The Crew

[Wansworth]

Not much mention made of our crews,essential to happy and safe voyaging,my brief romance with the British merchant marine was a time of mixed emotions ,to crews made up of armatures,a Brigadier and a scientist,one deaf and the other used to commanding men in action,to cocaine addicts or sociopaths that meant locking the cabin door.Many alchoholics and washed up characters that had found a safe home on board a ship.

 

[Bajansailor]

I am guessing that the increasing demand for regulation and qualifications gradually weeded out the more extreme mis-fits in the Merchant Navy - and the rules are especially onerous now re drugs and even alcohol, hence not much chance of an alcoholic or a cocaine addict lasting long at sea now.
But alcohol can do terrible things to seafarers - 40 years ago I knew a British tanker captain who lived here. He had a wife and 3 young kids, and a promising career ahead. But rum gradually destroyed him, no shipping line would employ him, and he ended up living on board an 18' fishing boat.

 

[LittleSister]

But alcohol can do terrible things to seafarers - 40 years ago I knew a British tanker captain who lived here. He had a wife and 3 young kids, and a promising career ahead. But rum gradually destroyed him, no shipping line would employ him, and he ended up living on board an 18' fishing boat.

A fishing boat? The ignominy!

I wonder, though, what led him to rum. By which I mean I wonder, for addicted people more generally, whether the alcohol or other drugs are a symptom as much as a cause.

People often drink heavily, or get into heavy drugs, if they are very depressed or otherwise troubled, it seems.

Which, to go off at a complete tangent, has reminded me of someone I knew slightly through friends some decades ago, who clearly had some very serious mental health issues. He could be charming, and seemed quite attractive to women, but was startlingly paranoid, and generally weird and very unpredictable. When I first knew of him he was a walking disaster area, drinking heavily and wreaking havoc in the lives of all those around him, sometimes violently. A couple of years later I heard he was doing (relatively) well. He had given up alcohol, and taken up heroin! Strangely this somehow meant he now not only could hold down a steady job, something unthinkable when I first knew of him, but had been promoted to supervisor! (I recall this was in a machine shop, or something like that.) He paid for his habit, I was told, by being a small-time heroin dealer with a limited number of regular customers. This meant his work wages provided him with a reasonably steady lifestyle and, perversely, he seemed to becoming a bit of a homeboy. How long this lasted I never found out.

But, it is said, worse things happen at sea!

 

[38mess]

The RN activity tried to make their personal alcoholics by introducing the rum rashion. Once hooked on the stuff they had a crewman for life.
When I joined I was surprised at the amount of boozing going on at sea, we were allowed two cans a day if I recall, some saved these and went on a bender when they saved enough. I can always remember the peppermint on guys breath during the day.
I remember a few chief engineer alcoholics shaking until midmorning when a livener was taken.
All good guys who I would trust with my life

 

[Wansworth]

I had meant to be more light hearted op and on balance there had been more good than bad crew mates and it was back in the 1970 .The crew of the dredger who put up with my cooking for two weeks with words of encouragement.

 

[Dutch01527]

Merchant Navy ships captain / chief engineer’s used to have a very high risk of developing alcohol problems. I was once told that all were either alcoholics, recovering alcoholics or tea total. My observation was that was pretty much true. It may be different now with random testing ect.

The senior officers probably have only an hour a days work to do for weeks on end when a ship is on passage/anchor. They are often estranged from their families and bored /lonely. They have access to unlimited supplies of tax free alcohol. They have to remain somewhat aloof from the rest of the crew so they start to drink to pass the time, either alone or together. Over the years the start earlier and drink heavier which is a slippy slope.
I have carried a comatose Captain to the bridge when entering port because the pilot insisted on his presence. I have also ordered the supplies for a Captain who was the only drinker of a particular whisky on a ship and he was drinking 1 litre a day, every day.

 

[RJJ]

People often drink heavily, or get into heavy drugs, if they are very depressed or otherwise troubled, it seems.

I agree. I used to be pretty intolerant of addiction, but I read a book called "chasing the scream" which persuaded me otherwise. Pointing out that the difference between middle class recreational drug users and addicts living in crack dens, is that the former can set the drugs in context of an otherwise reasonable life full of nice feelings. For the latter, the "nice feelings" from whatever drug they are into...are the only nice feelings they have; perhaps the only nice feelings they ever had.

 

[johnalison]

The RN activity tried to make their personal alcoholics by introducing the rum rashion. Once hooked on the stuff they had a crewman for life.
When I joined I was surprised at the amount of boozing going on at sea, we were allowed two cans a day if I recall, some saved these and went on a bender when they saved enough. I can always remember the peppermint on guys breath during the day.
I remember a few chief engineer alcoholics shaking until midmorning when a livener was taken.
All good guys who I would trust with my life

I think that the fighting services traditionally used alcohol generally to steady their nerves. In more recent times Balkan fighters stiffened themselves with slivovitz, and the Zulus and others with hashish. In civil life, I remember being taught about alcoholism as a student and being told that the occupation with the highest risk was bargee. I can’t remember who was second, but doctors were also well up there.

 

[Stemar]

The RN activity tried to make their personal alcoholics by introducing the rum rashion. Once hooked on the stuff they had a crewman for life.

I'm pretty sure the rum ration wasn't to make alcoholics, but the amount of alcohol consumed (water's dangerous, so we'll have beer for breakfast) in the general population meant that a goodly number of seamen, whether volunteers or otherwise, were functioning alcoholics. The rum helped with the functioning bit. Besides, would you go up the mast at night, in a winter North Sea gale when you're sober enough to think about the consequences?

 

[RJJ]

I think that the fighting services traditionally used alcohol generally to steady their nerves. In more recent times Balkan fighters stiffened themselves with slivovitz, and the Zulus and others with hashish. In civil life, I remember being taught about alcoholism as a student and being told that the occupation with the highest risk was bargee. I can’t remember who was second, but doctors were also well up there.

The real problems in my experience (ex Army) come after. It's one thing to be hitting the booze as a soldier (or officer) when you have routine, heaps of exercise, you're young, and you live and work closely with people who care about you enough to "have a word" if it's out of hand. It makes it very easy to be a functioning alcoholic. Plus you have occasional spells of a few weeks on exercise, or a few months on tour, when it's not readily available and you have to dry out.

But boozing was definitely part of the culture. It's the fellas that go off to civvy street and find the booze gets the better of them...the booze is the same, but the functioning part is suddenly much harder.

 

[Biggles Wader]

My recollections from the 1970s are of a seagoing life that revolved around alcohol. Beer was drunk like water and it was quite normal to have a can mid morning and two at lunch time. Another mid afternoon and several more in the evening. Perhaps eight or nine a day but we used to eat well to soak it all up. Getting properly drunk was rare and was frowned upon when at sea. Spirits were absurdly cheap but not much partaken of except as currency in some places! There were some who developed a problem but they seemed to not last long at sea either through getting into trouble or getting sick. Im sure everything has changed these days but surely that is the case throughout society. Ive worked ashore since the early 1980s and I recollect similar drinking culture in some very surprising places there too.

 

[Resolution]

If We were on board my crew would be counting down the minutes to 6pm which is G&T time on Resolution.
But we are not on board, so I am sitting at home in self-isolation mode, counting down the minutes to 6pm when I can pour myself a nice big warming rum.
38 minutes left.

 

[Uricanejack]

If you throw a rock in a crowd back on the islands, odds are good you hit someone who was at sea.
I saw the latter days of the old MN, and knew many for whom it was a way of life.
Drugs I don’t recall being a problem, Drugs are a more modern world problem, Today I’m often shocked to find we have let go an employee due to drugs, I failed to spot the sign. Alcohol abuse I tend to recognize.

Work hard play hard, was certainly part of the life, problems did exist. I was young, a bit wild, having fun, off to see the world.
Most of us were, I thought the 2nd mate was old, he was maybe 25. Deck crew were mostly young. Junior‘s 4th 3rds much the sam.
The Mate, Master,2nd, Chief, Bosun., POs ABs, Chef Steward, ChiefCook, some of the Stewards. They were the old hands often much older than, Many at sea since WW2. Some real character’, some with problems. They were lifers, Most of us, were just passing through.
Most were good to me, I probably aided a abetted a few, by covering for them over the years.

My first introduction to the MN as a naive 16 yr old. was as a train ride from Fort William to London, Where I had to find my way out to Anchor House and old GCBS Hostel somewhere in the East End. It’s long gone now I’m sure. It was quite mind bogling.
A rough old character, Who reminded me of Long John Sillver, came over introduced himself as the Bosun, Asked me where I was from. Who did I have an interview with, he introduce to His friends and I sat had my dinner with them, and a few drinks in the evening. I got a lot of interesting advice much of which would breach forum rules.

He made sure Inwas up and about, had breakfast and knew which buss and underground to take to get to my interview.
Never returned or met any of them again, but I met many like them over the next few years before, like most of us I left before I became a lifer at about 26, I’d met a girl and staying home was more appealing .

sometimes I get nostalgic and miss it a bit.

My father in Law was from Lewis, like many of his friends had been at sea, when he was young from the end of the war to the early 50s It was something we had in common. like most of his generation a very old fashioned conservative gentleman. Very popular and friendly and to my wife and her sister were Surprised how accepting he was off. Our modern west coast, west end world

Not Long before he passed, we got to reminiscing at a family dinner, about some of the characters we had sailed with.
They were amazed by some of his tales of life as crew. Sailing on an old passenger ship taking returning servicemen then emigrants.
The old MN particularly the focsle, was some where people who often weren’t accepted in the wider world worked. when You came on board you accepted people as they were and they accepted you. The crews weren’t just British they came from all over the old empire.
Many of his stories and a few of mine,
Ended with he was a great ship mate, You just didn’t want to go ashore with him .

The other surprise for my wife and her sister there were few things in their world today he was unaware of and accepted as just how some people were. And he just accepted people.

What I remember most,m through rose tinted spectacles of course, How such a diverse group of peole would accept each other for who they were or where they came from in our little word. It could turn ugly at times, alcohol certainly led to problems both ashore and on board.
I think mostly about the good times.
Then you would leave and go back to the rest of the world.

 

[LittleSister]

I feel strangely connected and disconnected from these tales of navy life.

When I was approaching leaving school at 14 (I left at 15) I wanted to join the Merchant Navy to train as a radio officer. I loved the sea, had been in the Sea Cadets (but didn't fancy joining the Royal Navy as that seemed to involve having to kill people, and them trying to kill me), and had a rather vague interest in electricity and electronics. I remember well going up to an imposing Board of Trade building in East London for an eye test, which I failed as I'm blind in one eye. They told me I couldn't be a radio officer with usable vision in only one eye, but I could be a deck hand or catering officer, neither of which appealed, especially the latter. So that was the end of that.

My grandfather had been an Able Seaman in the Royal Navy most of his working life, but was retired by the time I was around and we didn't see him often. So I didn't learn much about his experiences. I do recall he was very proud to have been on the ship that took Kitchener to Australia (I think that would have been in the 1920s). The discussion about drinking and navy life made me realise that as far as I can recall I never saw him drinking or heard him even mentioning drink. I'd never thought of that before.

My father (his son) was in the Merchant Navy through WWII until injured out of the MN when his ship was bombed off North Africa, though a few years later he rejoined briefly. He died, though, when I was very young, and subsequently we were very strongly discouraged from asking about him and my mother (who'd remarried) wouldn't answer questions about him. It was only when, a few years ago, my sister inherited his Merchant Navy Service Book and a few other documents, and photographs of him standing in exotic looking locations with people we have no idea who they are. We'd been unaware of the existence of any of this previously. It was only from these that we've been able to piece together some aspects of his career (on the wartime Atlantic convoys at one time, I believe, though the destinations of his ships aren't stated in the service record during wartime). To my surprise I found he'd gone (from home in Southall, Middlesex) at 14 to a residential school at Ingham, Norfolk, near where I now live, that was specifically to train boys for navy life. He probably learnt to sail at Stalham, where I've canoed. Did he drink? To excess? I've no idea, and have no way of ever finding out that or anything else about him.

All of which means that despite these RN and MN connections, the only crews I've known have been in leisure sailing. There have been just a couple of people I've sailed with who've been very irksome, thankfully. Most have been very OK (with a smattering of quirks!), and not a few have been great.

One I particularly treasure was a non-sailing acquaintance who joined a group of about 6 of us, mostly musicians, sailing a friend's home made ferro 38 footer from Essex to the Netherlands. As well as being a fine musician, he was a really lovely, gentle, positive, smiling person. (I used to joke he was so improbably nice that he must be an axe murderer in his spare time.) He quickly chose his niche in the crew as the giver of life. He spent most of his time below, and while we sat around in the cockpit sailing the boat or just chatting, he would amaze us by appearing at the companionway, grinning and joking, time after time after time, with cups of tea, jars of biscuits, bacon sandwiches, or full blown meals. This was in all weathers, including some real heat, for the whole week or two we were away, and would continue when it was so rolly or rough that I'd rather not go below at all. How someone unused to being on boats managed that was beyond me. That was great trip in so many ways, but he was a real star.

 

[38mess]

If you throw a rock in a crowd back on the islands, odds are good you hit someone who was at sea.
I saw the latter days of the old MN, and knew many for whom it was a way of life.
Drugs I don’t recall being a problem, Drugs are a more modern world problem, Today I’m often shocked to find we have let go an employee due to drugs, I failed to spot the sign. Alcohol abuse I tend to recognize.

Work hard play hard, was certainly part of the life, problems did exist. I was young, a bit wild, having fun, off to see the world.
Most of us were, I thought the 2nd mate was old, he was maybe 25. Deck crew were mostly young. Junior‘s 4th 3rds much the sam.
The Mate, Master,2nd, Chief, Bosun., POs ABs, Chef Steward, ChiefCook, some of the Stewards. They were the old hands often much older than, Many at sea since WW2. Some real character’, some with problems. They were lifers, Most of us, were just passing through.
Most were good to me, I probably aided a abetted a few, by covering for them over the years.

My first introduction to the MN as a naive 16 yr old. was as a train ride from Fort William to London, Where I had to find my way out to Anchor House and old GCBS Hostel somewhere in the East End. It’s long gone now I’m sure. It was quite mind bogling.
A rough old character, Who reminded me of Long John Sillver, came over introduced himself as the Bosun, Asked me where I was from. Who did I have an interview with, he introduce to His friends and I sat had my dinner with them, and a few drinks in the evening. I got a lot of interesting advice much of which would breach forum rules.

He made sure Inwas up and about, had breakfast and knew which buss and underground to take to get to my interview.
Never returned or met any of them again, but I met many like them over the next few years before, like most of us I left before I became a lifer at about 26, I’d met a girl and staying home was more appealing .

sometimes I get nostalgic and miss it a bit.

My father in Law was from Lewis, like many of his friends had been at sea, when he was young from the end of the war to the early 50s It was something we had in common. like most of his generation a very old fashioned conservative gentleman. Very popular and friendly and to my wife and her sister were Surprised how accepting he was off. Our modern west coast, west end world

Not Long before he passed, we got to reminiscing at a family dinner, about some of the characters we had sailed with.
They were amazed by some of his tales of life as crew. Sailing on an old passenger ship taking returning servicemen then emigrants.
The old MN particularly the focsle, was some where people who often weren’t accepted in the wider world worked. when You came on board you accepted people as they were and they accepted you. The crews weren’t just British they came from all over the old empire.
Many of his stories and a few of mine,
Ended with he was a great ship mate, You just didn’t want to go ashore with him .

The other surprise for my wife and her sister there were few things in their world today he was unaware of and accepted as just how some people were. And he just accepted people.

What I remember most,m through rose tinted spectacles of course, How such a diverse group of peole would accept each other for who they were or where they came from in our little word. It could turn ugly at times, alcohol certainly led to problems both ashore and on board.
I think mostly about the good times.
Then you would leave and go back to the rest of the world.

What a great insight to life in the old MN. Have you ever thought of writing a book?
My old man was in the MN during the war and up until the early sixties. He died in 1977. My eldest brother found his old discharge books in the attic when my mother died. He did a bit of digging and found out a lot we didn't know, two of his ships were sunk from under him in the North Atlantic, one of the lifeboats he was in was straffed by a German plane, the Americans picked him up.
I remember vaguely going to the shipping pool with him when I was very young, he must have been looking for a ship, it was crowded and noisy and full of cigarette smoke, a large blackboard on the wall with ships names and vacancies.
He was a distant guy to us kids, his nerves were shot and he didn't like noise.
He was a bit disappointed when I joined the RN aged 15.

 

[wully1]

The RN activity tried to make their personal alcoholics by introducing the rum rashion. Once hooked on the stuff they had a crewman for life.
When I joined I was surprised at the amount of boozing going on at sea, we were allowed two cans a day if I recall, some saved these and went on a bender when they saved enough. I can always remember the peppermint on guys breath during the day.
I remember a few chief engineer alcoholics shaking until midmorning when a livener was taken.
All good guys who I would trust with my life

3 cans a day but if you had a good mess then you got it as a mess issue so built up a decent stock . If you had a really good mess then you ran trust bar and the alcoholics profits went into the mess fund that usually financed at least one mess piss up before paying off..
Maybe that was just us Greenies who are, of course, much brighter that the seamen, stokers and other riff-raff?

 

[Alicatt]

Doing some work on an East German factory trawler in Scrabster I got paid in beer for the work, the ship was on it's way to the Grand Banks off of America

Hic! could not get rid of the beer for love nor money it was terrible, actually it was better warm than cold and it was served warm onboard the ship

 

[Stemar]

Hic! could not get rid of the beer for love nor money it was terrible, actually it was better warm than cold and it was served warm onboard the ship

Sounds like the Red Barrel of my youth ? No wonder the wall fell...

 

[Gary Fox]

Doing some work on an East German factory trawler in Scrabster I got paid in beer for the work, the ship was on it's way to the Grand Banks off of America

Hic! could not get rid of the beer for love nor money it was terrible, actually it was better warm than cold and it was served warm onboard the ship

You got palmed off, being a filthy capitalist. I was 6 months on a Rostock stern-dragger and the lager (Rostocker pils?) was nectar.
The vodka was used for degreasing machinery, being unfit for human consumption.

 

[Alicatt]

You got palmed off, being a filthy capitalist. I was 6 months on a Rostock stern-dragger and the lager (Rostocker pils?) was nectar.
The vodka was used for degreasing machinery, being unfit for human consumption.

The cigarettes they had were f.6 and foul in taste, one of the crew tossed a pack to me as I left in the pilot boat ... I still think he got the better part of the deal
I had one empty beer bottle left from that trip up until 1992 and then it got lost in a house move.

Edit: the sea was just on the rough side that day, and just a little too rough for that size of trawler to come into Scrabster Harbour. The day started out with me at Wick Airport waiting for a flight coming in to deliver a new scanner motor for their radar. Then up to Scrabster and out on the pilot boat, I then had to climb the mast with the new scanner motor strapped to my back, dismantle the scanner head, change the motor and carry the old motor back down, the motor was around 30kg. Looking down I was hanging from the mast out over the sea, at least they gave me a lifeline ... and tied it to the scanner motor!