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Thread: Captive Time.

  1. #11
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    Default Re: Captive Time.

    Wonders never cease , they have printed #8 in the western Australian newspaper today. There are 5 other letters on the same subject as Quarantine and one about the Q flag saying they had the plague on board or words to that effect. !!!
    So have sent another email as follows, doubt once again they will print this one though.
    “Thank you for the insertion of my remarks today re. The above subject. Today however I see how people are so well misinformed . The meaning of the Q flag means My vessel is healthy and I request free Pratique, and is not until the vessel has had a visitation from the Port Health Authority and passed , that this flag comes down denoting that the vessel is healthy to all intents and purposes.Contact with the shore is then allowed for crew and passengers. Knowing only half a story is better not to know any in my opinion. “
    Bets on whether they print that.
    JS
    Last edited by j.sabourn; 29th May 2020 at 04:44 AM.
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    Default Re: Captive Time.

    Latest is that about five crew have got the virus.
    30,000 Sheep are waiting to be loaded.
    Possibility anew crew may be flown in.
    But on Monday a moratorium comes into place on the shipment of live animals.
    Bit of a quandry I fear.
    Happy daze John in Oz.

    Life is too short to blend in.

    John Strange R737787
    World Traveller

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  4. #13
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    Default Re: Captive Time.

    John as this post has diversified also into Quarantine which is also captive time so should be within the bounds of not going outside the chalk mark. Some may remember think it was in the 60s or maybe the 70s when China was going through a period of flexing its muscles. But British crews refused to go to China and one of the reasons was that for supposedly health reasons they were getting crews lined up on deck with their trousers around their ankles for a short arm inspection . Obviously to try and demean people and lose face In their eyes. People never hear these stories , it should have been headline news, I must say it never happened to me when I was there last in 1976 as the days of the Red Guard were on their way out, but I heard this from reliable sources. Maybe some on site experienced. It would be well remembered especially if winter time. Cheers JWS.
    Last edited by j.sabourn; 29th May 2020 at 07:28 AM.
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    Default Re: Captive Time.

    Quote Originally Posted by j.sabourn View Post
    John as this post has diversified also into Quarantine which is also captive time so should be within the bounds of not going outside the chalk mark. Some may remember think it was in the 60s or maybe the 70s when China was going through a period of flexing its muscles. But British crews refused to go to China and one of the reasons was that for supposedly health reasons they were getting crews lined up on deck with their trousers around their ankles for a short arm inspection . Obviously to try and demean people and lose face In their eyes. People never hear these stories , it should have been headline news, I must say it never happened to me when I was there last in 1976 as the days of the Red Guard were on their way out, but I heard this from reliable sources. Maybe some on site experienced. It would be well remembered especially if winter time. Cheers JWS.
    Hi John, We took a cargo of grain from Capetown to China in 1963, no short arm inspection, just the usual assemble in saloon for discharge book check and head count, while ship searched.D

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    Default Re: Captive Time.

    Thanks Don, think it was 1976 when last there and I was told we were the first Registered British Ship into Shanghai for a number of years. We got a lot of funny looks from the locals as they hadn’t seen Europeans for a number of years apparently. I rather think there was something in the many demands by the union prior to the 1966 strike. But don’t know all the things that the strike was about. I believe at the time Maos wife was in prison in Shanghai.or so the rumour went. JS
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    Default Re: Captive Time.

    #13 Captive time could well describe time aboard ships in Chinese ports 1959/60/61 period as were never allowed ashore during a near two year period trading China/Australia/Canada with grains. Once during that period we were taken to the 'Friendship Shop' in Shanghai by bus with armed guards on board to buy their luxury goods, bought kapok duffle coat and fur hats (very cold in the north Chinese ports in winter, also bought ivory chess set and carved camphor wood box, both still with me. We were on arrival and departure mustered on deck for hours regardless of weather and it could get very cold standing immobile on an ice laden deck and snowing, never ever had the luxury of being mustered in the saloon. I had armed guards with me every time I read the draft and also had to show my pass to the guard at the bottom of the gangway when leaving to read the draft and again when boarding, once I thought I would take a shortcut and hopped off the foredeck to read the for'd draft and was shot at I was then also taken to the commandant on board and made to apologise to the soldier who had shot at me for causing him distress; Armed guards patrolled the vessel day and night and cabins were not allowed to be locked and they entered at will.

    The other events were too numerous to mention but all designed to show who was boss whilst in China, when the Master lodged a complaint and said he wanted to see the British Consul and was told he could see him, but first he had to get to him and there was no one to take him and of course not allowed ashore without guard, so didn't get far with that one.

    So it was captive time with long spells in port in China, long sea passages, but short time in Oz and Canada with loading rates of 1000/1500 tonnes per hour. Armed guards boarding with the pilot with pilot approach courses being advised by radio from Chinese port normally 70/100 miles prior pilot station, All charts when pilot boarded to be put away, no pencils, notebooks or cameras etc, all cameras to be lodged with the Master, no maps showing Tibet as Tibet, otherwise you were taken ashore for a geography lesson, no options. One engineering cadet was a bit slow in taking down his bulkhead map was taken ashore and brought back nearly 12 hours later, we had to land him ashore in Japan on passage to Vancouver for repatriation, too dangerous to keep him aboard as he was suicidal. Not a nice period.
    Last edited by Ivan Cloherty; 29th May 2020 at 12:37 PM.

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    Default Re: Captive Time.

    Even in 1976 still had the restrictions but were at the buoys in the river discharging sulphur into lighters. But could visit the foreigners club. So all probability the pants around the ankles was probably true if they felt like it. But can remember a period when British crews refused to go to China. JS
    Last edited by j.sabourn; 29th May 2020 at 01:30 PM.
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    Default Re: Captive Time.

    The time of going to China I was sailing with Ivanovic's a non pool company registered in Nassau, with a foreign crew of Yugoslavians, Polish, and Spanish, yes it was as you described armed guards doing spot checks day and night.
    Did you play the obligatory game of football on the dockside?.
    Did any of you go straight to the States after going to China,for us quite an experience?.
    I still have some of their paper money which I brought out, and often wonder if it worth anything. D

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    Default Re: Captive Time.

    It was in1964, we had loaded two holds with 3rd grade Mutton in Port Melbourne, it took about six days per hold to load and this on a 10,008 ship.
    One lot was for Greece the other for China.

    We docked in a port somewhere to the south, odd name sounded a bit like Budgie if I recall.

    Ship locked down, al western bits such as girly calendars, family photos had to be stowed away.
    We were allowed on deck but the armed guards on the gangway made sure that was as far as we went.

    The dock workers were of all ages and gender, but it was hard to tell who was who, they all looked alike.

    They unloaded the hold in about 36hours, bit faster than loaded, and all the crew 52, were called up on deck.
    An official of the Chinese people spoke to us, saying in rather good English, thank you for the goods etc, China was at one time the worlds biggest economy in the 15th century, but we will again be the same, we will rule the world in time.

    Then he was gone leaving us with a gift, a basket of eggs, all shapes, a bag of black salt and a few other bits.

    The eggs went over the wall, some floated some sank along with the black salt.

    Seeing what is occurring now in Hong Kong brings back to memory those words of so long ago.
    Happy daze John in Oz.

    Life is too short to blend in.

    John Strange R737787
    World Traveller

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    Default Re: Captive Time.

    The only'short arm inspection' I ever had was in the usofa, when we had 3 inspections in 24 hours when loading in the Puget Sound. Visited china in 60 several times. Everyone on deck except Maser for checking of papers and search of all cabins, stores etc. It was snowing for our inspection in Chingwhangtou, and below 0 at night. And it was christmas.

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