Man Overboard.

[Captain Kong]

Thank you for those comments, gentlemen.

[Graham Payne]

Not a nice subject I know but it did happen unfortunatley, twice in my sea time, the first whilst on "Oronsay" in '63, a boatman called "Biddy" who disappeared early one morning between Honolulu & Vancover, as far as is known he went outside the rails trying to get from the 1st class lifeboats to the Tourist class ones seems he didn't have a key to the Jelousy doors as they were known as, the 2nd a engine room man on the Beaveroak" in '69 he disappeared shortly after leaving Tilbury, the explanation given was that he was drunk since departure and had only had the odd bowl of soup to eat which affected his mind etc. I am not sure of the facts but it was another Seaman lost whatever the circumstances. Very sad for their families and crew alike.

[Keith at Tregenna]

Offered in tribute: Source per link:

"Waters flowed on every side,
No friend was near to save
I was compelled to bow and die
I found a watery grave"

and

"He's safely moored amongst the peaceful dead,
and from his labours rests his weary head,
With neptunes waves many times he's fought,
Yet the blow was struck when least was thought."

http://www.scarboroughsmaritimeherit...lorsgraves.php

[Captain Kong]

Nearly 50 years ago, I was on Cunard`s `Carinthia` in August 1961, a year after the 1960 strike.
I was on the 4 to 8 watch as a Quartermaster and sometimes went into the forard PIG at around 2015 after being relieved on watch had a pint before turing in , I had to be up at 3.30 am.
Every night around 9pm a 1st Class Bed Room Steward always came in for a pint, some of the other Stewards always called him Scab, after the strike, he had another man`s job that paid well with the Tips. He was also thumped a few times. What I couldnt understand was, he came into the Pig every night and got the abuse.
One night after I had turned in, we homeward bound half way across the Atlantiic to Liverpool from Montreal, he was attacked again and beaten up, a big one this time. He never got up. Kinnel, someone said, he`s dead. Four big Stewards picked him up and carried up the ladder onto the foredeck and threw him overboard.Everyone were scared of these big guys as they could do it again. Some big hard casas in those days.
I was on the wheel next morning at 6 am when the Chief Steward was in the wheelhouse with the Mates of the watch, I overheard them talking. The Chief was saying , one of his men was missing, I was told to alter to a resiprical course and we sailed back for a few hours but obviously no sign of him. The Captain said to the Mates, Log it as a suicide, Cunard would not like the bad publicity having Stewards killing each other , it was bad enough for the Company losing business caused by the strikes.

[Keith at Tregenna]

Possibly where this year every name at Tower Hill during the "Big Remembrance" was read aloud an International Service could be suggested so that all the souls lost at sea are blessed and remembered?

K.

[Gulliver]

Hi Brian. That was a chilling tale about the 'fight' and subsequent dumping overboard of the 'scab' steward(Carinthia 1961).Whilst I can believe such incidents might well have occurred I still find it rather alarming.
That steward's immediate family must have been distraught about his apparent 'suicide',and would never know the truth.I wonder if his relatives today might one day wonder about his death and post an appeal for information on sites like this, as they do.
50 years on there must be other 'witnesses' still alive,like yourself or others whose tale of his death have been passed onward to others.
As we know,the' truth will always out'.
Perhaps Scotland Yard will re-open /re-investigate this case!
Perhaps.....perhaps...

Chilled and saddened,not the kind of memories one normally associates with the M.N. Accidents...frequently,murders.....rarely.


Regards
Gulliver

Man Overboard Flag

[Captain Kong]

Hi Gulliver, Whilst not an actual witness to the poor man being beaten to death, he could have been still alive when he was thrown overboard, as these people were not qualified to certify a death, nevertheless he was killed, There could well be some of the witnesses still alive today. Some maybe still afraid to come forward, iI guess the average age would be around late 70s or early 80s by now. I have thought it about it many times over the years , but what is done is done, though it is very sad. Being on deck we didnt know the members of the Catering department, so to me their names were not known , at the time I knew them visually as I had seen them attacking him on previous occasions. That is why I was amazed that he continued to frequent the Pig, If someone had beat me up I would have stayed clear of the place.
I was only on the ship for 17 days from 22 August to 8 September 1961 on the bridge as QM.so we didnt mix as easily as other members of the crew in our daily work. It was not a happy ship and I was glad to get off her. A lot of men were physically scared of the men involved, they were hard men, and if they could callously do that to one man then it could possibly happen to them.
The attitude was that everyone, from the top to the bottom , knew what had happened and who by but from what I understood, reporting it as suicide seemed to be the easy option.
The only clue I could think of is the man was doing a bedroom Stewards job that once belonged to one of the four, this in those days was a well paying job with the big tips etc, and the original BR was now in a poorer position.
Murders did happen at sea, maybe not intentionally but men did kill others in the heat of a fight.
Gay Gibson was killed by James Camb on the Durban Castle, two men were stabbed to death on the Esso Northumbria, A steward was stabbed to death on the old New Zealand Star, there have been a few killings on the QE2 in her time amongst the Philipino staff.and so on. fortunately not too many overall but it did and does happen.
Cheers
Brian.

[Keith at Tregenna]

"No Roses On A Sailor's Grave"

(Auf einem Seemansgrab, da bluhen keine Rosen)

On sailor's grave there are no roses,

On a seaman's grave there blooms no Edelweiss.

The only ornaments are the white gulls

And the many tears a girl is weeping.

German Folk Song, sung by German seamen during the war.

K.

[Keith at Tregenna]

Man Overboard!

“Man over board” faint voices shout,
“All hands on deck, throw the buoy out.”
Neptune’s kingdom from depths of ice,
oppresses flesh with fatal vice,
visions of life before death swim,
exhale last breath as eyes grow dim.
Rise up, surface, endorse vain hope,
brighten those souls, who, throwing rope,
once more watch hope descend to dark,
accept the voyage which must embark,
rest at peace on ocean’s sandy bed,
dwell with Neptune, forever dead.

by Lily of the Valley?

Source: http://allpoetry.com/poem/3887155

[happy daze john in oz]

We had a first class winger on the Windsor, name of Aggie, camp as a row of tents but nice with it. Last seen on the well deck just outside the pig by MAA on rounds at about 2300 hrs. Never seen again, ship did the obligatory two hour turn around next morning but too late by then. One shoe was found on the well deck.