My starting to be a sailor

Discussion board focusing on Great Lakes Shipping Question & Answer. From beginner to expert all posts are welcome.
Lakercapt
Posts: 554
Joined: July 19, 2010, 4:51 pm

Re: My starting to be a sailor

Unread post by Lakercapt »

MasterMariner wrote:Captain BR it is sad that you had differences with the office staff but this is not the place to air your dirty laundry. As a professional you should show respect for departed mariners. According to your stories it appears that you had problems with the numerous shipping companies you worked for. With your seniority at Misener, why did you not accept the office job.
I was offered this job but if you knew that you would be junior to the whims of Capt. V who had no deep sea experience you would realise it would be extemely difficult.
I have not been airing dirty laundry as you say but telling it how it was. There were many changes in the office staff during my time there and I often wondered who was going to be our next boss. You know who I am and I am not surprised as I have never hidden my identity
Why would I have respect for a person whose main aim was to make my life difficult, but not only me but anyone whose views were contrary to his.
MasterMariner

Re: My starting to be a sailor

Unread post by MasterMariner »

Captain BR it is sad that you had differences with the office staff but this is not the place to air your dirty laundry. As a professional you should show respect for departed mariners. According to your stories it appears that you had problems with the numerous shipping companies you worked for. With your seniority at Misener, why did you not accept the office job.
Lakercapt
Posts: 554
Joined: July 19, 2010, 4:51 pm

Re: My starting to be a sailor

Unread post by Lakercapt »

Guest wrote:Was Cap K ever a skipper over here or was he just deep sea before he got the job?
He did a few weeks as master before taking the job ashore as assistant to the shore Captain V. (no one else in the company wanted it).
He was not a well liked person and made many enemies and as you would have guessed I was not one of his admirers.
Guest

Re: My starting to be a sailor

Unread post by Guest »

Was Cap K ever a skipper over here or was he just deep sea before he got the job?
Lakercapt
Posts: 554
Joined: July 19, 2010, 4:51 pm

Re: My starting to be a sailor

Unread post by Lakercapt »

Guest wrote:Captain K a man who didnt make many friends, all I know when GLBC came about he did not adhere himself very well especially with the CSL Skippers I think at least the Misener guys knew what to expect.
Ah welll he is now in the pliohouse up yonder telling the big guy how the to run the place with fewer men!
Guest

Re: My starting to be a sailor

Unread post by Guest »

Captain K a man who didnt make many friends, all I know when GLBC came about he did not adhere himself very well especially with the CSL Skippers I think at least the Misener guys knew what to expect.
Lakercapt
Posts: 554
Joined: July 19, 2010, 4:51 pm

Re: My starting to be a sailor

Unread post by Lakercapt »

Guest wrote:You must have been pulling your hair out when this ship you brought out of the ship yard looked after for yrs was now being subjected to neglect from an incompetent crew almost enough to make you cry!
It was a great disappointment to me as I really did take a reat deal of pride in the appearance of (My) boat. Many people aknowledged we were the best of the three and written reports to Richarsons to this effect. I tried hard and eventually the crews did manage to learn and later .... No that is to come.
Lakercapt
Posts: 554
Joined: July 19, 2010, 4:51 pm

Re: My starting to be a sailor

Unread post by Lakercapt »

Home on vacation and not a word was heard for the office as I thought they might have been interested in hearing what I had to say about the voyage. My guess would be they did not wish to hear my opinion. I was enjoying the night’s sleep I was able to have instead of sleeping with one eye open but in the June I was asked to give the voyage debriefing. Could it have been the intention of letting me be home for a while I would have forgotten what transpired (28 years later I can still recount the misadventures and problems I experienced!). It was not a very amicable discussion and Captain K was really negative (what else did I expect!) He tried to blame me for all the crew problems and o t trying hard enough. I was mad at this reaction after all the efforts that had been made by not only me but the mate G and the CEO Tom. I had my diaries with me and that was a surprise as I had detailed incidents etc. He then mentioned the steering problems and said he did not see that when he was on board. Course not I told him as you had the three H.K. AB’s and not the PRC crew doing it. Has argument shot down in flames and he did not like it. The big bone of contention was that I had bypassed him by writing directly to upper management laying out the problems and concerns I had. I sort of think many facts had been kept from them. Another target on my back! I don’t know what was happening on the S.S. and they did not tell me. It was not working out as they had envisioned and when the year contact was up the PRC were not replaced but more on this later.
My vacation finished and I was told to rejoin the boat in Cleveland as she had been overseas with grain and now had a backhaul of steel products for US ports. The cargo was completed that day but we stayed there till next day and went to Toledo. I turned in the river and headed out as I thought it prudent to do so should the weather be inclement when leaving. The stevedore did not like this as it meant he had to forklift carry cargo an extra few feet but as they were supposed to be working for the boat and being paid by us his moans fell on deaf ears. The Sunday evening I decided to have a BBQ for all the crew and officers to attend. The PRC crew were wary of the hamburgers but after a taste returned for more. It was a big hit and enjoyed for all and especially since I did the cooking.
Next port of discharge was Calumet and the usual performance getting there> I don’t know why anyone in their right mind would construct a deep sea shipping berth in such an awkward to get to place. The pilot how come on board at the piers had an easy time as I as I had been this place several times handled the boat. Two days and we were on our way out to complete at Iroquois Landing which is just inside the piers. There was to be no work as it was the weekend. Good time for relaxing so the C/E and CEO and I had a trip up to Chicago using the metro railroad. Interesting trip and some of the areas we went through looked very run down. On the Monday we started discharge and as there was only a small amount of cargo it was intended they finish that day as ext day was 4th July. Just about finished and maybe because they were in a rush but a steel slab was dropped in #7 hold and punched a hole in the tank top. It was too late for them to fix it so it was decided to do the repairs in Duluth our next port. The deck crew were delighted as I had received a cash allowance if they cleaned up the hold instead of the stevedores. I had been in touch with the agents in Duluth and the next cargo was a real mixed bag with us to top up in the lower river to full deep sea draft. Going to Duluth was in brilliant summer weather and was required to take pilots through the St. Mary’s river and going into the port. Although this was a requirement I decided it was essential that I maintained my skills and knowledge so even with the pilots on board I did the whole thing myself. This was not looked on kindly but I tried to put my position to them and most were amicable. I expected the Canadian captains would be dispensed with and it was essential for my future I did this. The 4th July saw us passing the Mackinaw Bridge and seeing a great fireworks display. We berthed at#4 berth in Duluth and repairs were carried out in the hold. The NCB and USDA inspections satisfactory and I supplied them with a stability exemption as we were to finish loading in Canada before going deep sea. I was upset that when repairs were complete we had to go to an anchorage as the loading berth was going to be occupied till the middle of next week. I opted to anchor inside and used the stern anchor us help maintain position. As we were cleared immigration the motor lifeboat was brought in to service to be a liberty boat for anyone wishing to take advantage of this down time. Another BBQ was enjoyed by all as we had chicken wings and hot dogs again these were looked on with suspicion until tasted then I was inundated with orders. Eventually we docked and started loading. One evening when I was sitting in my cabin relaxing when this person appeared at my door. Flashed a badge at me and said he was from immigration and demanded to see the “Red Chinese” crew. He had been drinking and I was in no mood to be harassed and informed him we had no Red Chinese on board as they were usually referred to as yellow. I reminded him the crew had been cleared in several US ports and I had no intention of having them assemble for his attention. I also said I would like to inform the local radio station of the harassment. He departed and I never heard any more about it.
Guest

Re: My starting to be a sailor

Unread post by Guest »

You must have been pulling your hair out when this ship you brought out of the ship yard looked after for yrs was now being subjected to neglect from an incompetent crew almost enough to make you cry!
Lakercapt
Posts: 554
Joined: July 19, 2010, 4:51 pm

Re: My starting to be a sailor

Unread post by Lakercapt »

We eventually managed to get the holds cleaned as I would always like to be prepared for the unexpected cargo wise. It was just as well because instead of anchoring at Flushing to bunker we were to anchor overnight as a cargo had been arranged for US lakes ports. The 1st mate that was supposed to e joining was not able to be here, something to do with a visa. When I told G. His relief was not going to be here and Miseners did not have a mate either, he was to say the least, very unhappy. I would have been too as he had done more than I would have expected trying to get the crew organised. Doing a good turn sometimes has no rewards other than your own satisfaction. Next morning we went up river to Antwerp and when we berthed in the early afternoon a crowd of people descended to do the necessary paperwork including charter party. The shore captain R from Unitramp the French company we were working with was there to supervise the loading. The cargo to my dismay was on the dock and consisted of massive steel slabs. These slabs weighed approximately 35 tonnes each and would be laid on the bottom of each hold. I knew we would have a miserable crossing with the having a large GM. and visions of no crew to work. The captain from Denholm’s departed and agreed with me that changes in the crew had to be made. As he represented the crewing agency any crew changes would be an admission from them that a mistake had been made and the cost for doing so borne by them. I did not wish to hold my breath about this scenario. Remember those illusive parkas? Well they were still missing!! We had a coupe on days rest as no one wished to pay for work over the week end. The C/E and I went up town with captain R. and had one of my favourite meals when in Antwerp. Mussels and pom frits. The fries with mayonnaise naturally. The Padre at the Mission t Seamen was delighted to receive his Canadian goodies (Cheese Wiz we still had).
It did not take long to load these heavy slabs and as we were loading carpenters were busy chocking them so they, hopefully would not move when on passage. It was late in the evening when all was completed and the pilot boarded in the early morning. After clearing the locks the trip downriver was as expected an exciting (!) time when one of the deckhands supposedly steering collapsed at the wheel. When we changed pilots at Flushing none of the deck crew except the bosun was able to turn to. They were all too tired.!!. My my was I getting pi**ed off with this performance as had this been a Canadian crew they would not have tried this. If they had I had provision under the Merchant Shipping Acts to make it a costly refusal. I had to return to the bridge after we had dropped the pilot at Wanderlaar as the second mate had two very close calls in traffic. I was surprised to see most of the crew working that afternoon as we passed through the Dover Straits. This burst of energy by them was to be short lived. Getting clear of the coasts bad weather was encountered and our crew were unable to perform due to seasickness. I discovered the Gravol I had been handing out like smartness was not being taken and only one of the deck crew was available and he did not want to do extra time on night watch. Was I ever getting very frustrated by this and I sometimes wished for the olden days were corporal punishment was meted out for this behaviour! Just kidding!!
As occupational therapy I spent so time down in the galley showing the cook how to prepare and cook some European dishes. He was an avid student and first was spaghetti sauce. We progressed to using the remainder of the sauce to make lasagna. He was delighted to add these dishes to his restricted talents. The leading steward was like the spare pri** at a wedding and his days were numbered. Each day the mate and I with the bosun checked the securing of the slabs as we most certainly did not want to have any loose. We encountered very large storm and had to heave to as things were flying all over the place. The third mate collapsed in the pilothouse during this. Where were the rest of the crew you might ask? Lying about throwing up if you answered correctly. A large sea washed down the galley vents and shorted out the stove, lights etc. Oh Joy. As we neared the Canadian coast the C/E and I were in my cabin commiserating with each other before going down for lunch. I looked out of the large window in my cabin and spotted an iceberg right ahead. We were getting closer and I thought it would be a good idea to go up to the bridge. I arrived and the ARPA radar was emitting a warning. The two mates 2nd that was coming on watch and the third mate were busy talking. I asked them if they had noticed what was ahead. A very big passenger ship was their reply. It’s going to be close I commented as the radar was giving an alarm. It’s moving very slowly I was told. I asked had they heard of a ship called Titanic (this was before the movie of that name came out. “Yes sir” they responded “It was a ship which hit an iceberg and sank”.” What the bloody hell do you think that is ahead of us”? On the phone they went to tell the rest of the crew and I was beside myself as we were still in auto pilot. I hastily disengaged and steered clear to see the crew out taking photographs of them with the berg in the background. II was delighted a couple of days later to receive a telex telling me that I was to got relieved in Montreal for vacation. A new mate was to join which made G. happy. Other crew changes were a new leading steward and three A.B.’s from Hong Kong. Someone must at last be paying attention. My relief was the brother of the shore captain, captain F.K. He came out in the pilot boat when we were changing pilots a Quebec City to have a proper hand over and see what was in store for him. Captain K came on board when we got to Montreal to observe what was going on. Three PRC deck crew were sent home but I did not have any say in this selection as it was on the recommendation of the Sparkie Tom and the bosun. I was happy to get on the plane and head home. It was when got home I realised I had left some tins of caviar in the freezer. When the boat came to the Welland Canal I went down to retrieve then and was told by captain K that his brother had taken a tin and would reimburse me.
Lakercapt
Posts: 554
Joined: July 19, 2010, 4:51 pm

Re: My starting to be a sailor

Unread post by Lakercapt »

Guest wrote:So Capt was the crew that bad or just that bad when they were compared to the Canadian crew sent packing. If you can remember what was the wage difference from old crew to new crew?
I never was told what the wages were for the crew.
The pay was all arranged by the hiring agency and the time sheets were never seen nor was my approval required.
I will tell you what transpired in further posts. To compare them to Canadian crews would be like comparing chalk and cheese.
It was an experiment which did not work and I was accused of not trying hard enough to make it work! My diary enteries were read and that was proven not to be the case. Samuel Pepys was a great man who wrote about his every day happenings and are still printed each day in "National Post" newspaper!
Guest

Re: My starting to be a sailor

Unread post by Guest »

So Capt was the crew that bad or just that bad when they were compared to the Canadian crew sent packing. If you can remember what was the wage difference from old crew to new crew?
Lakercapt
Posts: 554
Joined: July 19, 2010, 4:51 pm

Re: My starting to be a sailor

Unread post by Lakercapt »

Eventually we berthed and again the officials descended with empty bags to haul away the west’s goodies. It was not only cigarettes and booze but there was a shortage of all the consumer goods we were used to. Simple things like toilet soap and rolls were a favourite and we had plenty of these commodities. Another favourite was the individual packets of jam, peanut butter and honey that are usually served in fast food restaurants. I did not have to be concerned about these items as with the departure of the Canadian crews w had lots of this.
The welcoming committee from the seaman’s club were down and I made a point of informing them about the PRC and Indian crew we had now. Arrangements were made to see they got chance to see the sights. I wished to have more time at the Hermitage as one could spend days looking round and not take in all the treasures the Czars had accumulated. Our trade goods were welcomed and as there was little they could offer except caviar this is what we got. I don’t know how it was acquired but on many an evening the mate, chief engineer, the CEO (sparkie) and I would have a snack of this and crackers in the owners suite. Might as well have these luxuries as life otherwise was trying to say the least. The PRC crew were entertained by the seaman’s club as fellow communists and I believe well looked after. One of the deckhands reported sick and was taken to the hospital. I don’t know what was wrong but one day he ran away. Don’t know how many Chinese live in Leningrad but he was soon taken back. He ran away three more times and eventually the hospital washed their hands of him and he had a remarkable recovery!!
Again their lack of seamanship was noted as the bosun had them rig a stage to work over the ships side to do some painting. Alas this had to be abandoned as when they tried to lower it the whole thing fell. Fortunately no one was hurt. We were fortunate in the weather was unseasonably mild and the crew managed to take advantage of the cold weather gear the Canadian crew had left behind. The illusive parka’s still had not been received. The numerous telex messages I had sent to the management company about the PRC crew were, it seemed to me been sent to outer space as I had not received any response. The leading steward was not any great shakes as was the cook. I did have a lot of sympathy for him as the cook for the crew cook could not cope with the PRC crew whose culinary needs were strange. The cook tried to give European and Indian dishes and I went down in the galley showing how to do some dishes we would like. A poor cook on board any ship lowers moral. I look on the food served as part of my salary so a poor cook means I am being short changed!
After a fairly extended stay we finally sailed for Flushing in the Scheldt River to bunker. I did finally receive a response from Denholm’s and they intended to send a captain to join us on route, to have someone assess for themselves if my concerns were justified. He joined us on the south coast of Sweden when we boarded the pilot assist us going through the Copenhagen Sound. It did not the long to find out the ones we had considered the best at steering were hopeless and but for the intervention of the mate on watch could have caused problems. I was able to account many of the misadventures, which I kept a record of. We held a boat and fire drill which did not turn out too bad by previous standards but was bad. The cleaning of the cargo holds showed how inapt the crew were as although we had been cleaning when they had completed discharge in port still it had not been completed. Captain B from Denholm’s and I had a long chat as he did with the mate G. and chief engineer G. The CEO had worked for them for a while also gave his views. The bosun was also interviewed as he was a long term employee. I was not to be the only one, as had this been the case it may have been interrupted as me being biased.
Guest

Re: My starting to be a sailor

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RogerKYS wrote:BDFD36@yahoo,com
Noticed that your email address has a comma where there should be a period. Perhaps that's why it isn't working. Try

[email protected]
My bad. Should have been a period.
BigRiver
Posts: 1090
Joined: April 28, 2010, 6:37 pm

Re: My starting to be a sailor

Unread post by BigRiver »

BDFD36@yahoo,com
Noticed that your email address has a comma where there should be a period. Perhaps that's why it isn't working. Try

[email protected]
Guest

Re: My starting to be a sailor

Unread post by Guest »

Guest II wrote:
mcnearney wrote:
Guest II wrote:In Huron, the tug captain always came aboard our boat to discuss the manner of tug assistance when departing the ore dock back in the sixties. Three fingers of Canadian Club in a tumbler ensured a smooth departure.
Hummmm My father was a tug captain in Huron, Ohio in the 60s and that sure sounds like him. lol

Mcearney - please contact me at BDFD36@yahoo,com
I tried to email you but your server wouldn't except it. My email is [email protected].
Guest II

Re: My starting to be a sailor

Unread post by Guest II »

mcnearney wrote:
Guest II wrote:In Huron, the tug captain always came aboard our boat to discuss the manner of tug assistance when departing the ore dock back in the sixties. Three fingers of Canadian Club in a tumbler ensured a smooth departure.
Hummmm My father was a tug captain in Huron, Ohio in the 60s and that sure sounds like him. lol

Mcearney - please contact me at BDFD36@yahoo,com
mcnearney

Re: My starting to be a sailor

Unread post by mcnearney »

Guest II wrote:In Huron, the tug captain always came aboard our boat to discuss the manner of tug assistance when departing the ore dock back in the sixties. Three fingers of Canadian Club in a tumbler ensured a smooth departure.
Hummmm My father was a tug captain in Huron, Ohio in the 60s and that sure sounds like him. lol
Guest

Re: My starting to be a sailor

Unread post by Guest »

I remember Duluth and Toledo the customs guy would come aboard and the Captain would have a bottle of usually Crown Royal and a glass on his desk and while the paper work was being attended to the customs guys would help themselves to a drink or too and everything would run a bit smoother.
Guest II

Re: My starting to be a sailor

Unread post by Guest II »

In Huron, the tug captain always came aboard our boat to discuss the manner of tug assistance when departing the ore dock back in the sixties. Three fingers of Canadian Club in a tumbler ensured a smooth departure.
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