There are ships and again there are ships.

[j.sabourn]

Most on this site have all at one time or another had service at sea , and most have a different variety of vessels served on and work they have been engaged in , so all have different views on the various life styles this entailed. When most went to sea in commercial shipping , apart from the liner trades , which incidentally were not only the passenger liners, but any vessel on a fixed scheduled run. The cargo ship consisted of a standard type vessel which had to be altered in its cargo carrying capacity to suit various cargo types, this had to be done by the crew.
Today you have purpose built vessels to cut back on the initiatives which had to be displayed by seamen. Myself I was brought up and cut my teeth on non purpose built vessels which relied on a seaman’s integrity at his job. So my experience deep sea foreign going vessels started with such, then during the course of the next 25 years to purpose built bulk carriers, ore carriers. And 2 oil tankers. A cargo passenger liner. In the offshore industry supply , anchor handling tugs, seismic survey vessels, saturation diving vessels, safety vessels, and oil rigs themselves. On nearly 50 years at sea I must of at the most have covered about 20 % of the vessel types at sea today. No one who went to sea could have ever of today covered every vessel type, they would have had to have had about 200 years of seatime in. Today anyone making a career of the sea if he is so lucky to get the chance, will be a specialist in one distinct type of vessel and work for nearly all his time he may have in the industry. Today on the first day of a new year, my advice to anyone choosing a sea career is to choose and hopefully attain that part of the industry you will remain in for the rest of your seagoing life. You will never get the advantages of choice that we once had. Cheers it’s only 364 days to 2020 JWS

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi John.
I didn't go to sea the length of time you did or on some of the various types, but like you I enjoyed every ship I was on and would not knock any of them, even when experiencing hard times. It was always a new learning curve when you joined a ship whether cargo, tanker or coaster, it didn't take long to shake down to the routine and enjoy the voyage.
Cheers Des

[j.sabourn]

That’s what the older seaman did Des , could adjust to any ship. He was a seaman and that was it. In 1986 when things really started to fall apart and was made redundant as the North Sea company were selling out, I applied to a manning agency in Glasgow, they came back almost immediately offering a masters job on some ship or other , and I thought to myself things can’t be too bad, 2 days later got a phone call from same saying we see you have been the past 8 years in the North Sea oil industry, so are too North Sea orientated. What bloody difference does it make what type of ship you are on to a seaman. ? What little is probably left of British shipping the general census of opinion they may have does in no way justice to the British Seaman.WIth great thinkers like that ashore, what chances of there ever being a British merchant service ever again. ? Cheers JWS
...

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi John.
It was always them and us in that respect, how many posts have we read on here about some shore wally making a stuff up.
Cheers Des

[j.sabourn]

Add to post #3.. from there I was offered a job as master by someone else who lived and had his ship registered in Gibraltar. To join a tanker carrying fish oil from Iceland to Liverpoool . The salary was 9000 pounds a year . I knocked back as had been getting twice that for 6 months of the years work in the North Sea, so perhaps I was N.Sea orientated in that respect. The same ship was lost in broad daylight on Xmas day with all hands after running into a large piece of land jutting from the sea . Some bodies were recovered and there was no alcohol involved. So I chose to go as mate on 2 foreign owned vessels at a distinct increase in salary than what the British owners had been offering to pay as master. Going to sea ceases to become a game when you have a wife and family to support. As said , most people say when asked about the decline of the BMN. Is that they priced themselves out of business. This is a lot of crock, and is the usual ploy of blaming the unions , for bad ownership and business matters. The British shipowner in general saw more lucrative rewards elsewhere, and any return to yesteryear he would do the same again , and that’s what is called free and self enterprise. No private individual should have control of a nations interests. JS

[Lewis McColl]

John like yourself I put in a brave few years at sea 43 in all. I sailed on all sorts of vessels starting off with Ocean Fleets (Blue Flue & E D's) general cargo ships, ashore for 4 years and then back again with UASC so foreign flag on mostly new build General cargo vessels but all aft accommodation , next up was a spell in Product tankers Saudi Flag so dry ships and okay money +war bonus (sadly we earned it when hit by the Iranians), coasters for a spell Union Jupiter Irish Flag, rubbish money but great craic (wages supplemented) due to a bit Tobacco trading and the odd bottle of spirits. Then on to Box boat feeder ships running up to Sweden, Denmark & Finland again wages supplemented as Vodka & Cigs very popular with the Scandies. Saw the writing on the wall when a rather large fat American Gent paid a ship visit and announced a massive pay and leave entitlement cut so walked off. Got a job with a Danish outfit and my wages went through the roof, £11.40 an hour after a 40 hour week. As she was a new build and was a basic build from Mitsui in Japan. The plan was on her first call to a European port they would have a ridding squad to fully fit her out Engine Room & Deck stores all needed steel racks fitting. I told the Chief Engineer & Ch /officer that it was work I was well capable of doing. I was told to go for it and all required steel was placed onboard by the Yard. It was my longest ever trip 14 months. I could work what ever overtime I wished. I used to turn to at 6am and knockoff at 20.00. I would maybe take an hour or two off at the weekend. When the Danish Super paid a visit to the ship he would price up the work I had done and another couple of £k would find it's way into my bank account. Even routine engine & Machinery maintenance was paid for as a bonus payment. The Danes did not do there own maintenance, they would get a riding gang for when the vessels were around the European coast. Again I mentioned that would not be necessary. I gave a price for whatever and split the cash between myself and the Korean crew who helped me at the time. I made enough money that trip to pay my 25 year mortgage off in 2 years and buy our first new family car cash and put savings away as well. Only time I made good money at sea was when with foreign flag companies. Next up was Bibby Line and LPG gas carriers for few years as I wanted to get into Gas Tankers, few years with them(2 Spells) Then back to Crude VlCC's and again foreign flag again great money as on 10,000 Deutsche Marks a month.(Vela Shipping Charter) I had the option of being paid in Sterling or Marks @ £1.00 = 3.62 marks I opted for Marks as the GBP was in free fall against the Mark, exchange rate best I got was £1.00 = 2.12marks so started of @£2,762 a month to £4,717.My contract was for 4 months with an option of extending to 6 months, I asked if I could extend for another 4 month trip. They agreed there was also a 10% annual bonus unbeknown to me I was also paid I think it was 750 marks because by staying on I had saved the company 4 air line flights. But like all good things they come to an end as they were all single hulled dirty ballast tankers so Vela cancelled the Charter. So to the same companies Chemical Tankers, did a 3 months and walked off as the German mate was just out and out dangerous. So back to BP and tankers and within 8 months on new build LNG Carriers and decent money, until they decided to shaft us by putting the ships under IOM Flag which cost nearly £5k a year in payment for Class 1 NIC's. I then spent 18months over a 2 year period in Shanghai overseeing new LNG carriers which was a joint venture with BP & CLISCO (Chinese partners) a very dangerous time as sailing and training Chinese nationals, on poor quality build ships. Decided I had had enough so packed it in for a spell until head hunted by a UAE outfit NGSCO, idea was to train UAE nationals, again really great money as they said they would pay me 75% more than BP were paying me also with the added advantage of being paid in US $$$$ at £1.00= $1.50,so the good GBP at that time was under pressure and would average out at around about $1.30/40. So concerning the British Merchant navy!!!!I was always far better off sailing foreign flag.

So types of vessels sailed on during my 43 years.
General Cargo, RoRo, Coasters, Product Tankers, Crude Carriers, LPG carriers, LNG Carriers , Chemical Carriers and even with a pal working an inshore Fishing Trawler, Yacht deliveries for fun. So yes I reckon these days anyone starting out would be hard pushed to match that lot. Would I do it again?? NO I would not should have done 10 years and got out, ended up hating it , but got caught in a money trap.

[Keith Tindell]

As i stated before, i left in the middle sixties, which by sheer luck, it seems the start of the end. It is when i read via you guys who sailed almost up to the present time, my luck seems to hold again, secured a very good job ashore, with a decent pension at the end. But have to admit, when i came ashore it took me several years to adjust, and still miss now, even though its not there any more, so to speak, . To satisfy my love of the sea, i did a lot of sailing with a commercial endorsement for a while. Alas the old bones don't like clambering around on yachts anymore, kt

[robpage]

Reading what has been said about money traps when I was doing my second's certificate in the mid 1970s there was a couple of guys from P and O Cruises Who at that time received a very beneficial mortgage package from a bank that P&O owned trouble was when the company says jump they couldn't afford to argue because of the cheap mortgage

[vic mcclymont]

Rob, I seem to remember B&C offering mortgages to their sea going staff.
Vic

[Lewis McColl]

Ocean Fleets did the same but only for senior staff.