Merchant women seafarers

[Mo Docherty]

Sailed with numerous women who were in merchant navy but never read any posts from x or serving women in merchant navy on here,come on ladies

[Ivan Cloherty]

There have been a few, but sometime before your current Join date

[Mo Docherty]

Thank you Ivan

[Jo Stanley]

Sailed with numerous women who were in merchant navy but never read any posts from x or serving women in merchant navy on here,come on ladies

Dear Mo, there have been a lot of posts. Do search more.
You may also be interested in the current Lloyds Rewriting Women into maritime history project. There's a lot on its website including:
# my timeline detailing women's milestones. see https://hec.lrfoundation.org.uk/whats-on/timeline
# an introduction to what's been written on the subject: https://hec.lrfoundation.org.uk/whats-on/historiography
You've just missed last month's major exhibition. But you can read about it and sign up for the newsletter and join in the next stages; https://hec.lrfoundation.org.uk/what...ritime-history
Best wishes, Jo Stanley.

[j.sabourn]

A lot has happened in the last 70 years or so. wives of seafarers have been allowed to sail with husbands on certain conditions on merchant ships, previous to this was rare for them to stay onboard overnight in uk ports and had to have certain documentation to do so. This is apart from the harlots who got onboard unofficially. As regards the RN as per a previous post about being anchored off Lisbon with the fleet and doing the degaussing tests on the mine hunters a team of wrens were onboard during daylight hours doing the handling of all the electronic gear , when it became necessary for them to be on board 24 hours special permission had to be received from the Admiralty and was said we were the first ship under naval control to do so for many many years. This was about 1979 1980. So women officially on board ships has only happened in our lifetime , maybe they were on Nelson’s ships to do menial tasks like laundry but that’s it. JS

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi John.
My sister was in the Wrens all through te last war, never went on board a ship, I remembering asking her and laughing as she give me a clip on the ear for being cheeky.
Des

[j.sabourn]

And today they are part of the crew ! Can’t say I agree with it , but that’s the way it is. The women on ships I have been on have always been at the centre of controversy , not always their fault either. Remember had 4 engineers wives on board sailing with their husbands , the 3 and 4 engineers wives come pay off day walked off with each others husbands , think they called it wife swapping. Not my cup of tea. A ship is a ship is a ship and not some episode out of Peyton Place that old Hollywood tv drama. JS
Those women who choose to follow a career usually best known for usually being men’s jobs the best of luck to them. But the sea and confined conditions on a ship is one of the harder ones to accomplish and certain rules have to be adhered to. One of my female cousins made history when she reached the dizzy heights of police sergeant and then Inspector of the MOD police at Hampton court which she was quite capable of handling , she could however go home at nights and close her door , not so on a ship. There again there are always the homophobic man ready and willing to cast aspersions , these I have no time for, they are the bullies and loudmouths of this world and are probably lacking a lot of man’s sexual genes and is their way of getting satisfaction by casting doubt on others . JS
PS That old question “ why is a ship called a she ? “ Answer “ because it always has a man for a mate “ , is no longer true today. Cheers JS

[happy daze john in oz]

It was policy with many of the regular run liners such as UCL, P&O, Cunard back in the 60's for senior officer's wife's to be allowed one voyage per year.
Most we fine, but on occasions they could be a right pain in the rear end.

[j.sabourn]

The only times I had my wife and kids on board was in uk ports and was on tenterhooks all the time they were there especially the kids and had to be watched all the time. I was approached by the owners who said if I approached them with a letter they would look favourably on having them all travel with me . My wife showed no big desire to do so, when we discussed it. A cargo ship can be a very dangerous place in port working. I was pleased she didn’t want to join me. Maybe if had no family might be different but think she still wouldn’t have been overjoyed . As far as I am concerned a woman’s place is in the home
looking after the family , and pleased I married a girl who was pleased to do just that. Old
fashioned or not that’s the way we both felt and still do. And have the marriage time plus the seatime to prove it. Both satisfied customers . JS

[Johnny Kieran]

We were on a P&O cruise, and the captain was a woman. Can't remember which boat it was though.