Topic: Loading sugar in the 1950s. (Read 15433 times)

Traddles · « **on:** January 10, 2010, 15:51:59 »

I found this picture amongst my store of photos. It shows sailing lighters alongside my ship in the harbour of St. Johns, Antigua, West Indies. The lighters were real sailing vessels with no engines, just a couple of large oars, which were hardly ever used as the lightermen were very skilled sailors. They would bring one of these alongside with scarcely a bump. You can see the drinking water barrel in the stern. I used to wonder if it was not liberally laced with rum.

IRI5HJ4CK · « **Reply #1 on:** January 12, 2010, 23:02:57 »

Wow, that's really interesting. Thanks for posting that! - I always find the past interesting, especially knowing someone who has been there, and done it.

Thanks for sharing

Jack.

Stuart2007 · « **Reply #2 on:** January 13, 2010, 01:33:34 »

Hi Angus

Could we perhaps tempt you to post a few more photos? I agree with Jack- and it's FAR more interesting than watching a modern container terminal!!!

McGherkin · « **Reply #3 on:** January 13, 2010, 07:47:43 »

Quote from: Stuart2007 on January 13, 2010, 01:33:34

Hi Angus

Could we perhaps tempt you to post a few more photos? I agree with Jack- and it's FAR more interesting than watching a modern container terminal!!!

I second that!

Sn0w · « **Reply #4 on:** January 13, 2010, 13:59:40 »

wow very interesting picture!

thank you for uploading that

Traddles · « **Reply #5 on:** January 13, 2010, 15:04:14 »

Thanks for the kind comments folks. You have prompted me to do some searching.

here are a few more for you. A general cargo ship in those days carried anything you could possibly think of, usually just stowed loosely by stevedores, by hand, without pallets and certainly without containers, which had not appeared then.

No.1 A sailing lighter returning to shore empty.

No.2 Chief officer Graeme Cubbin tending a race horse. Deck cargo for Trinidad. This man later became Master and the Marine Superintendent of the company. He also is the author of "Harrisons of Liverpool" a definitive history of the Company.

No. 3 A refuse lorry being loaded at Liverpool for the West Indies.

No.4. A rowing lighter taking offloaded cargo ashore at St.Vincent, West Indies. ( I think that is where it is, but my memory gets a little rusty, Like Me

No.5. A passenger coach for Rhodesia Railways being discharged from our after deck by our own 40ton jumbo derrick (we didn't use tonnes then) at Beira, Mozambique, (Portuguese East Africa then)

Rhodesia is of course now Zimbabwe, (No comment

)

Traddles · « **Reply #6 on:** January 13, 2010, 15:47:04 »

On a lighter note.

King Neptune (and his Mrs.) struggling down the foredeck on crossing the line. Climbing over the lashings and chocks was an everyday pastime.

Stuart2007 · « **Reply #7 on:** January 13, 2010, 15:50:58 »

Definately more interesting than the 'sterile' much-the-same-ness [sic] of a modern container ship! Railway carriages and horses... You don't get that on the Emma Maersk!

Angus, when you say 'the line' do you mean the International Date Line, or the Equator, some other nautical term, or the queue for the harbour Pub?

Traddles · « **Reply #8 on:** January 13, 2010, 15:56:10 »

Stuart, the "Line" is always the Equator. In the picture the M.V. "Herdsman" was outward bound to South Africa from Birkenhead. Deck cargo, four oil tank wagons for Rhodesia Railways, 2 on the foredeck and 2 on the after deck.

McGherkin · « **Reply #9 on:** January 13, 2010, 15:57:25 »

Like those pictures!

Love to have been on that lighter in the first pic!

Stuart2007 · « **Reply #10 on:** January 13, 2010, 16:01:41 »

Sorry Angus, forgive my ignorance.

I wonder if it's still traditional to perform any celebrations when crossing the equator these days.

Traddles · « **Reply #11 on:** January 13, 2010, 16:07:23 »

I'm sure that cruise ships in particular still have the ceremony of crossing the line. Mostly we didn't bother but that particular trip there were an awful lot of greenhorns aboard and the Old Man decided it was appropriate. The dunking pool was built just aft of the scene you can see. An old canvas tarpaulin on a dunnage wood frame was enough. The poor chaps who were subjected to Neptunes ministrations were in a very sorry state after it was over. Engine oil, red lead paint and grease from head to foot. YUK.

Quite cruel really, but "if you can't take a joke--------".

Tomaten · « **Reply #12 on:** January 13, 2010, 16:47:23 »

Interesting storys and pics mate!

Ballast · « **Reply #13 on:** January 13, 2010, 19:19:36 »

Neptunes still comes on board when young sailors pass the line for the first time!

Stuart2007 · « **Reply #14 on:** January 13, 2010, 19:30:19 »

Quote from: Ballast on January 13, 2010, 19:19:36

Neptunes still comes on board when young sailors pass the line for the first time!

Only if they are stupid enought to admit it's their first voyage...

Angus, can you imagine them doing that now? grease, red lead, oil... "H&S, human rights..."

mvsmith · « **Reply #15 on:** January 13, 2010, 20:46:00 »

The nonsense is also taken seriously aboard oceanographic research vessels. After all, R/V stands for Recreational Vehicle, right?
One also receives a wallet card to carry so that one does not have to repeat the exercise.

McGherkin · « **Reply #16 on:** January 13, 2010, 20:53:23 »

Quote from: mvsmith on January 13, 2010, 20:46:00

The nonsense is also taken seriously aboard oceanographic research vessels. After all, R/V stands for Recreational Vehicle, right?
One also receives a wallet card to carry so that one does not have to repeat the exercise.

Ballast · « **Reply #17 on:** January 13, 2010, 20:59:27 »

Quote from: Stuart2007 on January 13, 2010, 19:30:19

Only if they are stupid enought to admit it's their first voyage...

You can't fool Neptunes, since he writes every name in his book!

Harring that's been dead for a week or 2, is a good replacement for red lead and such. It's biodegradable

mvsmith · « **Reply #18 on:** January 13, 2010, 21:28:06 »

Hi Ballast,

On a biologic expedition, there is always some icky stuff from a plankton tow or a midwater trawl. It is biodegradable, and you are the bio that gets to degrade it.

Regards,
Marty

Stuart2007 · « **Reply #19 on:** January 13, 2010, 21:33:22 »

Rotten herring or oil/grease red lead???

And you lot go to sea by your own free will???

I've often thought you all mad; now I know it!

Ballast · « **Reply #20 on:** January 13, 2010, 21:55:45 »

Quote from: mvsmith on January 13, 2010, 21:28:06

Hi Ballast,

On a biologic expedition, there is always some icky stuff from a plankton tow or a midwater trawl. It is biodegradable, and you are the bio that gets to degrade it.

Regards,
Marty

Whehe, and i always thought the crew of a R/V was too serious for stuff like that!

It proves again, that you can't judge stuff without being there.

Quote from: Stuart2007 on January 13, 2010, 21:33:22

Rotten herring or oil/grease red lead???

And you lot go to sea by your own free will???

I've often thought you all mad; now I know it!

No worries, you'll be washed down thoroughly with the fire hose afterwards. Just to wash off the greenhorn slime

Season · « **Reply #21 on:** January 13, 2010, 22:46:25 »

Very interesting pictures, thank you a LOT for sharing them!

Capt. Matt · « **Reply #22 on:** January 13, 2010, 22:57:26 »

Wow...Thats really interesting, always nice to hear stories from the "Old Days", no offence Traddles

Great Pictures

Matt

Stuart2007 · « **Reply #23 on:** January 13, 2010, 23:36:48 »

Quote from: Ballast on January 13, 2010, 21:55:45

No worries, you'll be washed down thoroughly with the fire hose afterwards. Just to wash off the greenhorn slime

Hmmm. I think if a fellow crew member came near me with water, grease/oil/slime then he would be going swimming... Head first... Though a traditional tot of rum would be just splendid.

Traddles · « **Reply #24 on:** January 14, 2010, 15:31:12 »

This would cool their courage. Batumi, Georgia, USSR. Awaiting some kind of action to discharge grain in bulk into those boxcars. No.1. Looking at pictures on Google Earth, the same cranes are still there.

Leningrad, USSR in November, 1975. Also kind of cool. No.2.

Author Topic: Loading sugar in the 1950s. (Read 15433 times)

mvsmith

mvsmith