British Tramps

[Rodney Mills]

Not for me. Did two trips on a cargo passengers, Port Line, and UCLA cargo home trade. Then the "Pool" told me my next was supposed to be a Home Trade a trip. Ferry across to Rotterdam and across to Hull. B and M's La Cumbre. Wrong! Deep Sea articles and told it was just a trip tp Quebec and back to England. Ten months of Hell later, paid off in Germany. The deck and Engine room crew, Pakistan and West Indian, catering what there was of them English. I was galley boy and the head cook was Gay, and I don't mean happy. I finally had to tell "IT" to leave me alone or I would pour his scalding tea into "IT,S" one eye in the morning when I had to wake "IT" up. That was the end of a tea wake-up. "IT" took it's spite out by burning the pots and making my life a misery for six of the ten months. "IT" was paid off. Rumor had "IT had some incurable disease.

I beat it to the "Big Ships", UCLA. I signed a contract with them for their apprentice cook program and enjoyed every trip. And knew to the Hour when I would be paying off. Lots of laughs and good cabin mates, and came out as a fully qualified cook, even had my ships cook ticket at 19.

Cheers, Rodney

[j.sabourn]

I forget what the law was for a Ships cook in those days Rodney But what I do remember it was very easy as regards seatime to sail as chief. Cook , something like a week or something. My first trip to sea the cook was ex army and had only to do a week at sea to become chief cook, he was the most scruffy I have ever sailed with, most of the time he finished up with the Dixie over his head including the contents ,usually by one of the firemen , they were still called that although they were greasers in fact. There are cooks and cooks , the old saying “ who called the cook a c##t” or “ who called the c##t a cook “ , was very apparent in some circumstances on trampships in those early days was what I saw. Today on Australian Ships a Cook is only necessary by law if you have a crew of 13 or in excess. I would imagine British ships or what is left of them would be the same. Cheers JS

The one noticeable difference out here and in the uk in the offshore Industry was, when I left the uk all the supply vessels carried a certificated cook, which made the average supply vessel with 10 of a crew , out here had 9 , the difference being no cook. Which meant that one of the seaman took on this task, and if one didn’t want to do it permanently , they had to do it week about , which also put you with one man less for deck and cargo duties. For those who promote crew cut backs , there is a dark side to these cut backs , and surprised they aren’t raised as appertaining to a safety issue , one man going sick can put a ship at a serious disadvantage. All your theory’s about manning are just that theories , in practice it is often different , and shore people who make these laws , should also be made to do seatime on various vessel types , tell them they can take their sea sick tablets with them so can also doctor themselves. JS .

[j.sabourn]

#12 Correction to....All your theories , should read all ones theories , as is not appertaining to yourself .Cheers JS

[happy daze john in oz]

From what I know of it a ship could sail without a captain as there would be senior officers who may well have had a captains certificate.

But the ship could not sail with out a ships cook.
That cook had to be certified by the BOT as being fully qualified.

However the BOT did not discriminate between the types.

There are three types, cooks Cuckoos and willful bloody murderers.
There were also some very good ones along with some excellent bakers, we all needed the Tab nabs.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Terry, in regards to that ship it could have been a sister ship to one I was on, the Basford, Welsh Anthracite Company of Cardiff.
Des

[j.sabourn]

#14 In the same theory John the chief steward on all the trampships I was on were also ex cooks. I have when mate taken over from the master when he was incapacitated although this was on instructions from the owners who would no doubt have reported it then to the MOT. So as to qualify on the certificate of Registry of the ship , and to inform foreign ports the ship entered for clearance purposes . A mate of mine did similar when he landed the master in hospital in North Africa without informing the owners , then sailed for Port Said , arriving there he was arrested and thrown in Gaol accused of piracy. Until the matter was cleared up and they let him out. This is the story he told me. The only person on a ship who does not require a discharge in his old dis.A.book is the master , all his discharges are on the back of the Ships Register, the only reason I put them in my book was to prove seatime that I had 2 years actual seatime in every 5 years when they brought in the law about upgrading of knowledge. Without having to go back to shipowners and customs houses to prove. Cheers JS.
PS I am sure today a ship would not be held up in a foreign port for lack of a cook. The UK a ship sailing from a uk Port newly sailing on the opening of articles yes would of at onetime be considered not properly manned and not be given clearance. The uk today is not a leader in the shipping world , the powers to be gave that away a long time ago. JS

[John Arton]

All seagoing vessels of 500gt or greater are nowadays required to have a Safe Manning certificate,. Issued by their flag state. This document lists the required number of qualified persons on board to carry out watch keeping duties both deck and engineering along with administration and communication tasks. It also has the requirements to provide proper food and water, implying the need to have a certified cook on board.
Download the attached MSN if you want to go deeper into it all.
Rgds
J.A.
https://www.gov.uk/government/public...d-watchkeeping

[j.sabourn]

Pleased you said by their own flag state .Cheers JS

[Rodney Mills]

JSW. John in Oz is correct in stating that ships cooks have to be certified by the B.O.T (Board of Trade). I had to take a special six week course at the UCLA catering school in Woolwich the a BOT examiner came on and I had to cook Vegetable soup, loaf of bread and six bread rolls, steak and kidney pie and trifle for desert. I didn't know the menu before. He and the Chef planned it on the side. I was given the raw ingredients and given three hours to prepare and serve to them both. I passed and was told I was the youngest ever to get a ship's cooks ticket. Union Castle paid me an extra pound a month. In case the ships cook got sick I could fill in until a new one arrived as I was a passenger cook.

Never going to happen right? easy money...Wrong. The ships cook died on the Athlone Castle out of Las Palmas. "Mills!...down to the crews galley, you're the ship's cook until Cape Town".

I was scared to death.. All those hairy ass Deckies with knives, Greasers with love and hate tattooed on their knuckels. just waiting to kick my nineteen year old scared to death ass back to the passenger kitchen.

I served the first meal, I was lucky, a great 2nd cook and baker and the galley boy helped me along, showed me where everything was.

After the meal, an "Incredible Hulk (with a sheaved deck knife) filled the kitchen door. "You the new Cookie?"

"Yes", I squeaked (can't remember if I called him "Sir" or not.).

"Damned good grub. You staying?"

"Just till Cape town" I answered

And three days later I was out of there running. However, I had activated my Ship's Cooks ticket officially.

In addition, there are two among the crew that the ship must have in order to sail from home port, that's B.O.T Ship's Cook and Ship's Carpenter. I don't know what official certification the "Chippie" has to have. But it must be a B.O.T certified Ship's Cook.

I do not know how long that has been in effect, whether it applies to other nations ships, OZ for example, but must be in order aboard Brit flagged vessels, I would guess at least since the Seamans Union had been in effect. Perhaps if the ships cook dropped dead in Pago pago or somewhere where it was impossible to pick up a certified ship's cook, then it could sail.

The official rank I was told of the ship's cook and carpenter was petty officers. All the Chief Stewards and pursers I was familiar with came up from waiters to second steward to Chief Steward or Purser. Ship's cooks had more pride.

Cheers, Rodney

[Ivan Cloherty]

#19 Chippies were usually time-served shipwrights and very knowledgeable about ship construction and cement boxes