Customs Dodges

[Ivan Cloherty]

It was in my cabin the when the customs came on board I put it outside my cabin did u think I would a real one I am not that daft.

M'Lud, I draw the court's attention to the defendant's original post number 64, there are no mitigating circumstances despite his pleas in post numbers 115 and 139, the sentence of 10 years should stand, the plaintiff may appeal to Judge Judy, but I suspect he will in addition get a right bollocking, the prosecution rests M'Lud

[alan vickers]

On Wilsons Rinaldo in the after starboard cabin, someone had drawn the outline of the water bottle & glass holder, removed the holder and sawn between the lines of the wooden bulkhead. They had then attached the sawn piece to the holder. A pice of timber was wedged between the ribs in the opening with hooks attached. we all put our cigs etc in pillow cases attached to the hooks and the water jug holder replaced. Was never found. Years later was talking to an ex Customs Officer, I told him about the stash, by which time the Renaldo was scrapped. He said "I wish you would have told me a few years ago" I told him years ago i wuldn't be talking to him

[alan vickers]

Docked in Leith on the Bostondyke in the late 50s was welcomed by a three tonner full of Custom Officers evidently from the training school. They were up the mast down the bilges, everywhere. We had 2 or 3 bottles of spirits in the cabin. The instructor or what ever came down the accomodation ( a Scotsman) We asked him if he would like a drink which he accepted We poured him a scotch and when he saw the bottles he said "Just a minute" ad opened the cabin door and drew a cross on the deck which evidently meant the cabin had been searched. After a while and half a bottle of scotch later he said that he had better go and see what was happening. He didn't realise that the armchair he had been sitting on had a thousand cigarettes under it.

[Tony Taylor]

I joined a new job and was tracing out pipelines as you do.
Found a 4" pipe behind the main switchboard which I thought was unusual as normally no one would run a pipe thro there, it was flanged correctly at the deck and deckhead, but when I checked above and below there was nothing there; after asking the rest of the ER crew, no one had a clue, so we took it apart and it was stashed with the old cigarette tins, no idea how long it had been there but someone mustve paid off without retrieving their stash.

[happy daze john in oz]

There was with UCL a Second Chef by the name of Ben Gunn.
He had been with them for years and was well known.

One Christmas he decided to take to turkeys off the ship for Christmas at home.

He was stopped at the gate by customs who asked why he was taking the turkeys. did he have permission?

No he did not, the customs had phoned the office, and was taken aside while some one from the company arrived.

Sacked on the spot for thieving from the ship.

But in all the fuss they were not taken from him according to his story.
Just as well as inside each was a bottle of Scotch.


He later joined the Westminster Catering Training College in London as a lecturer.


My sister went there for her training and when she told him I had sailed with him he told her the story of the turkeys.

[Tony Taylor]

theres the story about the liverpool docker taking a wheelbarrow ful of sawdust out of the dock gates.dock policeman got all excited an searched right through the sawdust,found nothing.same thing the following day ,ang again,after 2 weeks they realised he was stealing wheelbarrows
sutton

I know from a personal friend who worked at Swan Hunter when they were building one of Shaw Saville passenger ships, that a grand piano disappeared without trace.

[vic mcclymont]

3 months after the QE2 left InchGreen Drydock a hard worker appeared in Court. He was charged with theft, he had managed to steel a complete cabin set of furniture and install in a bedroom in his house.
Vic

[happy daze john in oz]

There was many years ago in Southampton a guest house run by the sister and brother in law of a tourist winger on the Windsor.

He was charged with Murder in cape Town and later topped in Pretoria prison.

The local police in Southampton had to go and inform the sister of her brothers arrest.

Being the kind lady she was offered the police some refreshments which they accepted.

On return to the station one cop had a word with his boss.

Next day with a search warrant called back to the guest house where all the linen, china, silver etc was from British and Commonwealth shipping.

Not sure how it all worked out but not good for them.

[vic mcclymont]

The. Implant Iserved my apprenticeship with was a subcontractor to the shipyards.
One ship was towed to Fairfield's for its engine to be installed.Fairfield were working to rule, no overtime, we were were working it.
One afternoon plumber and he mate and yard manager (supervising) brought a bath into the aCaptains toilet, it was placed in position. A joiner was summonedto install door frame (impossible to get the bath in with frame in place),frame installed, Woden dowels glued and placed in position over screws.
One of (not me) was clipping cables,it his number with hammer, dropped hammer straight through the bath.
Apprentice **** terrified, journeyman said no probs.,he broke the bath up, swept up he pieces and threw them into fitting out basin.
Next morning plumber, scratching his head, manager asked the joiner if frame had been removed. Journeyman and apprentice confirmed bath was in position when they clocked off.
Much puzzlement.
Vic

[John Pruden]

everybody in Liverpool had Cunard bedding one of my brothers worked for Johnson's cleaners nothing was ever checked there nice cotton sheets blankets you name it? jp