Seamen never change, or have they done.

[Captain Kong]

I was in the Rocks in Sydney a few weeks ago and found this Plaque on the pavement.
.
The last time I saw that happen was inCape Town in 1955 when I was on the GEORGIC,
Three stewards had been locked up on the ship for trying to kill another steward, They were taken ashore by the Police in Cape Town, The Stewards went on strike, the ship held up for three days, then the three were being taken to the Court House on Adderley Street in a Police van. The Van was attacked by a couple of hundred Stewards and the Three were rescued and they all legged it back to the ship.
Captain Fitzgerald seeing all the Stewards coming aboard shouted
`Lego fore n aft` we sailed and before we got into the Bay a Police boat chased us and we anchored. A search of the ship found the three and they were taken ashore again. They got Ten years in gaol there.
Has anyone else experience or seen that ?
Cheers
Brian

[Captain Kong]

Hi Richard, not a big sentence for attempted murder, these men really were dangerous criminals, before we sailed from Liverpool they got a crowd from out of Walton Gaol.
We anchored , because Captain Fitzgerald didnt know the Crims were on board, he just thought the strike was over and so after three days waiting he decided to get out before they walked off again. When we got to Australia we left loads of men in Gaol in Fremantle, Melbourne and Sydney. All a load of crims and nut cases. a terrible voyage for the Immigrants. It all changed when we loaded 3,000 Royal Australian Regiment`s 2nd Battalion for Malaya. then 2500 French Foreign Legionaires from Viet Nam to Algiers and Marseilles. Not a peep out of them.
Cheers
Brian..

[rigger]

Taking prisoners out Olof prison to man a ship you must be kidding let's keep it sensible. 1955. Maybe 1855

[cappy]

Taking prisoners out Olof prison to man a ship you must be kidding let's keep it sensible. 1955. Maybe 1

in 1958 we sailed on thebritish defender we took 2 abs from strangeways as we were sailing the 23of dec ....they were real sh't...in split in commie Yugoslavia.we were pumping aviation fuel ashore one broke the fire axeout kept in a glass on the stern and started to hack at thepipe theuther had a chain stopper swinging round at the mate they wouldn't turn to or work.....1958 not 1858...regards cappy

[robpage]

Some shipping companies ,and I am thinking about King Line for one had difficulty getting crews for some ships in the nineteen sixties , due to living conditions and voyage length , so I would believe any crew source was a good one to some companies

[Jim Brady]

Rob there was always plenty of men on the pool with DR's to crew the likes of King boats,they were glad of any ship to clear their book.
Regards.
Jim.B.

[j.sabourn]

In 1953 on almost my first trip to sea, among the crew at the time to my knowledge were 4 Deck Boys from a youth Detention camp (Borstal), the Chippy was ex Durham Prison, whether he had completed his sentence or not I wouldnt know, others among the crew may also have had a criminal background. I found them no different than any other seamen I sailed with later. John S

[robpage]

I did one trip with a King Line ship , I thought DR / DR was a special permit to sail on them . The ship was crewed in Glasgow , the jumpers replaced in Liverpool; , and the rest of the jumpers replaced in London , I would say it was a long voyage , water was on ration , beer two cans a day opened , by the second steward , who had had a few by the time he dispensed the beer and was regularly threatened . They were a very tough crew , but individually good men to sail with , just when drunk , they started war in the accommodation . It was , if anything , an interesting voyage . the highlanders and Islanders hated the lowland Scots , they hated the scousers and the cockneys as well , but the scousers did not get on with the London Pool guys , so they used ....well it was as I said interesting . The cabins were so hot that a lot of us slept on home made hammocks under the awning , water was 6:00 to 7:00 daiy and the Elephants on deck had a free supply of fresh water which caused resentment from men taking alt water showers .

[Captain Kong]

Hi Rigger,
The GEORGIC had a terrible reputation for the Catering Staff.
No decent Steward would join her. she was a Troopship and Immigrant carrier.NO TIPS. just hard work.
We had 3,000 Immigrants for Australia on board , we were along side the Landing Stage in Liverpool for 7 days, The women passengers were being paid by Cunard to do cooking and waiting on tables and such like jobs.
In the end they went to Walton Prison and asked if there were any Seamen for a voyage to Australia. A couple of coach loads came down from Walton and herded them up the gangway.
Then we sailed. There was nothing but trouble, they were all drunk most of the time, Fighting, attempted Murder, The Cells down below were always full , We had to guard them round the clock, there were attempted breaks by their mates , sometimes it was terrifying.
The Australin Soldiers sorted them out when they joined at Woolloomooloo, Sydney, then the Foreign Legion also sorted them out, They were glad to get off in the end. they had met their match.
THIS REALLY WAS 1955. I KNOW , I WAS THERE.
I wrote the story of the GEORGIC in Seafaring Stories in Swinging the Lead in the forum.
Cheers
Brian.

[Lou Barron]

During the war when the Empress of Asia sailed on a voyage to Singapore where she was sunk by the Japs . they said that to make up a crew they had to get seamen out of the jail to make up the crew .Well it was partly true as we had a few of them in Changi Jail and they said it was so but how many they did not say