R/Os in port

[Richard]

Did R/Os keep a radio watch while in port? While in port were orders from Head Office or wherever, transmitted over the air, or was some other form of communication used?

[Wismajorvik]

Most ports prohibited transmissions on HF/MF while the vessel was in port. In some ports the radio room was sealed to prevent radio communications. Normally all communications would be via the local shipping agent.

[Chris Isaac]

The R/O was generally ashore.

[Hawkey01]

Richard,

As Wismajorvik says it was actually against regulations to use the Radio room whilst in port. Also on conventional cargo vessels with aerials strung between masts and stays these would have been lowered for cargo working. On tankers of course whilst loading/discharging it was very much taboo and a safety hazard.
In certain ports the radio room would have been locked and sealed by the authorities. Seem to remember in China in the 60's we even had Red-Guards guarding the Radio room and other areas of the ship.
Also in many Arab countries there were restrictions on the ships Bond and also pornographic material was a definite no, and had to be locked away. The fines could be very severe.

Neville - Hawkey01

[Hawkey01]

Now! Now! Chris. True it maybe, first down the gangway.

Neville

[Tony Selman]

As has been previously stated you could not transmit in port, however, dependant upon the country you could receive in port. In the days when the Area Scheme was at its height messages were transmitted blind by either Portishead, or the area station, and continued until you sent a QSL. I have done this on many occasion, an example usually being the receipt of orders that the Captain/Company did not want to come through agent channels. This method was also sometimes more efficient than an erratic agent and/or erratic cable service in some countries.
I did once transmit under Captain's orders whilst in port. On my last trip in Brocklebank's we were on charter to Mitsui and whilst in Nagoya, I think, the Captain wanted to get a message to Head Office without the charterer knowing what was said - were having some charter related problem or other. I advised him that there was a very good chance we would be monitored by a Japanese H/F coast station and I would be censured for it. He said he would take responsibility for it and after he had signed the log to that effect I sent the message direct to Portishead. Quite easy with a 1000 watt transmitter through whip aerials.

[Varley]

I say! Are those deck chaps trying to get at us?

[Richard]

Originally Posted by Varley

I say! Are those deck chaps trying to get at us?

Not at all Varley. I just couldn't remember what you chaps did in port.

[ShipwreckX]

Originally Posted by Chris Isaac

The R/O was generally ashore.

Or pressed into typing ship paperwork.

[Chris Isaac]

Originally Posted by ShipwreckX

Or pressed into typing ship paperwork.

I sometimes managed to persuade one to help draw cargo plans.
I think that they enjoyed doing some "colouring in".

[Chris Isaac]

Originally Posted by Richard

Did R/Os keep a radio watch while in port? While in port were orders from Head Office or wherever, transmitted over the air, or was some other form of communication used?

Back in 60s/70s the aerials had to come down to facilitate crane work.

[Lewis]

In Long Beach, our R/O was off down the gangway as soon as the ship docked. Unfortunately, this was before US Customs and Immigration had come aboard. Caused no end of consternation among the officials. He was returned an hour and a half later in the back of a police car and luckily only given a severe talking to.

[Wismajorvik]

Further to my previous. First time at Banias the radio room was locked and sealed. On a subsequent visit certain dodgy items were placed in the radio room prior to arrival. however on this occasion only the main ac breaker was sealed and these items were quickly re-distributed.
While working on shore in a country with destroyed infrastructure where telegrams could take ten days and always corrupted, phone calls had to be booked in advance and were routed through half a dozen intermediate stations, poor quality etc. I used to drive to a clapped out Panamanian tug which had Oceanspan/Atalanta and communicate via HF with Singapore Radio. The nearest coast station was MF only and I assumed they would not pick up my transmissions. At sea I also believed in first down the gang plank and a few times made contact with the appropriate pilotage authority in order to return to the ship as late as possible.

[Shelterdeck]

I have transmitted in port on a number of occasions. One time, in Freetown, stinking hot night alonside at Pepel loading iron ore, was given a message and told to pass it to Freetown Radio on the VHF and never mind the cost. Called up, got answer and laboriously dictated the long message to them, and got them to repeat it back. Took over an hour. Then they asked what they should do with it. I said send it to London. "How, they asked, this is the steam tug Freetown!" I gave up, and sent it to Portishead on HF. No-one ever said anything!
After Stacoms came in, communications continued all the time, in or out of port. Where one time, they would have a captain's conference deciding whether or not to send a 10 word MSG, the new line of thinking seemed to be "Why bother with ten or twenty words, when several hundred will do just as well!"
One day at Galveston Bar whilst pumping oil from a VLCC into my own ship, on lightering duties, the captain gave me a pile of messages to send to head office in London, plus the US agents, and another lot in Europe. I started off at about 1400 hours. As the afternoon wore on, the captain would keep appearing to see how I was getting on. Whilst on the last message at about 1600, an officer came and handed me a short SLT, that I commenced to send after the last MSG. Captain arrives "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he shouts, "We're pumping oil, are you trying to get us all blown to pieces?" I pointed out that I had been at it for over two hours sending his messages. "That was company business!" was the reply. So, I took it that it was OK for us all to be blown to bits on company business (that left us exposed to possible explosion for two hours plus), but not for a short SLT, that only required two minutes to send! (Flexirule)
After satcoms came it, one captain in particular suggested on a number of occasions that I cleared off when we docked, and stopped in a hotel until we were due to sail. It may have been because my wife was aboard, but it may also have been to keep the company off his back for a few days. Another captain jocularly asked me why I didn't get a wheelbarrow, one day in Cape Town. "What for?" I asked, "to bring all those bloody messages down in," he replied!
Most exhausting work I ever did in Port was in San Pedro, West Africa, aboard the Bandama. We were two weeks in port loading logs and coffee. The 2nd R/O and myself did 6 hours on, 6 hours off down Nr. 1 hold, supervising the loading of bagged coffee beans right from the bottom of the hold to the top. Rush mats against all the bare steelwork, ventilation channels at regular intervals, bridging them over with more bags every six feet up, so it didn't collapse the channels, and keeping an eye on the dockers (who incidentally workd very hard for very low pay). After it was all complete, we sailed for Marseilles where, on discahrge, it was all found to be in perfect condition. They gave us $20 each in greatful thanks
Also tallied citrus coming out of the holds in the old Richmond Castle. That was quite pleasant Dakar, as it was hot outside, but coll down below with the chilled citrus.
For three monts in the Falkalnds, kept a bridge watch whilst at anchor (that was most of thebtime) as our two liitle ships HMS Brecon and HMS Ledbury were doing their thing with the mine clearance. Did four hours on, 16 off with mate, 2nd mate, 3rd mat and a chief petty officer RN. Some watches were very peaceful with nothing much hapenning, others were all go, especially in the daytime with flying ops (we had a wasp helicopter), stores, transfers, communications, constant vigilance against dragging anchor in hurricane winds, they we did from time to time. All the radio communications was looked after by the RN (eleven of them in total). Also oversaw a group of chief engineers taking their written exam papers aboard the St. Helena in Cape Town. It was in the dining saloon. One of them wanted to go and get his calculator half way through, but I wouldn't let him! I phoned the captain, who was good enough to find one for him to use, and bring it down, as I was not prepared to leave them to their own devices for one second
Final job that I did in port before quitting the sea, was crawling about at the bottom of St. Helena's cargo hold to withdraw and grease the log probe.
All good fun!
Bob

[Troppo]

I happen to know of one R/O who went on a run ashore in Japan.

He ran into a Cathay Pacific 747 crew at a bar up the road. A great time was had by all.

Arrangements were made for a sked on HF the next day, when the aircraft was en route UK.

The R/O's ship was fitted with a KH "Zeeland" main tx...with continuous freq coverage....it covered the aviation bands nicely...

A sked was conducted from the wharf....for about an hour....a nice chat was had with the pilots and a couple of hosties....


He still laughs when he thinks about it....

[sibby]

On the Bamenda Palm when I sailed on her r/o's did cargo watches to supplement their income.

[BobClay]

I visited a Russian ship in Madras in the 70's after they had asked to borrow one of our Walport films ('Get Carter,' rather more exciting than their films so they told me.) The sparks took me on a tour of their radio station, and I was surprised to see another sparky keeping a listening watch ! I presumed they used some sort of blind transmission system as did Portishead back in the day.

It was a general cargo ship but it had a huge water cooled main transmitter ! ... bit different from my Bank Boat.

Then we started drinking .... .... I tell you if the cold war had been about who could drink the most, the Russians would have won it hands down ...

[Quiney]

On Bookers and Geest I did cargo watches (nice little earner) usually fine goods in No.1 hold.
Whilst up the Gulf on a Bank boat (Fish class) I had arranged for telex messages to be received by a sister ship still at anchor, then re-transmit them blind to me. I had managed to get them to seal the main transmitter power supply only, telling them I needed the radio room for office work. The guards nearly had a dicky fit when they heard the telex one day! but again I blagged it once they had checked the transmitter seal.

[Engine Serang]

Sparkies job in port was to go up the town and seek out drinking dens for the lads to relax in after pulling units etc.

His job at sea was to get my Pay-Off Marconigram.

[Tony Selman]

One of the first jobs I always had after berthing was to go ashore and phone the nurses home, telephone exchange etc and see if we could get the occupants of said places down for a party. This obviously depended on the port you were in as in some countries the prospect was not very desirable. However, in what should be referred to to as 'The Former Empire' in many cases it was a very successful pastime. Two stories specifically come to mind. My most successful sortie ashore was in Singapore when we were carrying Jet A1 for the US Airforce in the Vietnam war and we were waiting to lighten into a smaller tanker. I went to the British Military Hospital (we still had one then) and immediately found a nurse who came from Exeter, as I did, and the rest was a doddle. Two great parties even though we had to bring them out on the agents launch. Secondly, somewhere in Oz, but I can't remember the port, we had a phone on board and I picked it up to get through to the nurses home and spoke to the operator. She said "why?" and I said I wanted to arrange a party. She said I am not putting that call through, we have been waiting for you blokes to arrive and we will be down tonight. I actually had quite a good track record with this task, got better over time I suppose. Happy Days.

[Troppo]

It was 1984 and we were alongside in Osaka on the Baron Murray/GWES - a 30000T Geared Bulkie, on bareboat charter to the Australian National Line.

I was in the radio room (yes, really...I was fixing a weather fax) and the 2nd mate burst in. "Quick, get changed and come up the road with me!" "Why?" I asked. "Never mind! Just make it quick!"

We jump in a taxi, and I manage to get him to tell me what the hell is going on...

Apparently he had met a group of English dancers up the road the night before and had arranged to meet them that morning.

I just sat there open mouthed....

Sure enough, at the appointed place and time, we met 6 luscious 20-something English girls....

Naturally, we invited them back on board....

I still shake my head and smile wistfully at the memories...

[Hawkey01]

Amazing what you find. I was looking for something yesterday and came across a load of old papers among which was this bill. In DD in Sunderland at the time and we decided to have a party. Who to ask - the suggestion was the office girls from - British Wire Ropes - think that was the company. So I was sent off to purchase some liquid refreshment. The attached is the bill. How things have changed. This was 1965.

Neville

[Tony Selman]

Neville, good prices indeed. What were the girls like? What is that drink in the middle where the fold is? 2.5 doz. S Arm. Is this a local brew? I presume it is a beer but never heard of it.

[Hawkey01]

Tony,

I have no remembrance of the girls.
I think that the S. Arm was beer called StrongArm. Probably one of Scottish and Newcastle's brews.
Maybe I should do a price comparison now.

Neville

[Gulpers]

Amazing prices Neville!

Look at the last item, 80 Senior Service - I don't smoke, but I don't believe you'd get four packets of ciggies nowadays for the total price you paid!