Ships Accommodation - your experiences

[j.sabourn]

Thinking back on ships accomodation I thinlk the best I was ever on was the Maratha Endeavour, what name she was built as wouldn’t know, but she was German built and wasa heavy lift ship which was originally used for carrying steam locomotives . However the heavy lift could not be used the 12 monhs I was there as the heavy lift Derrick could not be rigged as all the top hamper on ship had been cut away to enable to get under the bridges going up to Chicago. , and had to have to enable to rig the same . Lost no sleep over that as the gear including 6 fold purchases was massive. But the accomodation was good, even had a cocktail cabinet in my rooms . Cheers You may well,say. JS

[John Gill]

Did a trip on a Watts Watt boat, the Weybridge. All single berth accommodation for catering crowd, very spacious with beds that folded back into the bulkhead. Good feeders too. She was a happy ship all round.
Gilly

[j.sabourn]

Some of the most barren accomodation was on American offshore ships I was on. They called the cabins dayrooms why I have no idea. They were only a bare small cabin with a basic bunk bed , no wood or imitation wood, all tin lockers which rattled , the communal toilets were a row of stalls with half tin doors which also rattled. The accomodation doors were all wider than normal. The door widths had something to do with the gross or net tonnage and to be able to get a bale of cotton through . The tinniness of the accomodation I put down to being fire retardant so this would also fit into the post on Safety. Looking back on the best accomodation ship I was on , I thought she was ex something else but this may not be the case , she was built for Chowgules of Marmagoa who I worked for a few years with. JS

[Doc Vernon]

Although the UCL Line had very good accomodation for some of the Higher Class Crew LOL afraid i cannot say that for the Majority of normal Crew.
I am of course referring to the Catering side .
Best i had on the Winchester Castle was a Four Berth Cabin, Top Bunk it was quite comfortable and did the job,but it was at times very hot,as there was no actual Air Con, used the old Wind Catchers in the Portholes when needed and that was quite often through the Tropics. Enough Room at best but if the were all four at once it could get rather crampy
But it was a good Company and i really enjoyed my time with them.
Cheers

[Des Taff Jenkins]

The two best for me was the British Guardian on which I did four trips, but THE best was the tanker Baron Kilmarnock, single cabins all with
cots not bunks, sofa, wash basin, and stained wood wardrobes, she was built for the Swede's, don't know what happened there. Just as well the accommodation was good as we were out for twelve months. Worst was forecastle accommodation eight bunks,stove pipe fire in the the centre, Oh Happy days.
Des

[Doc Vernon]

Went aboard the British Aviator when my late Brother ( Engineer) was on her, and his Cabin was really posh! Single with all one needed. Made me so jealous LOL
cHEERS

[j.sabourn]

I sailed with an AB off the old Queen Mary and he said he couldn’t wait to get off , if remember correctly he said they were 12 to a cabin. Didn’t show that in the Hollywood movies . Think the size of a regulation bunk was 6 ft. 2 ins. By 3 ft. 6 ins. All the years I was in shipping I can never remember seeing any different counterpanes they were all the same which looked like they have in hospitals. Apart from North Star who I didn’t sail with who didn’t have any .you got a sleeping bag instead. Some of the offshore ships I sailed on didn’t even have proper mattresses , they were make believe ones a piece of foam rubber cut to size. There were no rules and regulations and if there were there was no authority to back them up, the owners of these ships would not even let a union anywhere near them. The health and safety executive was a Tiger with no teeth, think today however they are starting to get their baby teeth starting to come through. Has taken long enough to happen, when any group or union of people lose credibility, it takes a long time to recover and issuing safety manuals to ships , and having safety meetings was only a quick fix for the punters to see. JS.

[happy daze john in oz]

Bell boy and winger on UCL four to a cabin but not bad.
As officers steward only two to a cabin and quite large as four would be in similar in lower decks.


On the Pretoria four to a rather old style cabin, always took a top bunk water does not flow uphill.
On NZSC Paparoa I was given what was at one time the Butchers cabin, very good with a bunk, day be, writing desk and hand basin.

On British Hawthorn all were one berth cabins if I recall correctly.

On others not so good.

[Trevor Bodiam]

Re.-Queen Mary. Yes 12 or maybe 14 to a cabin and worst ever for me. Think Oriana was 4 to a cabin but could be wrong. Best was Port Montreal as all single berth so could have a party in a different cabin for a couple of weeks, and we did exactly that. Great days !

[j.sabourn]

#9. Trevor can’t remember if said before but there is a bloke I know here. In WA who was bellboy on her in 1948 . Can’t remember his name off hand but can phone someone if you think you may know him. He has been not too well for a time so must be a couple of years since last met him .Believe he also wrote a book about her. The book is full of photographs . Cheers JS

PS No need to ask someone have just looked up my own list of names and is Dave Siggers He finished up Chief Steward with I believe Australian National Lines if there was such a Company. JS