Jumping ship

My family history tells me that it wasn't just 'crew' who jumped ship.
After the 1914-18 war, when the 'Great Depression' started to bite, one of my Grandfather's brothers, and Captain of an ocean tramper, was told by his boss before leaving England "Sorry Cap, but when you get back from California, I simply will not have a job for you".

Forwarned, he made plans to jump ship in California, and took his wife with him. He thoroughly briefed his officers who were to bring the ship back to the UK, and jumped ship.

He then set up a very successful agricultural business in California, and he and his family spent the rest of their lives there.

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Originally Posted by Des Taff Jenkins

Ivan.
I had done 8 years when I got my call up papers, all I can say is the Army must have been badly off at the time.
Des

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Des, You are right about being two years short of ten. That was my understanding in the 1950’s, maybe shortened the term later? I understood if called up it was minimum of 18 months after Boot Camp. Three years if volunteered (better chance of promotions) and Ten years if joined Merchant Navy or reaching 35 years of age. Didn’t matter to me as I had wanted to go to sea since I turned 8 years old ! Becoming a Bosun was my ultimate dream until the Labour Government got in and created almost equal educational (Competitive) opportunities so that by 11 years old i entertained the thought of becoming Mate. Always said I would rather be the best Mate in the Company in my rating, than a mediocre one at the next level. Still believe and live with that attitude. Keith.




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Jumping ship here in Oz and across the ditch in NZ was common back in the 50's and 60's.
It was a time when labor was needed in so many industries and not too many questions asked.
Here in Oz it would be easy to hide away, a big country with so many small towns.

Know a few here who jumped back then.
One of the site members, now crossed the bar, jumped and got work with Datsun spraying cars, some thig he knew nothing about but it was work and he did well there.

Think if Cappy had been at least over 18 he would of been allowed to stay if he behaved himself that is. JS

Magistrate told me oz needed strong young men ......he then said he had jumped a sailing vessel in 1926 .....and now a magistrate in wallaroo ...then gave me 28 days in HMP adelaide .....but told me if i kept my nose clean and no carry ones for 6 month to... come and see him and he would get me an ozzie passsport or citizenship .....R683532

#42. I had big ideas for the RN Keith and HMS Amythst at the time captured my imagination . I even wrote away to Dartmouth unknown to my parents and got the application forms , they showed straight away that I was out of my depth Labour government or not. Foreign languages was not my forte nor playing musical instruments and ballroom dancing , so I switched my enterprises to the boy seaman’s entry and which my father wouldn’t sign the papers. Said if I insisted on going to sea it was the same as a friend of his a Captain Hogg so finished up in his footsteps, same company and even sailed with him a couple of times , once as an apprentice and once as second mate. Being a seafarer if one could choose what capacity suited best I would of chosen mate as found the job satisfaction in that position. A masters job was to me a job you got at the same time as the OAP when all you did sat in your cabin and tried to keep control. However my attitude changed with the change in the manning shortcomings , where you had to do both jobs nine times out of 10. Some of the retired masters I sailed with were only there for the ride, and after a lifetime at sea they deserved it and I had no malicious thoughts in them enjoying life to the bitter end as it may well have been. Today the target is for every youngster at sea to run before they have ever learned to walk. What the hell they hope to find at the end of their own personal rainbow ,some may find a wasted life at sea , and regret. I have no regrets on my life at sea , as did what I wanted to do. It was just damned difficult to find the jobs upto the age of 65. But I made it. That in itself is an achievement today. Cheers JS

#45 Someone of my name jumped ship in the same year Cappy in Fremantle in 1926 , I met his son and he was the mayor of one of the small townships south of Perth. It was a bit weird as he looked a bit like me short fat and ugly , and we both sported the same name badge at the same function. Have already put up before . The world is a small place today. In 1954 sitting in an American off limits bar in Kobe Japan , a British shore patrol came in to the girlie bar and one of them was a townie who lived in the same council estate in Monkseaton, one of the reasons they locked themselves in and carried on the hilarity in the bar. The other excuse was there were too many American shore patrols outside. This site makes you think of the past and not just sit there like a cabbage and reminds one life was for living , and we’ve all had our fair share , we just forget about it. Cheers JS

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Originally Posted by j.sabourn

#42. I had big ideas for the RN Keith and HMS Amythst at the time captured my imagination . It was just damned difficult to find the jobs upto the age of 65. But I made it. That in itself is an achievement today. Cheers JS

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guess you just about sum it all up there john......i often think my youth was a drifting through life perhaps ducking and diving .....but not always that ...but learning the ways of the world......always the hard way ....then i found with some luck and good fortune ....i could get nearly all i wanted with hard work for myself .....once it started it took off....almost scary ....but my early years were my education of life ....i could not have had a better education.....R683532

#41 I can quantify that Ray. In 1968/9 I was mate on a FF ship . The master had only 2 months into a 12 months contract. He was a retired master out of British ships and to live with the Hong Kong system he was a bit out his depth so relied on me to keep him up to speed . We loaded Sulphur on the western Seaboard of Canada for South Korea . The first week on passage had heavy weather , this was a 32000 ton geared bulk carrier and one of the Derrick crutches carried away plus a lot of the main deck handrails . However after securing he got on the radio to the managers and made things worse than what they were, came to me and said there I have solved that problem they will have to fly out a superintendent . I explained to him that is not the way things work , they have no superintendent , he Pooh poohed that. Back came the message get the mate to assess the cost of repairs and get him to arrange repairs as necessary. He couldn’t believe this as was not the British custom he had been used to.
Arriving South Korea he came to my room at 2200 hours and said I’ve had enough mate I’m off in the morning. I
thought he was joking .I found next day he was gone. I had 10 months in the ship and got in touch with the
owners and they said will you take the Masters job , I said no as imagined I would be there another year. They
then said Will you take the ship to Japan which I agreed to do. They then sent another old retired master out who
ruled from his cabin. I managed to get off the ship a month over my time in Durban . Another story and a lot
happening in between. That saying worse things happen at sea is true , but most people don’t know what they
are.
Most people would say your having me on , so it’s not worth the time and effort to discuss with someone who
doesn’t know Shipping and the ways on how some ships were run. I wonder in the same circumstances how the
modern thinking of running a ship crewless by the office boy would circumvent this problem mentioned , and not
have a button to push. The minor damage to rails and Derrick crutch The cause of the master taking the hump I hired a local tradesman for think it was about $300 . Cheers JS

I think I am the only one on this site that jumped ship in ENGLAND. I'll explain. I joined the M.N in 1953, going to Gravesend. Catering.* My last trip was on the Athlone Castle in 1958.* I had my Ships Cook Certificate #40151, 22 Aug. 1957 (I was 19).* I was actually the Ships Cook for 10 days when*the Ships Cook on the Athlone Castle was sick and a new Ships cook was flown out to sign on in Cape Town.* I was scared S@#less and couldn't wait to scuttle back to the safety of the passengers' kitchen.

Back to Jumping ship. I had met my*first wife to be, and we wanted to get married and with the*National Service looming over my shoulder, I did not want to go in the army, the*alternative was to stay in the M.N. until I was 26. I was 20 then and she was 18 and 6 years seemed like a lifetime
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We had saved like crazy, and on leave one trip, we spent the day playing tourist around London, one stop was Buckingham Palace.* The guards*back then were on sentry duty OUTSIDE the gates.* I noticed the sentry's bootlace was untied.* I told my then girlfriend that we would stick around a bit, because somebody*would tie up the Guards lace, sure enough, a London Bobby knelt down and tied it up. I took a photo.* We entered it in a photo contest being run in the Evening Star newspaper and won first prize, a hundred and twenty-five*pounds. That was a nice piece of tax free change back then.* It paid our fare to Canada, two one ways from Liverpool to Quebec aboard the Sylvania and a train to Toronto, and our savings paid for the wedding and a few quid once we arrived in*Toronto.

So that's how I jumped ship from England.

P.s. My mother wrote* to me that two months after I had scarpered, an army officer and two M.Ps. knocked on the door asking for me, my mother told them I had emigrated to New Zealand.

Cheers, Rodney:cool: