Icon of the seas

[Johnny Kieran]

One other thing I noticed on that cruise (was "trip" years ago), was the ship leaned permanently to whichever way the wind blew. There was a severe list to port or starboard for a couple of days, then the opposite way the last two days. I don't think it would happen in the old days, due to steering into the weather most of the time.
Funny thing. Once in a bad crossing to Canada on a beaver boat, we were doing just that. When I went up on the wheel at midday, it was decided to give it a go at changing course, otherwise we'd end up in New York. The mate told me to be gentle, and turn 10dgs to starboard. I did this, and up she went with nothing but green water over the port bow. "Whoa!" he cried "steer back to port a bit while I pick up all this stuff flying about all over". Anyway we settled back to how it was before.
Finishing my turn on the wheel, I went down to get some lunch. What a mess the mess was in, everyone's plates had crashed, and they all started calling me everything bad under the sun, saying I'd done it on purpose. which of course I said I had Even the cook came in for a moan

[j.sabourn]

#41 Probably the ship was too tender and you were at what is called the angle of loll with practically no positive stability , think yourself lucky . The GM on a grain ship you had to prove with your loading plan that you could maintain at least 6 inches throughout the voyage . Your GM changes all the time due to burnout and water usage. Plus all the shifting and settling of the grain due to any free surface which also had to be contained by shifting boards and box feeders. The eventual birth of the bulkers cut most of the physical work of construction to a bare minimum , I never complained about being on a bulker with grain ,I knew it was easy compared to a general cargo ship. Cheers JS

[Keith Tindell]

I can remember being on the Durham Trader in 62, bound for Cuba for sugar , shifting boards not required, then the Cuban Crisis broke, and after some time at sea, getting out of the war zone, and picking up a cargo from Durban to Japan, took a whole week in Durban for the shore gang to fit shifting boards, big job in all hatches on a general cargo ship. never served on bulkers, must have been a doddle.

[j.sabourn]

#43 Keith at that same moment in time I was in Santiago -de-Cuba loading Sugar for Japan . Believe that was Castros birth place . JS

[Des Taff Jenkins]

On one ship where we the crew worked with the carpenters putting in the shifting boards for wheat in Geelong, best money I ever earned at sea, got the same as the AB s, was only a JOS.
Des

[j.sabourn]

#45 You probably only got it because of the unions in Oz Des. If they knew a ship came in with the feeders and shifting boards put up by the crew they would find some fault to have condemned and the replacing by their own shore carpenters.So unless you had a certificate from your last port saying they had been put up by shore labour , it was a wasted effort and overtime paid out for doing .It was the same in the USA . Cheers JS

[happy daze john in oz]

Very true, maybe that is why foreign ships will not take on Australian crew in Oz ports, would have to pay them under Oz rates with all the extras.

But cruise ships now have a low center of gravity, built a bit like a shuttlecock, heavy bottom weight with large open interior space.

As to life boat drills, on a Royal Caribbean one some years ago all had to go to their muster station for boat drill.

One couple did not bother.
Found out and put ashore before we sailed.
Not so strict now though.

[j.sabourn]

As regards conditions on Australian offshore vessels of today I wouldn’t have a clue about . But in 2001 the Guild One of the 4 maritime unions had 2 Rosters the A and B. The A was a permanent job with a company and you received various benefits and you paid 4% of earnings to the Guild for investments including lump sums on retirement. The B roster was not permanent and you paid 2% of earnings to the Guild for retirement , but also received 27% increase in wages . I don’t know how much the owners paid into the superannuation funds . However the seaman’s union out here seemed to pay the biggest lump sums on retirement so must have had brighter people on the investment side. Seaman’s wages were way above both British and American . I relieved an American master in New Guinea and he told me an Australian seaman was much better off than him. JS