one who went on to work in the BSF who was an ex apprentice,. As Regards sea experience he never got past 2 Nd mates certificate if he got that. In the hopes of him or similar were on this site I put a post up yonks ago to see what pay off they got on the closures of the BSF. No voluntary replies , I know I got 1100 pounds plus a few coppers for over 30 years, other seafarers as far as I coiuld find out received similar. Maybe it was a secret and came under for their eyes only. JS.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

All those were after my time. Although I did sign on and off on board ship, but I think the shipping master was there at the time. But a question. Where did pool officers come from? All the ones I dealt with in Swansea had uniforms with rings on the sleeve, even the office boy had a single ring.
Des