Prisons

[Mike Hall]

How many of you when on a ship was there a prison built into the ship.

[Doc Vernon]

As i recall Mike on the UCL Ships not a Prison but a Holding Cabin, and only used in extreme cases!
Dont know if they all had these but a few i was on did!
I recall one incident of one of the Crew on i think was the Winchester Castle , having a go with a Knife at one of the Senior Officers, he was quickly stopped though, and thus he was taken to the Holding Cabin.

I guess many other Lines also had similar or better!
Cheers

[James Curry]

Sailing on Stena roro's on charter to Crowley Caribbean Transport we ran down the Islands. Haiti, Jamaica etc! More often than not when we sailed we would find Stoways. We had a Brig on the main deck which they were put in until we arrived at the next port. Usually they were no trouble but do remember one guy who decided he was not going in the Brig. Half a dozen filipinos had different ideas about that. He went in the Brig.
If they were over the age of 18 we had to bring them back under 18 the US immigration took responsility for returning them. I think the costs were down to the company.

Yes we did do pre sailing stoway searches but a lot of these tossers blended into the wood work so to speak

[j.sabourn]

May have needed one on passenger ships ? Cargo vessels carried a couple of Heath Robinson stretchers which should also be used to restrain a person apart from the real ones that they put people in to restrain from self harm , plus a couple of sets of handcuffs. They were usuallly in the mates cabin and unless he got bored and wanted something to play with apart from himself you would seldom see. If the heath robinson stretchers had a ships hospital to go into that’s where they would be. If had a choice between a gaol and a morgue , would choose a morgue. Would imagine on these large oversized vessels to carrying a few thousand passengers in their declining years there would be more deaths than physical assaults. Anyhow could always put any one with such thoughts of bashing someone in the mortuary with the dead ones would be a kill or cure situation then ,up to him or her. Cheers JS. PS have seen a couple of straight jackets on certain vessels but don’t think they are mandatory to a ships requirements. JS

[Louis the fly]

Reminds me of the old saying;
What is the difference between going to sea and going to prison?
Answer;
You can't drown in prison.

[j.sabourn]

Could be Louis if was a military prison and was under interrogation , “ we haf ways of macking yu tark “ and could give you the water treatment , by blindfolding you and getting a sadistic one to pizz on your head . Cheers JS
Your old saying however often used to think of that when working out of Peterhead with the towering prison overlooking the harbour. Especially in winter would have felt happier exchanging habitations with its occupants. JS

[happy daze john in oz]

On cruise ships they have a special cabin for 'naughty' people.
Been told it is very plain with noting that could be used as a weapon and if someone is put in, was on one cruise where it did happen, a security guard stands outside until we reach a suitable port.

[J Gowers]

#3 James I was also on Stena RO-ROs, Stena Hispania, in the 80s running down to West Africa, took new and second hand cars and trucks down and brought mainly timber back, we had a sneaky suspicion the so called second hand cars had been nicked. The timber was on trailers which were pulled on to the ship. We did Monrovia, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Nigeria and before leaving port we would lift the back door (loading ramp) and search the ship for passengers before casting off, never found any but they were found on sister ships.

[James Curry]

#8 Think I got the better deal, Caribbean or West Africa?? We used to do Haiti, Jamacia US virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and several Central American ports.
It was Northern Marine that did the manning for Stena in those days not sure if they still do , but forsure they will not be manned by Brits now.
Did your ever come across Davy Bone he was Old man sailed with him a few times, also the engine super a Ginger fella Rab Houston I am sure that was his name.
Enjoyed my time with them but was offered better money elsewhere so moved on.

[J Gowers]

James, yes it was Northern Marine I worked for after being made redundant Denholms only did two round trips to West Africa on the Hispania then went to the Stena Carrier which was carrying cars from Gothenberg to Travamunda in Germany, Saabs and Volvos one way and Fords the other. Unfortunatly because it was running out of Sweden there was some rule/law don't know which that it had to have Swedish crew so I was made redundant and went to offshore rigs and just about doubled my wages. After a year with Blandford drilling, in the North Sea, I was made redundant again (that was three times in three years) and went back to sea with BP (through Wallems Isle of Man) for a couple of years before going permanently to drilling rigs. I did not know the guys you mentioned.