[ALAN TYLER]

Usually these took place once a week, I remember the ritual of cleaning the fridges the night before and getting a bottle of rum, not forgetting overtime. Does anyone have any memories of these inspections, I remember a certain Captain (can,t remember his name) in Houlders who insisted the toilet rolls hung outwards!!!

[Sister Eleff]

He was right about that one! There is a right and wrong way to hang a toilet roll!!

[poverf]

Originally Posted by ALAN TYLER

Usually these took place once a week, I remember the ritual of cleaning the fridges the night before and getting a bottle of rum, not forgetting overtime. Does anyone have any memories of these inspections, I remember a certain Captain (can,t remember his name) in Houlders who insisted the toilet rolls hung outwards!!!

Hi the Ships i sailed on Captains inspections were on a Sunday and he also insected the cabins

[non descript]

Originally Posted by poverf

Hi the Ships i sailed on Captains inspections were on a Sunday and he also insected the cabins

I guess it takes all sorts, but to go to the trouble of putting arthropods in the cabins seems to be taking things a bit far…but then again, maybe Entomology was part of Extra Masters ?

[non descript]

Originally Posted by Sister Eleff

He was right about that one! There is a right and wrong way to hang a toilet roll!!

Is it a case of one way North of the Equator and one way South? – Certainly there seems to be a case for that, as I have never seen an albatross using toilet paper North of the Equator….

[Sister Eleff]

I don't think so Bob as I was brought up in UK and my Mum was very firm about this!! Afterall, it's the way you will find that Hotels do it too.

[Santos]

L+H was once a week and all cabins and communial spaces inspected - direction of toilet paper, depended on how much tissue paper was available from the wrappings off the fruit.

[ROBERT HENDERSON]

Originally Posted by Sister Eleff

I don't think so Bob as I was brought up in UK and my Mum was very firm about this!! Afterall, it's the way you will find that Hotels do it too.

My mother was also very strict about this. We could only use the News of THE wORLD, all squares cut to a uniform size and the string always in the top left corner.

Regards Robert

[spongebob]

Robert,that "News of the World " paper must have been luxury alongside those shiny squares of Jeyes TP

Bob

[sparkie2182]

"Entomology was part of Extra Masters"

Extra strong and thoroughly absorbant.............

[MARINEJOCKY]

alot of big words being used on this thread that I do not understand but my young American wife has the old man and Chief Steward on my first ship with Houlders to thank for my obsession of having all toilet paper rolls facing out in our five bathrooms.

As for using the News of the World for that purpose, you have it wrong, the "Times" was good for that and the News was used to pass the time especially when you were young and the gossip stories were pretty graphic.

In my yacht inspections in my present work I get some funny looks when checking the AC vent outlets. I think with Houlders it was a saturday morning inspection.

[surfaceblow]

The weekly sanitary inspections on US flag vessels I sailed on was promptly indicated in the Bridge Log and Official Logs. Most of the ships the inspections had the Captain, Chief Mate, Chief Engineer, First Assistant Engineer, Chief Steward, Bosun, and Engine Delegate. The parade would visit all of the public spaces and cabins noting all the defects of cleanliness and mechanical faults most of the time the Chief Mate would be the one taking the notes. Most of the unlicensed crew would leave their x rated magazines opened to get a rise from the parade members.

[John Rogers]

How much of a rise was that?play on words I guess.

John.

[Butters]

Weekly inspection 1030hrs. Master , Chief Officer & Chief Steward did there rounds and the entry in the official logbook of - Masters inspection of all accommodation , galley , storerooms and outhouses -all found to be in a clean and sanitary condition. Most Masters I sailed with were reasonable about what they saw but a couple were white glove experts who liked to make the Chief Stewards day a misery. For apprentices it was a challenge as the threat if anything was wrong like soap stains on the shower walls , dust or dirt under the mattress ,unwashed cutlery or the wardrobe not neat and tidy it would be shore leave stopped in the next port or the port you were in at the time . I always remember one Master brushing his hand around the bottom of a cupboard after the ship had been rolling heavily and when he removed it into daylight it was covered in honey as was the sleeve of his number one jacket - result was no shoreleave and no sub in Melbourne .

Rgds.
Butters

[Old Janner]

Yes fond memories, early days lots of hard work getting ready for the Inspection always on a Sunday,Saturday night "work up" silver dip or enamel plate and soda to clean all the EPNS silver, including tea Pots, Coffe pots, Mustard outsides, Serviete rings. Use goddards plate powder on a scrubbing brush to take all the tarnish of the tines of the forks. All the silver draws had green felt, which all had to be brushed clean, that was the Saloon.
In the galley it was not so bad just had to make sure there were no bits of debris under the cooker or behind any fitment, main place the Capatin always looked was the fridges, always had to leave one fridge board up, so that the captain could look underneath.
Cabins had to be clean, new linen on the beds with bed made, rosies emptied and no loose wires shoved into electric sockets!
Later when I was Catr/Off, much easier, walk round with the Captain, Chief Eng, Mate and the Bosun. when all finished usually up to the old mans cabin for some hors dourves and a few drinks before lunch.
Interesting point on British Flag ships I never signed the log book saying that I took part in the Inspection, yet on two Monrovian Flag ships I had to sign the log.
Some ships after the inspection up to the Captains cabin for a few drinks and the Hors Dourves, then more drinks, then the request, lets have lunch in the old mans cabin, Stewards always made a good job of that, few more drinks, missed tea, next thing its time to turn to for breakfast. Very hard life.
I must admit that the last paragraph was not uncommon on Denholms, good crews hard working, but easy going when things were running well.
Yes I miss those times.

[Pat Kennedy]

Blue Funnel, who just had to be different, held the captain's inspection every day except Sunday, at 10.30.
Captain, chief officer, chief engineer, chief steward, doctor/nurse, all processed through the accomodation, galley etc, all wearing white gloves and solemn expressions.
A ridiculous and unnecessary ritual.
Pat

[TonyAllen]

Yes Pat.I remember that very well and what a pain in the **** that was for the galley staff after breckfast cleanup, and ready to prepare for lunch the veg ect. On my first trip with Captain A K Hole he noticed a small piece of egg no bigger that a sixpence in the gash bucket and told the chef bill johnston to make sure I did my job properly.I wont tell you what bill said after they all left but believe me when I say he had a right go at the chief steward over it, inspections after that went very quickly and the galley staff were left alone.That was on the Elpenor 1955 Regards Tony

[Nick Balls]

Well Chaps its still all in the Ships official log book as being done every week !!

[Pat Thompson]

Greetings,

"The March of the Unemployed" aka "Bog Pan Gazing". I do remember one Old Man who used to "sniff the air" in the heads and complain about the "poor aim" of certain members of his ship's company.

I also remember a bit of a poem regarding rounds and if anybody can come up with the rest of it I would be eternally grateful, it goes,

The days are very simple in Ocean going ships;
There's a day for changing linen and a day for fish and chips.
But the day .... ...... ...... (Can't remember);
Is Friday, when the Captain, conducts his weekly Rounds.

Come on Chaps and Chapesses, there must be somebody out there with a copy in the darkest recesses of the loft.

[Dave Haxell]

When ever the 'unemployed' used to enter the galley on inspections, the cook on the Baltic boat I was on would always started draining fat from the fryer through a sieve into a pan. He always used to shout "mind yourselves gentlemen you might get hurt!!!" to which they would normally make themselves scarce pretty quick. Some how they never rumbled that the same thing happened every Sunday. The same cook would start drinking early in the day and always poured his 'tennents' into a pint enamel mug and proclaim loudly to all who cared to listen that he loved cold black tea. So he was often '3 sheets to the wind' by the time rounds has started.

[eldersuk]

Sunday morning, Captain's rounds. The previous evening we'd had chocolate mousse as a sweet. The bulkhead in one of the sailor's bogs was plastered with the remains of the mousse.
"Good God!" shouts the OM. "Which man did this?"
The bosun wipes his finger in it and licks it.
"Not one of our lads!"

[billyboy]

Originally Posted by eldersuk

Sunday morning, Captain's rounds. The previous evening we'd had chocolate mousse as a sweet. The bulkhead in one of the sailor's bogs was plastered with the remains of the mousse.
"Good God!" shouts the OM. "Which man did this?"
The bosun wipes his finger in it and licks it.
"Not one of our lads!"

Nice one mate. Love to have seen the skippers face

[John Dryden]

The truth is on Bank boats the cabin carpet was taken on deck and scrubbed to within an inch of it,s life then hung out to dry in the sun,it was slightly faded but so clean.

[MARINEJOCKY]

I think a certain Chief Steward who reads & posts alot on here taught me the trick of having a wet rag handy just before the old man and he came into my cadet engineers cabin to wipe the black vinyl floor edging to remove the dry white stains from the VIM.

[Phil Saul]

Originally Posted by Pat Kennedy

Blue Funnel, who just had to be different, held the captain's inspection every day except Sunday, at 10.30.
Captain, chief officer, chief engineer, chief steward, doctor/nurse, all processed through the accomodation, galley etc, all wearing white gloves and solemn expressions.
A ridiculous and unnecessary ritual.
Pat

Yes Pat, I will never forget those inspections.
I did two years as catering boy in the Peleus standing by in white jacket and dungarees while the party inspected my work.
I was dumb enough to think that one day they would tell me what a great job I was doing but all I ever got was a bollocking from the 2nd Steward and a list of things that weren't up to Bluies standard.
The benchmark was set so high that I could have worked 24/7 and it would still not be perfect.
Bluies never did inspections in port which caught me out when I joined Federal as I was having a beer at smoko in my cabin with a few of the lads when we were on the Kiwi coast, and the Mate walked in.
Cabin looked like a bomb had hit it and the 'rosie' was full of empty beer cans.
Mate was not best pleased.
Oh, happy days!!

Regards Phil