My starting to be a sailor

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Lakercapt
Posts: 554
Joined: July 19, 2010, 4:51 pm

Re: My starting to be a sailor

Unread post by Lakercapt »

How in the world do you take these men of unknown skills and temperment onboard and get the work done in a safe and efficient manner? Especially when you are working on the sea and can't just throw them overboard and pick up someone new from the union hiring hall.
You must have some stories of trying to work with new and questionable crew, I'd like to hear some. :)[/quote]

This happened in 1955 and as the people we took on to replace the runners we ones the police had caught who had done a runner from other UK ships. One of the reasons the bosun trusted us, the two apprentices to do the jobs which required skills the new deckhand were not proven on.
Union Hall: What was that ??? No such thing exised in Australia for UK ships and not at all in the UK. This is a North Americian concept.
Guest

Re: My starting to be a sailor

Unread post by Guest »

Lakercapt wrote:
RCRVRP wrote:How did they screen the new hires to know they were competent and qualified? Did they do back round checks and or check with previous employers?
They were warm bodies who had been picked up by the police as deserters from other British ships. Back ground checks never to my knowledge. Previous employment was on other ships and there was no way it was possible verify this. At this time head count was all it required the keep the vessel sailing!!

How in the world do you take these men of unknown skills and temperment onboard and get the work done in a safe and efficient manner? Especially when you are working on the sea and can't just throw them overboard and pick up someone new from the union hiring hall.
You must have some stories of trying to work with new and questionable crew, I'd like to hear some. :)
Lakercapt
Posts: 554
Joined: July 19, 2010, 4:51 pm

Re: My starting to be a sailor

Unread post by Lakercapt »

RCRVRP wrote:How did they screen the new hires to know they were competent and qualified? Did they do back round checks and or check with previous employers?
They were warm bodies who had been picked up by the police as deserters from other British ships. Back ground checks never to my knowledge. Previous employment was on other ships and there was no way it was possible verify this. At this time head count was all it required the keep the vessel sailing!!
RCRVRP

Re: My starting to be a sailor

Unread post by RCRVRP »

How did they screen the new hires to know they were competent and qualified? Did they do back round checks and or check with previous employers?
Lakercapt
Posts: 554
Joined: July 19, 2010, 4:51 pm

Re: My starting to be a sailor

Unread post by Lakercapt »

These first months the amount of jobs I was entrusted to do after the few times of instruction were getting to be more and more. One was driving the winches when fitting the hatch beams in place. The winches were steam driven and after being a few days without being used there was a start up procedure to follow so you would not damage then. These winches not being used on a regular basis for discharging or loading cargo had not been well maintained. The stop valve was quite stiff and required a fair amount of effort to open and close. When we got the steam on deck you had to crack this valve and allow only a small amount of steam to enter the pistons as water had accumulated since the last they were used. To open the valve too quickly caused this water to hammer the end of the piston cover and possible break it with water hammer. Bleeding in the steam slowly avoided this and using the lever that was for changing the direction of the winch to clear the other side of the piston became second nature. When this was done the winch was run back and forward a few times until it was running smoothly and then you could use it for the job of topping the derricks or fitting the beams. The bosun delegated the two of us apprentices as we were never under the influence and reliable. Because each time we got back to Newcastle it was time to hand out the “Dirty Money” bonus and the overtime pay the deck crew in particular would go off the rails and spend these extra monies in the local tavern, “Sallys”. It seemed this big binge always took place just before sailing and battening down was done by the few sober of us. The Sparkie would have to help rigging the aerial (antenna) between the fore and main mast and watch we did not break the ceramic insulators. In the waiting time the mate or captain would be sounding the ships whistle to try and get the wayward crew members back. When this failed one of the apprentices would be sent across the railroad tracks to try and round up and get them back. I did not like doing this as although I got on well with most of them they did not feel inclined to return even with my pleadings. I usually asked the owner a brusque Australian “lady” to stop serving them and eventually they straggled back and we would depart. It was quite a circus at times and next day the folly of their ways resulted in a steady stream up to the captain’s cabin to be “logged”. If they were smart they would say nothing and just take their punishment. The stupid ones when asked if they had anything to say would argue the point and the fines would increase, especially if they were repeat offenders. It was no surprise to me these same crew members would not be around long and jumped ship “deserted”. The new guys replacing them were ones that had jumped from other ships and been caught and sent to us. During the time we spent on the “coast” a steady flow of new faces in the deck crew was the norm. When we were loading to return to the UK at the end of the charter there was only the bosun, carpenter and one sailor from the original crew on board. The deck was not the only department affected as the catering staff had changes too.
Lakercapt
Posts: 554
Joined: July 19, 2010, 4:51 pm

Re: My starting to be a sailor

Unread post by Lakercapt »

There were many jobs on board this learner as to think were make work projects and soogie was one of them. It was to wash the paintwork and after a couple of cargo’s coal and iron ore there was a dirty film over everything. Donald the bosun had his secret formula for doing this job and his concocionconcoction was mixed in a 44 gallon oil drum with the top cut off. I got fairly proficient at cutting the tops of using a cold chisel and a peen ball hammer. Seemed to have the co-ordination of hitting the chisel without missing and hitting my knuckles. The mix in the drum when I saw him do it was washing soda, soft soap a couple of bas of laundry soap shaved and a small amount of caustic soda. It was then topped up with fresh water to the top of the drum. We would take a jam tin measure and put it into our 2 gallon galvanised buckets and top this up with fresh water. Now with a wad of cotton waste we washed the paintwork and when we had done a section washed it all off with the hose. If you were foolish enough to take too much of Donald’s mix it could take the skin off your hands. These galvanised buckets you looked after as they were yours to use when washing you cloths or yourself. There was no showerswere no showers, so to wash yourself down you got a bucket of hot water from the galley. With a cloth soaped yourself and rinsed off from the bucket. The bath in our washroom was more of an ornament than a useful fixture. You could fill it with salt water and heat it using steam line. UGH!
On saturdaySaturday morning it was the two apprenticesapprentice’s job to polish the brass work in the bridge and on the monkeythe monkey island as well as the whistle on the funnel. The binnacle and telegraph took some elbow grease but not like the binnacle on the standard compass which was out in the weather. This was learning to be a navigating officer? To my recollection this and the times spent steering and cleaningd the place were the only times we went on the bridge
RCRVRP

Re: My starting to be a sailor

Unread post by RCRVRP »

Lakercapt wrote:
RCRVRP wrote:So was the anchor actually connected to the ship with cable [wire rope] instead of chain?
I have never heard of that being done.
No the anchor was connected by a chain (Cable). We referred to the anchor chain as a cable. We never called wire rope as a cable.
The wires we used had specific uses and were called by this name i.e. topping lift, runner. preventer, back spring etc.
Sorry for this confusion.
Thank you, I understand now.
The British Isles, the US, maritime terminology.
All separated by a common language. :)
Lakercapt
Posts: 554
Joined: July 19, 2010, 4:51 pm

Re: My starting to be a sailor

Unread post by Lakercapt »

RCRVRP wrote:So was the anchor actually connected to the ship with cable [wire rope] instead of chain?
I have never heard of that being done.
No the anchor was connected by a chain (Cable). We referred to the anchor chain as a cable. We never called wire rope as a cable.
The wires we used had specific uses and were called by this name i.e. topping lift, runner. preventer, back spring etc.
Sorry for this confusion.
RCRVRP

Re: My starting to be a sailor

Unread post by RCRVRP »

So was the anchor actually connected to the ship with cable [wire rope] instead of chain?
I have never heard of that being done.
Lakercapt
Posts: 554
Joined: July 19, 2010, 4:51 pm

Re: My starting to be a sailor

Unread post by Lakercapt »

RCRVRP wrote:I like your writing about ship board life. Thanks!

Can you explain about cable and chain and the anchor?
You note the chain locker but talk about handling cable.
Is there cable attached to chain and then the anchor? Or some other arrangement?
I am sorry if there is some confusion when writing about this.
I know I mentioned the chain locker. This is in fact where the anchor chain (cable) is stowed. IT IS NOT CALLED ANCHOR CHAIN BUT ANCHOR CABLE.
RCRVRP

Re: My starting to be a sailor

Unread post by RCRVRP »

I like your writing about ship board life. Thanks!

Can you explain about cable and chain and the anchor?
You note the chain locker but talk about handling cable.
Is there cable attached to chain and then the anchor? Or some other arrangement?
Lakercapt
Posts: 554
Joined: July 19, 2010, 4:51 pm

Re: My starting to be a sailor

Unread post by Lakercapt »

During the first six months I learned a great many things about ship board workings and living and not all were attributes which were to stand me in good stead in later life. When we were to anchor it was another of Chippy’s jobs to be at the windlass controls (also for mooring etc.).He was the one who controlled the letting go and weighing of the anchor by following the first mates directions. When weighing anchor two of the deck crew were required to go down into the chain locker and stow the cable when it came down the spurning pipe. It required a fair bit of effort in a very confined space to get it to go in the right space. We would tend to let it build up into a heap and push it over. Most of the time that would work but if it didn’t and the pile got too high it would choke the spurling pipe. Big problem as you had to shout as loud as you could to have Chippy stop heaving and then pay it out again till the blockage was cleared. You were not popular when this happened. To add to the misery most of the time the cable had not been washed off properly and was coated in smelly slimy mud. You got in a real mess and if the weather was warm had the deckhand wash you off with the hose! There was a time we anchored and the bottom was sand and the mate in his infinite wisdom decided to clean these chain lockers out and remark the cable. The capstan was put in gear and the cable paid out until the bitter end. We went down into the chain locker and shoveled out all the dirt and rust which had accumulated over time. Took a while and I think it was a make work project. When the cable was heaving in it was washed thoroughly and the linkage marked as an indicator of how much cable was let out. This was done by using wire round the studded link and painting it white. i.e. if the length of cable was seven shots (a shot was 15 fathoms of cable) the seventh studded link was marked. The cable had joining shackles which were easily identified and beside the joining shackle was an open link. It was made this way so if necessary you could break the cable for whatever reason. (We did this as at some ports when mooring to a buoy we used the ships cable less the anchor) The joining shackle was also marked. When letting go it was easy to see how much cable had gone out as it went out at a great rate! A skilled Chippy could control the rate it paid out by using the brake at the right time.
During these six months of my learning it was a time of excitement back in the UK as the coronation of Queen Elizabeth took place to much fanfare and pomp. Here in Australia they celebrated too. For us on board the ship it was just another day but with one exception. To celebrate we were given an extra day’s pay. For me it was the sum of five shillings. I would say this was approximately one dollar. However the purchasing power of five shillings ( or a dollar ) was also much greater then.
Lakercapt
Posts: 554
Joined: July 19, 2010, 4:51 pm

Re: My starting to be a sailor

Unread post by Lakercapt »

Guest wrote:The loading process sounds very cumbersome and fraught with danger.
I thought so too but it was a long time ago and the health and safety people not yet born.
It worked as these guys never were to my knowledge hurt or killed.
Guest

Re: My starting to be a sailor

Unread post by Guest »

The loading process sounds very cumbersome and fraught with danger.
Lakercapt
Posts: 554
Joined: July 19, 2010, 4:51 pm

Re: My starting to be a sailor

Unread post by Lakercapt »

It was not long before the attractions of the land Down Under lured some of our crew. I could understand this as the UK was still very much feeling the austerity of post war shortages. The easy going lifestyle and the much better weather amongst many other things had a great appeal. The first to disappear were and AB and an OS who jumped ship in Melbourne. They were to my knowledge, never caught and that was the last we saw of them.
Melbourne was the best of the coal unloading docks as it was easy from there to get right in to the city. We got to know which place we were to go to as this information was not relayed to the crew (don’t know why it was a secret) from looking at the type of coal we were loading. For Melbourne it was for the gas works and Adelaide it was for the power station and steaming coal. The coal was loaded directly from rail cars and was quite an operation. There were three loading berths and the rail sidings, to supply the ships was extensive and shunting rail cars a constant activity. On the dock one man knocked the holding pins out from the end of each wagon except for one at the bottom. A crane then lifted the wagon and swung it on over the hatch to be loaded. We would have left a beam and hatch boards on, to have a place where the man who was to knock out the last securing pin could stand He was called the “Pin Boss”. When this was done the crane tipped the wagon up at an angle and the coal spilled into the hold. This was going on, sometimes three holds at a time. When it was getting full a squad of men boarded. With a little candle pinned to their hats, went down and trimmed the coal into the void spaces. I used to wonder at this as coal gave off explosive gasses and going into the hold with an open candle seemed a dangerous thing to do. However I don’t recall any explosions!!If there was a big rush on it was a fairly quick turn round buts at times we would be in port for several days. One man would be tallying the cars so a weight for each hold was recorded. The ship being a coal burner would bunker during this stopover and the chief engineer would delegate one of the engineers to be present and check up on the quantity and grade of coal being dumped into our bunker hatch. This was when I would be on night watchman duty. I liked this as during the summer time I would sleep until early afternoon then head to Nobby’s beach. I had, before this ,never swam in warm sea water nor had encountered surf waves. I got friendly with some of the locals who were on the lifesaving squad and they showed me how to swim through the surf by diving down under in the incoming wave and go right to the bottom and grip on to the sand. Although I was a fairly good swimmer it was scary the first few times I did it and was tossed about. I was fitter now than at any time before and these activities compensated for the mundane ship board jobs.
Lakercapt
Posts: 554
Joined: July 19, 2010, 4:51 pm

Re: My starting to be a sailor

Unread post by Lakercapt »

I think this was mentioned before but I thought the worst job on board was the trimmer. He was the guy who kept the firemen supplied with coal. It was not too bad when you had just replenished the bunkers as the coal would run down to the hatch and all that was required was to barrow it to each fireman at their boiler. When you think we burned approximately 40 tons of coal a day when steaming this was a lot of shoveling. The first job when going on watch was to dump the ashes. The previous watch would allow one fire in each boiler to burn down as this was the one which was sliced, raked and built up again. During this time the boiler pressure would drop and the engine instead of running at 60 RPM would slow right down Sometimes the engineers would blow the tubes on the boiler ( like sweeping the chimney!) They would call the wheelhouse prior to this so if the wind was blowing across the vessel they would alter course and the soot would not come down on deck. Before opening the furnace door you ensured the forced draft air was shut off. There was a lift arrangement on the starboard side which hoisted the ashes up a tube and tipped them down a chute which went overboard. When in port there was a baffle to direct the ashes on to the deck for dumping when we cleared port. Water had to be on all the time to flush them out. The hoist was worked from the vacuum of the main condenser. (The piston for this hoist which was made of rubber was adapted by the engineers to make a washing contraption to launder the coveralls etc. This was bolted on to a metal rod and a line was attached to the eccentric arm on the main engine. A milk churn was filled with water from the hot well and the clothes were put in with detergent or a cut up cake of Sunlight soap. When the main engine was running at the usual 60 RPM it would plunge up and down and completed the laundry in about an hour). Before shoveling them into the chute they had to be cooled down by spraying them with water. Doing this caused a massive dust cloud. After a few days the trimmer had to enter the bunker and trim the coal to this hatch hence the name of the “black gang”. They were all Arabs from South Shields, who kept to themselves and in the two years I was with them they never caused any trouble. Prayer time five times a day and they kept their part of the after accommodation spick and span. I knew their names after a while and would greet them with the saying “as Salaam alakum” which they would acknowledge.
Another job I didn’t know anything about till after joining was the “Peggy”. (I think this derived from the old sailing ship days when a disabled sailor would be called this). It was the usually the junior most deck rating that did this. The job was to look after the crew mess room, collect the weekly stores from the second steward and collect the food from the galley. This was done in a nest of metal containers called kits which all interlocking and could be carried from the galley in a purpose made carrier. These kits fitted into a bain marie to keep the food warm so the deck crew could help themselves. He had to clean up afterwards. All the deck crew had their own mugs and were very protective of these as if broken the steward was reluctant to supply a new one. Stores too were a major concern as they were rationed and if the tea was used up before the next allocation - too bad. It was OK when we were on the coast as replenishment was easy. Fresh milk too was more or less unlimited thanks to the agreement but the cans of condensed milk were a person’s own responsibility and kept in their personal lockers. It was very important that the Peggy ensured the cistern which heated the water was full and boiling for the “Smoko” tea to be made in a very large pot. Coffee was not a beverage of choice!!
Lakercapt
Posts: 554
Joined: July 19, 2010, 4:51 pm

Re: My starting to be a sailor

Unread post by Lakercapt »

I forgot to mention that when you went on the wheel to do your trick at steering you left your knife and spike outside as it could affect the compass
Lakercapt
Posts: 554
Joined: July 19, 2010, 4:51 pm

Re: My starting to be a sailor

Unread post by Lakercapt »

Now that I had this unexpected wealth I had been told by the bosun to get a proper knife and a small marlin spike as all the deck crew were carrying these items while on deck. One of the AB’s sewed a sheath for me out of duck canvas (a short aside to this. Many years later on the “lakes” the SIU ran a pre sea training school in Morrisburg, Ontario for new members of the deck catering and engine room ratings. I was on deck with one of these new recruits who came on board with all the gear, battle dress etc. I said to this OS cut that line with your knife and he looked at me strangely as he had no knife. OK, I said give me a look at your contract and he pulled that out of his back pocket. Cut that line with your contract. Can’t do that he said. Right I said next time you come on deck make sure you have a proper knife and leave the contract in the cabin) The down side of having this extra cash was the deck crew were intent on spending it in the local bar. This alas was to be a regular occurrence as the local tavern was just across the railroad tracks, too convenient by far. It was to be a place I got to know well, not for a drink but to try and get the crew to come back to the ship so we could sail. “Sally’s was the name of the place and a real dive with sawdust on the floor. In those days the closing time was 6 P.M. and when the deck crew knocked off at five it was a rush to get there for what was referred to as the five o’clock swill. Instead of walking along to the end of the wharf and crossing the tracks by the pedestrian bridge they would dodge the coal cars being shunted on multiple tacks. A very dangerous and stupid thing to do. (A few found this out the hard way one being killed and several losing limbs fortunately none of our crew) This was to be the down fall of several deck hands as they would buy beer etc to come back on board and as a result they could not turn to the next day and were logged for this misdemeanour.
As I was not so gormless now I was made night watchman when in port. I worked from seven P.M. till seven A.M. and my duties were to tend to the moorings and gangway and keep an eye on things in general. I did not mind this and later on as I will tell of this. One thing that was important was to keep the galley fires going. The galley stove was a coal fired one with two fires. There was a bunker on the starboard side for the coal and if it was getting low I would see the engineroom donkey man and he would get one of the trimmers to fill it up. I took pleasure in having these fires going well and the cooks appreciated my efforts by leaving out extra for my meal during the night. If there was cargo working a mate would also be on deck so I would cook the middle of the night meal for both of us.
Now that I could steer I was put on watch with two other sailors. The three watch system was 12 till 4 then 4 till 8 the last being 8 till 12. Each watch you would do two hours steering one hour stand by and one hour lookout. The person who did not steer that watch was called the farmer. When you were steering one thing you had to do as well as keep a good course was make the bells. (You do not ring a bell on a ship) This was so people knew the time. The engineroom would also make bells especially seven bells when the watches would be about to change. During the day time an additional bell would be made at quarter to the end of the watch when it was rung once. All old fashioned I know but it was a routine you had to follow! It took me a little time to understand to significance of these bells and I will try to explain this later. To ensure the engineroom clocks were in sync with the ships time the engineroom telegraph was rung at noon each day and they would acknowledge by doing the same.
Lakercapt
Posts: 554
Joined: July 19, 2010, 4:51 pm

Re: My starting to be a sailor

Unread post by Lakercapt »

Being the Chippy’s (the ships carpenter)” gofor” I followed him around and got to know the jobs he was responsible for and they were many. Each morning we went round and did the soundings. This was taking soundings of bilges and ballast tanks when empty. He had a special tool to remove the sounding pipe caps and lowered a graduated metal rod attached to a small diameter line done to the bottom. The rod was covered in with a chalk mark and you could feel it when it hit the bottom. A couple of jerks to make sure it had reached the bottom and pull it up to see if the chalk line had changed colour which showed if water was present. This he noted and we would do the rest of the ship. Up to the wheelhouse and write on a chalkboard so the mates could see it,(this was one of the times I was in the wheelhouse, the other times were to do my stint at the wheel and to clean and polish the brass( so much for learning to be a navigating officer!) We would also write the soundings on a board at the top of the engine room just beside the stairway going down. Next job was to pump up the daily fresh water for the crew use. On top of the wheelhouse, the engine casing house and the poop deck were small tanks for this area. A small horizontal piston pump driven by steam was at the top of the engine room. He would open the valve for the suction and the tank to be filled and start this little pump. He then went out to see it overflow and changed to the next tank. All the ships potable water was stored in two tanks located in the tweendeck at the forward part of number four hold. Each day these tasks were the first on his work list and I was to learn them so I could be the backup or replacement should he not be able or at another more important task. The chippy was in charge of seeing the ships fresh water tanks were filled when in port and he and I would pull hoses from the shore hydrant and fill them. There were three tanks, one in the engineroom double bottom for the boiler feed and the two for domestic use. During my time on board we would open up these tanks to be cleaned and the miserable job of cement washing them. We opened up the manhole access and scrubbed the inside of the tank with stiff bristle brushes. The dirty water was bailed out and then we mixed up cement in a barrel to a smooth paste like consistency and with a bucket of this brushed it on to the sides, top and bottom of the tank. Some chippies like to add a small amount of washing soda as they thought it make a glossy sheen on the wash. We would then allow it to dry and close up the manhole. Doing this we would be dressed up in burlap clothing which was dumped afterwards. Before this newly cleaned tank was put into use it was filled up, allowed to sit for a day then emptied.
The first round trip of the many we went to Port Adelaide with coal for the power station and as it took about two days to discharge I had time to visit the town. All very much a new experience as streets were wide with trees planted down the centre. The stores were stocked with goods had never seen and I was fascinated by one store in particular. The shop selling candy. I was able to buy candies and chocolate I had not seen before or had been strictly rationed. Thought I had died and gone to heaven. Needless to say I enjoyed that, but next day one of the old hands (second tripper deck boy) took me to a milk bar and I was introduced to a malted milk shake. Ambrosia it was and I was addicted from then on. Next I was served a banana split sundae and never having seen one of these delicious offerings was in awe of it. This going to sea certainly had its redeeming features!! From there it was round to Whyalla to load iron ore. It did not take long to do this and involved he crew shifting the ship for each hatch. To help in the shift the forward and after back springs were run off the drum and coiled onto the cargo winch and lead through a snatch block and lead on to the wharf. The mate would then signal us the either heave or slacked for’d mooring lines and slacken the spring wire. This done we would batten done that hatch and if at night lie down for a short nap until the next hold was ready. We would be too dirty to go in our bunks so would lie on the deck in our cabin or on deck in warmer weather. Round to Port Kembla to discharge or as I mentioned before Newcastle. The discharge was quick and it was only a short steam up to Newcastle to start the cycle all over again. When we got to Newcastle the deck crew were called to the mates cabin and my name was called and I was told “sign there” and handed a pile of Australian banks notes” I did not query what it was for but Donald Campbell the bosun informed me it was my dirty money and overtime. Each day we were paid one pound Australian by the charterers as a bonus for the dirty cargos we carried. This was awarded to all the crew courtesy the Australian Dockers who had gone on strike to get this payment. Any work involving cargo was paid at an overtime rate again courtesy Aussie Dockers. I although an apprentice was paid the same rate as an AB and I never questioned why but gladly accepted this windfall. I had never had so much money in my life and was now really pleased with my lot at sea!
Jerry at Duluth

Re: My starting to be a sailor

Unread post by Jerry at Duluth »

Captain, I cant tell you how happy I am that you have came back with more. The story wont be complete until you carry it through to your retirement. I have read a lot of books about sailing and helped Dudley Paquette with his book, THE NIGHT THE FITZ WENT DOWN, but this work of yours is the most enjoyable read that I have ever experienced. Again, many thanks.
Jerry
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