ship rumours

[William Gardner]

What was that you said William.

cant be that bad john

[E.Martin]

this has sparked another one some of the abs onbritish ships that worked in american waters for long time got u s a rates of pay cant recal how long but we used to talk about it anybody recall

As far as I can remember we were paid an extra 30 Dollars a month but had to do a full month either on American or
Canadian coast,we were up and down the St Laurance 37 times running between Seven Islands and Contrecouer a eight month trip.

[John Arton]

On the white Beaver boats we always got a Seaways bonus, paid on board, for going up to Toronto and beyond.
Also I recall that on tankers there was an East of Suez bonus paid as part of my basic cadets salary in C.P.
A pal of mine was on a C.P. product tanker that spent 6 months on the Kiwi coast relieving the Kiwi tanker that ran out of Whangerai whilst it was in drydock in Japan having a major overhaul. They all got their wages made up to Kiwi rates and got the difference paid in cash. Most of the lads used to get this bonus paid in the form of travellers cheques to avoid tax.
Apart from the joys of the Kiwi coast the Unions made C.P. put T.V.'s on board as at that time no C.P. ship had a T.V. The Unions originally wanted one in every cabin but eventually settled for one in each mess room. The Kiwi's were also amazed when on completion of discharge at say 2000, the ship would sail for the next port. Apparently the Kiwi tanker would have over-knighted in port and only sailed the next morning.
I saw something similar when working on the West coast of Mexico on a Pemex charter. The Mexican tankers never sailed at night from a port and every time they loaded in Salina Cruz a relief gang came on board to relieve the sailing crew for the loading period and the same would happen in some of the discharge ports.
It was the best run on a tanker I ever did, loading in Salina Cruz with petrol and diesel for discharge in all the Mexican ports on the West coast all the way up to the U.S.A. border. Great cheap beer and fantastic food, best beef I ever tasted was brought locally in Toplabompo, all local and fed only on grass. Yum Yum. No cash bonus but many other in kind bonus's.
rgds
JA
p.s. If on the white Beavers we went up to Bay City to load beans the ship had to provide one gang for loading and we got shore side dockers wages for the work, think something like $15 per hour

[Ivan Cloherty]

I must have been in a different Merchant Navy, never received any bonuses for serving in different parts of the world or extended time away, even on my Ropner 22 month world pleasure cruise. In earlier times as a cadet I was over the moon when the bosun gave me a brand new chipping hammer and scraper to use with instructions not to lose them!!

[William Gardner]

Rumours...---. John S

---------- Post added at 10:50 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:44 AM ----------

#24... You were able to bag off -- Cheers JS

if this gay marriage thing had been about in them days would have had a wedding every week on them castle boats

[j.sabourn]

#11... Ref. dodgy right foot Marion, does that mean your a left footer. JS

[happy daze john in oz]

On UCL liners the best way to get the info was to ask the pot wash man in first class galley, For some reason he always know what was going down as well as who was going down on whom.
But for all the gay abundance in those days , far more interesting than today's lot there was never talk of marriage between them. Maybe they were afrid of divorce to follow or maybe they were too busy just having a change most nights?

[John Rees]

Hi Keith it was the same when I was on the Riverina for Furness withy just head to a certain point and wait orders
Before you got the right cargo we would be loading at lease half a dozen different cargos for all over the place

[Red Lead Ted]

Agree John, I was in a few cargo tramps ,Haines, another chartered out to Harrisons, I would do the same it was all part of the adventure, Await for the deck cargo had to be lashed read what was gong where, Some ports you knew some you didn't but hey mate young free and single 7 knots going nowhere fast what did it matter another day another dollar. South America. Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, xmas day every day. Happy days mate Terry.

[Lou Barron]

Yes Ivan I was in the same MN as you bonuses what was that.The last three ships I sailed on all carried grain in bulk and bagged ,coal ,iron ore also phosphate and that would be the worst of the lot