Writing a novel featuring 1930 Burnyisland Economy Steamer

[Ivan Cloherty]

Frank, understand where you are coming from, but we didn't use slang at sea, we used names that had been passed down the line and easily understood by the people in the departments they worked in, whether it be Deck, Engine, Catering. What may sound like slang to a shore person was in fact understood as reffering to a real item, a 'snotter' for instance is not some snotty nose kid, it is a short length of rope (or wire) with an eye at each end and is its actual name in seamanship manuals.

As you are writing about a subject which is foreign to your own experience, it will be foreign to a lot of your readers, so it may be appropriate to have a glossary to refer to, but do check that your glossary is correct, as I have seen plenty of glossaries that are not, and there is a wealth of actual experience on this site in all departments from the 1940's to the present time but mostly 40's to 80's period.

As for Union Halls in 1935, I am not in a position to answer that, although some of us were born around that time, a few before. Union Halls as for my days was an American institution, we had the Shipping Federation, which as far as I recall was established during WWII, though there may have been something similar prior that time, and it established to give war time merchant navy personnel from shipowners who stopped seamens pay on the day their ship was sunk, even if they'd spent 10 to 90 days in a lifeboat there afterwards, as the company considered them not in their employment, but they wouldn't have been in a lifeboat if they hadn't been on the company's business.

Even before and during the era of the Shipping Federation seamen presented themselves to Companies Head Offices seeking employment with that company.

[Keith Tindell]

I have also secured a berth by listening into the pub grapevine, and learning of a ship requiring someone of your rank, going direct to the ship, and been taken on, but are usually through the shipping federation, kt

[j.sabourn]

Keith I’ve even tapped a superintendent up in the pub for a job, he was with his wife, and I got it, it was the two ships whose names I can’t remember even there for a year 6 months on each. It kept the wolf from the door during hard times. Beggars can’t be choosers . JS.

[j.sabourn]

#11. Turks head , a gazinta, dogs leg, the hook, handy billy, plenty more. JS

[Ivan Cloherty]

#11. Turks head , a gazinta, dogs leg, the hook, handy billy, plenty more. JS

Striker, tabernacle, ceiling, spar ceiling, tank top (not from H & M!). I feel sure they are all in Frank's seamanship manual,

probably not in the book, definitely not for the glossary

Deep draught job,
cherrie collector
Lee of bum island
Golden rivet

The doors open boys

[j.sabourn]

Manrope if still allowed to remain. Womanrope would get some getting used to.Personrope just sounds stupid. JS

[Keith Tindell]

Ivan 15, quote *the doors open boys* tch tch, surely you mean doors open people, you will be getting a knock on the door from the people police down there, lol kt

[j.sabourn]

#1.. If writing a novel about the sea , and depending on the era, your nautical knowledge will more than likely be called into question. Usually tapping the glass appeals to most shore people as is just about their limits of weather forecasting. This refers to tapping the glass on an aneroid barometer to make sure the pointer isn’t sticking to the glass itself, a lot of households have them. The marine barometer is the one used mainly on ships and measures the barometric pressure, but if you bring into your novel the reading of such you must make sure you have your times or era correct.in it’s early life barometric pressure was measured in inches, about the 50s it was measured in Millibars, and about the 80s or 90s it was and is today.measured in Hectopascales . There are other numerous pitfalls you can fall into, depending on what depth of accuracy you want to achieve. Best of luck either way JS.

[Keith at Tregenna]

Though based earlier on Rodolphe et le Revolver, Tiger Bay is worth a look at,
small things like ships departing posted in the pub, different times as opposed
to WW2 - loose lips sink ships etc. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_iP...&feature=share

[j.sabourn]

Anyone writing a factual book about shipping and the various types of vessels and having no experience of working on such I personally would not even bother to read. A novel is different and maybe could get away with it as long as didnt get too descriptive and kept to the plot or theme. The 50 years I spent in shipping , I only knew a scraping of, one never stops learning on ships and right up to the day that you leave them in the water you are still learning. Even coming on this site I have learned things I didnt know , so someone starting green would be nigh on impossible to write anything technical and understand what they were talking about. I admire you for taken on such a task. Cheers JS
PS I have British Tramps by I.G.Stewart and have every tramp ship in from two world wars with a lot of plans of the same vessels. I use it for reference purposes only, it would never enter my mind to study those plans as luckily I can associate myself with most of them in any case , and the author has only published them straight from the drawing board and dont believe he was a seafarer either. But the book itself is mainly a glossary of other peoples work and findings as truthful as one can get. It must however taken a long time to write up for publication. The Author however owned a ships chandlers and sold charts etc. was tied up with shipping in general . All the best JWS