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Thread: 1966 Seaman's Strike

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    Default 1966 Seaman's Strike

    Colin, I had a Neighbour who was Bosun aboard a ship berthed somewhere in South America, Who was jailed along with all the crew that walked of the ship with him during the 1966 seaman's strike, He was what you might call a mans man yet couldn't get any representation from anyone and was stuck in jail for 5 days, He was adamant he would not turn to until the strike was settled and was prepared to stay in this hell hole of a jail for as long as he was on a mutiny charge. Any seaman who ever went aboard any ship he was on and found him bosun where only to happy to sail with him. Stan Duvall R I P One of the best seaman that sailed out of Liverpool and very well respected Terry.
    {terry scouse}

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    Default 1966 Seaman's Strike

    That strike had a mixed response. It was an NUS strike and the likes of Numast had no say in it. The ships were laid up with the full complement of mates and engineers , I spent the full time in Port Talbot. The crowd when they went off, several came up to me and said they would not be coming back , as had said previously if they were called out they would be .True to their word they never did and shipping lost a lot of good men. Myself when I saw the outcome, decided I would go to pastures new, as saw the writing on the wall . I came back in 1971 after being foreign flag for a number of years and lasted 7 years before deciding to try offshore. This had its good points but also.its lay offs and was dependent on world prices of oil mainly, after another year F. F. And coming back into the offshore on paupers money , decided to try Australia which have never regretted.As far as I could see the seamans strike was a long term plan ,plot, or scheme to get rid of the British Merchant Navy, which succeeded. And without going into politics for the record it was a Harold Wilson government at the time. JS
    Last edited by Chris Allman; 26th April 2020 at 04:37 PM.

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    Default Re: 1966 Seaman's Strike

    I was on the RFA Wave Ruler in Leith docks, we had been taking part in the first Cod War in 1960, we had to go into dry dock as we had conducted a RAS with HMS Apollo, a wartime mine laying cruiser, the sea state on the day meant that the Apollo, could not reduce her speed to below 15 knots , our maximum was 14knots, the engineers opened up all our valves, and we managed to keep up with Apollo, and refuelled her successfully, we must have rattled a few rivets loose so were dispatched to Leith for three weeks in dry dock this was May 1960, and the first MN strikes were called.
    The Wave Ruler got orders to sail for Rosyth, in those days Leith were tidal, and could only exited an hour before and after high tide, the ratings unbeknown to everyone else were turned too at 0500, to clean our accommodation, and hand our bedding back, high tide was 0700 that morning when the orders were to turn too, we then all went ashore, (even the Ships cat wanted to come with us), we stayed on the quay, watching the officers and petty officers, running around the ship in confusion. High tide came and passed, police were called, but they were in sympathy with us, we all departed peacefully.
    Two weeks later we went back to the ship in Rosyth, she had been moved there by Maltese seamen, we all got our jobs back, but with DR for conduct, my book looks strange three discharges from the Wave Ruler, two VGs , one VG, one Dr, then my final one was two more VG,s
    The happy ending to this tale, I met my wife there, and have lived in Leith ever since
    Last edited by Bill Cameron; 26th April 2020 at 07:15 PM.

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    Default Re: 1966 Seaman's Strike

    You must have been one of the few who benefitted from the seamans strike Bill. My memories of Rosyth is on our way in and passing where some of the rigs were laid up, one of them reported a loose mine floating near its legs. We went to have a look and the RN diving officer insisted we pick it up, as was only a practice one according to him. I was midships and pulling this mine up with a schatt davit banging against the ships side, whilst he stood as far away as he could get on the forecastle head shouting instuctions. Didn’t do too much for the trust, This mine disappeared and no one saw it go overnight in Rosyth. Cheers JS.
    Last edited by j.sabourn; 26th April 2020 at 10:43 PM.

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    Default Re: 1966 Seaman's Strike

    Not long ashore I went to Jersey to work for the season.

    We had only been going for a few weeks when the strike hit, all ferries closed down.
    No holiday makers from UK coming so most of the system shut down.

    We went back to UK and got work for the rest of the season on the south coast.
    Happy daze John in Oz.

    Life is too short to blend in.

    John Strange R737787
    World Traveller

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    Default Re: 1966 Seaman's Strike

    Silverleaf Houston Texas 1966
    We were at anchor and not allowed to go alongside to load grain for Calcutta India.
    But by magic Ships Agent asked the Old Man if we would like to earn a few dollars. 3 days and £100 dollars each Deck Cadet Apprentice. Bloody hot 108° F When got alongside after the longshoreman strike finished. Off to the local town swimming pool good full locals wanted take you home and feed you. and purchased a couple of jeans and shirts still $80 left over. Full of regrets leaving bunker Gib then through the Suez Great Bitter Lake anchor to let the next convoy through. Bunker Aden then off the Calcutta. That year was a year voyage South Africa upto The Great Lakes and pay off in Montreal fantastic flight home 10 years later when I was in the Hampshire Police bumped into one of the Air Hotesses BOAC who remembered our flight and thought it was excellent as we were musical great ships Engineer and Deck Officers. Stay in touch with the Hostess and Family with my late wife and family. Paul Rowe Silver Line Ltd

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    Default Re: 1966 Seaman's Strike

    Everyone here says 1966 strike but I remember it was 1967 perhaps I have a brain fade.
    At the time we were on 56 hours a week ,the strike got us a 44 hour week so overtime became a reality.
    a big win . I was on the Port Quebec 1967.

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    Default Re: 1966 Seaman's Strike

    So here's a snapshot of my experience of the strike which was definitely 1966

    ...The Royal Liver Building is a great landmark, and its impression on me then is as clear after forty years as it was on that day. A large Gothic structure, dwarfing its similarly imposing neighbours with two monstrous green copper Liver Birds spreading their wings above domed turrets: one stares to sea, the other guards the city. Once inside, an ornate elevator conveyed me to an oak-panelled antechamber containing scale models of ships of the fleet, each housed in a glass case with the vessel's name and building date on a brass plaque below the case.
    The Marine Superintendent was Thomas Clatworthy, an engaging bespectacled Lancastrian engineer, and it was to Mr Clatworthy that I presented myself that morning in search of my Amazon adventure. Sadly, there were no vacancies for ships on the Amazon trade at that time, but he was pleased to have me join the company and after a few formalities I was soon dispatched to one of the company's ship, MV Ronsard which like many others at the time was standing idle at Liverpool docks.
    The British Seamen’s strike had started several weeks earlier. This was the first national strike by seamen for over fifty years and as a consequence shipping was being disrupted throughout the United Kingdom. No ships were leaving port and those that arrived tied up alongside and became idle as their crew walked off. Ronsard was one of these vessels impacted by the action. She had been tied up in Bootle docks for over two weeks when I joined a small crew of engineers and deck officers whose task it was to keep the generators running and the lights on.
    So here I was in Liverpool. Where else in the world would a 20 year old from a small town in North Queensland want to be than the home of the Beatles and the Mersey beat in the summer of 1966. Each night would find us in one of the many bars, clubs and pubs that surrounded the area. The Bootle Arms was a clear favourite (it was after all no more than 100 yards from the dock gate), but we visited numerous other places in the area where we drank warm beer and cold lagers and sang Reach Out I’ll Be There with the Four Tops and Sunny Afternoon with the Kinks. Once or twice we went to The Cavern Club, a couple of minutes' walk from Lime Street, but it was always crowded to the point of overflowing and there were always more accessible venues within reach of us.
    Although it was against company regulations, there were frequent occasions when locals joined us for social gatherings on board and we could often be found after chucking out time, struggling back on board bearing cartons of beer on our shoulders, ascending the steep gangway and making our way to someone's cabin (thankfully usually one larger than my tiny quarters) where the merrymaking would continue.
    All things come to an end, and eventually the strike was over, and the seaman went back to work. I knew that it was a good thing that the strike was over, but I was enjoying life and getting paid for doing very little - and I was only 20 years old!
    I was sent from Ronsard to Devis, an old ship, built in 1938 that had seen out the war as a troop ship and supply vessel, Empire Haig. She was bound for Buenos Aires and ports along the Brazilian coast and I joined her as junior engineer...

    Let me know if you want more!
    Mike

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    Default Re: 1966 Seaman's Strike

    As you say, very few actually benefitted from that strike. Nothing different there, looking at the car industry and the coal mines... Having had our ship nearly wrecked in the Yangtze (this is true...) by the pilot anchoring us over a sunken barge that was not on the chart and which punctured the bottom, I found myself in Japan in May 66 for 10 weeks repairs. So we avoided the strike as we then went to Canada for timber. From what I recall the strike was a fiasco for the majority of seamen. As mentioned NUMAST union members were not affected, but two groups who were, but with different outcomes were deck and catering crews. With the new 40-hour week agreement, those who had to work more than 40 hours, e.g. catering, got paid overtime. On the other hand, deck crews, who had been working on Saturday mornings and so worked more than 40 hours, were told that they were no longer required to work on Saturdays, so rarely benefitted from the overtime. Instead thay did nothing all week-end. At the end of the day, the only people who benefitted were the catering crew, and I believe it was this group that made up the bulk of those who voted in favour of the agreement. Disclaimer: I may not be completely factual in my recollections as they were more than 50 years ago, and no doubt others will know better.

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    Default Re: 1966 Seaman's Strike

    I remember having to smuggle the chippy on board before the strike officially finished just hours beforehand as he was destitute. He got a bed for the night and did the next trip to Narvik. But his job soon went when they brought in the AB/handyman rating. Even the heavy rope tails on the springs were taken off so one man could handle a backspring instead of the usual 3 required with the. Heavy rope on.. the next stage of demanning was soon on the way. Anyhow I didn’t hang around too long , was looking for 3 jobs, one on the cableships, onei in St Johns Newfoundland , and the lucky winner Saguenay of Montreal, not the first choice but the first to come up cheers JS.
    Last edited by j.sabourn; 29th April 2020 at 12:59 PM.

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