crew makeup 50-60s

[Jim Brady]

I sailed on a coastal tanker the BP Distributer, as you know we paid £1.10 shillings a week for our food.We had a Polish greaser who did'nt pay into the food bill,he did'nt eat.He showed me a box of glass files marked with different vitamins which he used to inject himself with and thats what kept him going.
Regards.
jim.B.

[robpage]

Seeing Eifiions comment , I forgot sailing with a Sri lankan second engine and several East African Railways and Harbours guys who got their seatime and certificates in Clan Line , By and large nice guys to work with , but Zulu crew hated them

[j.sabourn]

For those unfamiliar with the hail and answer, ships passing close, hail " Any Geordies on board", Answer " No weve got a white crew", suppose this would be politcally incorrect now. Cheers John Sabourn.

[happy daze john in oz]

On UCL I can recall working with Maltese, Polish, Australian, Welsh, Scottish, Rhodesian, South African, Kenyan, and one chief engineer with the strongest of Scottish acents, but as black as coal.

[cappy]

first time thro the straits of hormuz on a british tanker out of shields you could of thrown a potato onto a british tanker coming out the gulf of cause somebody shouted the holy words back came the words in cockney yes there was three of them but we drowned the barsteds the language returned was to bad for a descent sailor to listen to regards cappy from shields

[Keith Tindell]

I remember the hail well, and the reply given, *any Geordies aboard* nah we was fumigated last trip. Before the flack, i am three quarters Geordie Regards KT

[cappy]

hello keith 3 quarters is ok as long as the other quarter is not bleeding cockney lol regards cappyfrom shields

[Roger Dyer]

Hi Cappy,

As the son of a 'cockney' father (from Mile End) perhaps I should be offended by your lack of tact, but will allow for the fact that you are, seemingly, a 'Geordie' and would therefore know no better. Besides, I happen to like Geordies, they're good, kindly folk....well most of the ones I've met, anyway

..........Roger

[Roger Dyer]

For several months in 1962, I was A.B. on the 'Baltic Swift' which was engaged on a charter carrying frozen beef from ports on the west coast of France up to Latvia and Lithuania in the Baltic (via the Kiel Canal).

During my time aboard her, the crew of 25 consisted of English, Scots, Irish, Maltese, Spanish, Canadian and German. With the exception of an English carpenter, who was sent out from London, each time a replacement was required the position(s) were filled by German seamen (including the Cook) who always joined the ship at Kiel, during transit of the Canal. The German lads did not possess British Discharge Books or papers, but, apparently, this arrangement was approved by the British Shipping Federation, etc.

Surprisingly, perhaps, this multi-national crew worked and partied well together, that is, until a German A.B. (a former member of the Wehrmacht) sought to express and act upon his feelings of love and affection for his cabin-mate, a young S.O.S. from the Home Counties. The matter was suitably dealt with by Paddy, an Irish lad built like an outdoor s--thouse, following which Hans, wisely, became decidedly celebate, lest he should be 'lost at sea', never again to return to his beloved fatherland.

............Roger

[Keith Tindell]

Hi Roger, The experience of mixed crews was exactly as i experienced on the Baltic Trader, i was on her 15 months (crumpet kept me on her ), always replaced the crew with Germans, Belgians, etc, and as i am aware no British certificates. I myself signed on after 6 months as JOS, to Sailor, paid just slightly less than an AB. I am the only one that i know of with this discharge in my book. After 12 months we returned to a UK port, and i had to resign as SOS, and promoted! to Sailor as soon as we left home waters again, regards KT