Arthur Jenner
22nd January 2009, 05:39
Wet & Dry Ships
by AJ
I noticed the other day that someone had posted a thread about dry ships. When I was at sea all ships were dry as far as we were concerned; only officers and engineers were allowed alcohol. Although I must admit that by the time I left it did improve a little. We were allowed a couple of beers occasionally on one ship and on my last deep-sea voyage, where I was deck storekeeper, the captain sent a bottle of single malt to the PO’s mess (for xmas of course).
On the whole though, going to sea was a thirsty occupation. But of course we made up for it at every opportunity.
I will tell you a story
Once upon a time there was a tanker belonging to one of the major oil companies. In case anyone thought that it was only cargo ships that tramped the oceans blue I can assure them that tankers sometimes play a similar role. This particular vessel, although it carried only cargo for it’s owners, did manage to wander about the globe somewhat.
One day this tanker managed to find itself on the west coast of South America. It had started by taking a cargo from Curacao to San Antonio in Chile and stayed on the coast for a while calling at various ports in Peru and Columbia. While on the coast, the customs had sealed the bond locker, which as all you tanker men know is under the centre castle – stewards lockers on the port side and deck stores on the starboard.
It seems that when the customs had pasted their seal on the steel door of the bond locker someone had forgotten to lock it, with the result that when the ship rolled a little the door swung wide open.
An AB on the middle watch who was returning aft from lookout on the forecastle head spotted this.
‘Well’, he thought, ‘This is an opportunity too good to miss.’
So entering the locker he gathered every alcoholic bottle he could find and removed them to his own room aft. He then jammed the door so that it couldn’t swing open again and re-stuck the paper seal.
He shared his loot with the rest of the deck crowd and by the time the locker was officially unsealed the grog had all been consumed and the empty bottles transferred to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.
by AJ
I noticed the other day that someone had posted a thread about dry ships. When I was at sea all ships were dry as far as we were concerned; only officers and engineers were allowed alcohol. Although I must admit that by the time I left it did improve a little. We were allowed a couple of beers occasionally on one ship and on my last deep-sea voyage, where I was deck storekeeper, the captain sent a bottle of single malt to the PO’s mess (for xmas of course).
On the whole though, going to sea was a thirsty occupation. But of course we made up for it at every opportunity.
I will tell you a story
Once upon a time there was a tanker belonging to one of the major oil companies. In case anyone thought that it was only cargo ships that tramped the oceans blue I can assure them that tankers sometimes play a similar role. This particular vessel, although it carried only cargo for it’s owners, did manage to wander about the globe somewhat.
One day this tanker managed to find itself on the west coast of South America. It had started by taking a cargo from Curacao to San Antonio in Chile and stayed on the coast for a while calling at various ports in Peru and Columbia. While on the coast, the customs had sealed the bond locker, which as all you tanker men know is under the centre castle – stewards lockers on the port side and deck stores on the starboard.
It seems that when the customs had pasted their seal on the steel door of the bond locker someone had forgotten to lock it, with the result that when the ship rolled a little the door swung wide open.
An AB on the middle watch who was returning aft from lookout on the forecastle head spotted this.
‘Well’, he thought, ‘This is an opportunity too good to miss.’
So entering the locker he gathered every alcoholic bottle he could find and removed them to his own room aft. He then jammed the door so that it couldn’t swing open again and re-stuck the paper seal.
He shared his loot with the rest of the deck crowd and by the time the locker was officially unsealed the grog had all been consumed and the empty bottles transferred to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.