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Captains Inspections

8K views 41 replies 32 participants last post by  Mick Spear 
#1 ·
Anybody remember much about these?It seems to me they occurred at sea once a week,with Captains and Chief Officers either showing little interest or down to a fine tooth comb[white gloves]I remember Captain Jackson Mathura and Clifford-Hicks being very strict with us apprentices.Hvaing said that it did no harm.Any memories from Brocklebanks?

Mike
 
#7 ·
remember well my first trip with Bankline , had only joined a matter of hours when this rather large barefoot person entered my cabin wearing a string vest and a grubby pair of
empire builders quote" hows it goin sparks just doing my inspection ,beer in my cabin in a minute ok". My type of inspection- eat yer heart out all the bull**** companies
 
#8 ·
used to have them on PSNC amongst others, remember one Sunday morning Captain, cheif Eng cheif stwd, second steward and any one else with a uniform doing their inspection, got to one of the ABs cabin 12 to 4 watch i think, Captain knocked on the door and opened it to find the AB still in his bunk asleep who woke up to hear the Captain say "Cabin inspection" the AB (SCOUSE) replied F***K off and make a appointment? Captain closed the door and carried on with his inspection and nothing more was said !! (Night)
 
#10 ·
It was on Sunday mornings on Furness Withy & Prince Line. The apprentices got Saturday afternoon off to clean up their shacks which was a nice break from the 18 hours on / stay on routine. Had to keep the parrots a couple of cabins ahead of the Old Man on the "Tudor Prince".
 
#11 ·
remember once the old man ran his white gloved fingers along the top of my cabin door and got them dirty. i was not rated as popular over that either with him or the chief. never mind, i learnt from the experience ... LOl
 
#13 ·
Keltic Star said:
It was on Sunday mornings on Furness Withy & Prince Line. The apprentices got Saturday afternoon off to clean up their shacks which was a nice break from the 18 hours on / stay on routine. Had to keep the parrots a couple of cabins ahead of the Old Man on the "Tudor Prince".
Yes Siree, I well remember Baie Como, Quebec: we tied up opposite a Spanish ship and managed to buy x amounts of bottles of Spanish brandy for $C1.00 each...party my cabin! Result was a thick tongue in the morning...Sunday...there were pop dispensing machines on the jetty and I decided to go and taste some, just to take the fur from the back of my throat...you understand? Just before I left my cabin I noticed a load of empty bottles sticking out of my waste bin and a few lying around the deck...I had a sudden inspiration to hide the evidence...which I did. I duly got my drink and I was ambling back to the ship when I met up with the Skipper & Johnny the One...The Skipper made a point of walking up to me and bellowing...it's Sunday...I replied I was well aware of the fact, thank you...then he bellowed..."Sunday! Captain's inspection day...at sea or in port...YOU-DIDN'T-MAKE-YOUR-BUNK!" That could be a logging offence Johnny chipped in...Yes, Sirs! As we walked in opposite directions I head one say...I wonder why he was grinning like a Cheshire Cat...even when we threatened the logging? If only they had known...if only I hadn't picked up those bottles...if...if...if...Vix (Night)
 
#14 ·
Captains inspections were one of my least favourite chores.
They were required as were board of trade sports, by company regulations or law to be done.
The inspections were mainly to see that there were no safety or fire hazards nor damage to the ships property.
The only people that were given special attention were the cadets.
Many had had their mummies looking after all their needs and having to clean and do laundry was a new acheivement.
The others were to see the latest Pin Ups from Penthouse ect and have a chat with crew members to see how things were going etc.
 
#15 ·
Not Merchant Marine but Naval in this case, same inspection. In mid-60s was berthed in a two officer cabin upper berth on a 3500 ton Destroyer Escort. Whenever we would have to get up at 0200ish for the General Quarters alarm I would smack my head on a thwartships pipe over my bunk. Cured that by wrapping it in foam. Next Executive Officer's Cabin Inspection, weekly, he said with that foam up there our cabin would flunk inspection, secretly he understood my reason. With tongue in cheek I sort of said "so be it". So, also with tongue in cheek, he told the Yeoman accompanying him to flunk our cabin for the next year straight, and we did flunk for a year. Neat little warship and crew! Bouncing up and down as only 3500 tons squashed into 350 feet can do! Alan Hill Bridgeport, Pa. USA
 
#16 ·
If my memory serves correctly Captain's inspections on Brocklebank ships were carried out on a Sunday morning. On the Mahseer in 1963 I remember being told that on one inspection the Master (Gobby) Nuttall placed a penny on the top of a wardrobe in the apprentices cabin, presumably to check whether it was dusted regularly or not. When he made a visit the following week it had been replaced by two halfpennies. He was not best pleased and extra duties were the reward!. The rest of the officers had a great laugh and the apprentices were rewarded with a few tins of the amber liquid.

John
 
#17 ·
Hi John,

Gobby hadn't changed then! I did my first trip on the Mahseer as a rookie Chota Marconi Sahib, sailing from London in April 1963 so I guess it was the voyage before you. The Burrah Marconi Sahib was Harry Jefferson, a great character, but the Master, John (aka Gobby) Nuttall was something else again. He had a huge girth and the Calcutta tailors used to say "Eeh-Captain Nuttall, eeh biggest gut in all eeh-Brocklibank!" I used to avoid going "upstairs" to the bridge whenever possible when he was around.

= salaams es bv = John/GWZM + VA
 
#18 ·
Capt Gob Nutall was Master on my first trip on "Malancha" in 1956. He could only be described as a bully to all on the ship.

In later years when I was a Pilot on the Tees I always vowed if ever I had to pilot his ship I would frighten him to death without actually doing any damage.

Anyway it never happened as I was never on his ship and probably I would have chickened out anyway!!!
----------------------------------
Salaams,
Tony C
 
#19 ·
On Somerset inspection was on a Thursday. With the ship being I.D.F. articles we, the deck & catering crew, got 1 hours overtime for seeing that all was OK. ie Carpet swept, bunks made & ALL brass fittings were painted over!! All dead lights were big & brass aswell as all door steps. Some went through as if we were all 'S*** of the earth'.(The P&O Wallahs) The 'Real' NZSCo & FSNCo men knew the score & kept it!! Whatever happened to likes of Cap'ns Sandy Stalker & Brian Austen-Smith (or was that Smythe?) Great ship, Great crew. May the departed souls be forever guided by fair winds & clam seas (Thumb)
 
#21 ·
Captain's Inspection

Frank P said:
Hi Pat,
an interesting story you have told, but what does I.D.F. mean????

Frank
One BP tanker...BR Industry...had half deck crew from Grimsby...all ex fishermen...and proud of it. One in particular used to bait the skipper with his pin-ups. He would cut out, and stick on the bulhead by his bunk, any picture or advert for TAMPAX. The skipper bailed him up one day and asked..."Why?" the answer was..."Because!" The skipper was seen to walk away shaking his head and muttering...it takes all types...the Skipper was E. J. (Killer) Simpson.
 
#22 ·
Captains Inspection

In Shaw Savill it was I think Thursday for the inspection. We use to carry dogs out for Krufts as deck cargo.

As a bit of a dog lover I used to take pity on one and usually it ended with me in my cabin. This time on the Waipawa I had a nice black Lab and since I was on the 12 _ 4 I usually was asleep when in inspection took place.

The dog in its usually postion on the day bed and when the captain stuck his head in the door all hell let loose. The dog was going to have him.Hence to say the dog was confined to its kennel from there on. But at least it caused a laugh or too.
 
#24 ·
Bill thanks for the explanation,
I mostly worked on Norwegian and German ships, so I am not familiar with alot of the British abbreviations.
On the Norwegian ships that I worked on, the Captains inspection did not happen on a set day, by doing it that way the crew could not prepare their cabins the night before, everything had to be reasonable all the time.
As for the Captains being good or bad, all the Norwegian Captains and Officers that I worked with had worked their way up from Deckboy to Captain so I think that they were more in touch with the crew and what was going on onboard.

Frank
 
#26 ·
Raybnz's dog story reminded me of returning to the ship one night in Bombay. A trader outside the gate sold me a couple of Java Sparrows that were probably as drunk as I was - they ran up my arm and went to sleep under my shirt collar.

I had a book shelf in my cabin which I turned into a bird house but it turns out that Java Sparrows are nasty b******s when they're sober - I couldn't get near them, but I was lumbered with them.

Needless to say, on the first Captain's inspection they were discovered and they had to go. Fortunately the Old Man was a bit of a bird lover and he let me keep them until we got to the next port. Unfortunately, after a nightmare time chasing the birds through the porthole, I looked out and saw a couple of soaring kites with what appeared to be grins on their faces.

I hope they made it and learned the perils of strong drink.

John T.
 
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