Trampships, Tankers and Polite Conversation
Experiences of the Merchant Navy during the 1950’s and 1960’s.
by
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On some ships, if the accommodation was suitable, the Captain and the Chief Engineer were allowed to have their wives join them for the voyage. The rest of us had mixed feelings about this and had to be very careful about our use of offensive language, never knowing who might be within earshot. Most of the wives were in their fifties but their number could include a much younger woman. The effect of this upon the crew, totally starved of female company, was to significantly raise the blood pressure. The sight of a skimpily dressed or bikini clad bronzed goddess padding about the ship was disconcerting, to say the least.
Senior Officers almost always had their own bathrooms or showers. On one old trampship the Chief Engineer did not and was obliged to use a communal shower room shared by all the other engineers. This was not a problem until the Chief decided to bring his young wife along for the trip. When she wanted a shower, no-one else was allowed in and the Chief would stand guard on the main door. This system worked very well until the unexpected happened one morning when the Chief told his wife he was going for a shower, and set off with a towel wrapped around his waist. On his way he visited the engineer's messroom and became involved in some lengthy discussion about a problem in the engine room.
A few minutes after he had left his cabin the Chief's wife decided to go for a stroll. Her walk took her past the showers where the sound of cascading water indicated that her husband was still involved in his ablutions. Being a fun loving girl she thought she would play a prank on him.
The Fourth Engineer was enjoying a hot soapy shower, when to his astonishment, an obviously female hand slid around the shower curtain and slowly explored his masculinity with a few gentle carresses. Then a female voice enquired, 'What do you think about that then?' The Fourth Engineer knew exactly what he thought about it but decided, very wisely, to say nothing and the hand withdrew, much to his disappointment.
The Chief Engineer's wife continued her stroll, probably puzzled at having received no reply and that her husband had apparently lost his sense of humour. Passing the engineer's messroom, to her sudden horror, she saw her husband in deep conversation with some of his colleagues.She promptly fled back to her cabin and was too embarrassed to emerge for days following.
The incident caused great hilarity amongst the whole ship's company. The Fourth Engineer's face wore a foolish smile for days; the Chief Engineer said nothing.
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About the Book
When John Lee joined the Merchant Navy he had no idea of the adventures which were to come his way over the next ten years. An innocent sixteen year old from East Yorkshire, he was first apprenticed to the toughest of trampship companies before experiencing the potentially explosive delights of life on an oil tanker.Finally, as a young officer enjoying rather more civilised surroundings, he is obliged to learn the art of polite conversation as he mixes with affluent first class passengers and takes charge of a memorable rescue at sea....
The book is a fascinating insight into life in the Merchant Navy of the 1950's and 60's peppered with a wealth of characters and stories. Often hilarious, but always truthful and entertaining, life on board and in port is described in all its facets- the typhoons, icy, bone-chilling North Atlantic gales, freak waves and near disasters, awful food and the demon drink. The stories and anecdotes come thick and fast of gnarled seadogs and eccentric captains, knife fights and bandits as well as sex pests and the beguiling females who haunt the dock gates. This entertaining book is a window on a way of life now largely gone, a tribute to that unique breed of men who put their skills and mettle to the test as they crossed the wild, unforgiving oceans of the world.
About the Author
John Lee was born in 1937 and educated at
He joined the Merchant Navy in 1954 and became a qualified Navigator in 1958. After leaving the Navy in 1964 with minor eyesight problems he trained to be a teacher. He worked in various primary schools eventually becoming a Headteacher in 1982.
After early retirement in 1992 he trained to be a marine engineer and set up his own business selling and repairing small boat engines. He spent a short period of time lecturing in marine engineering before reaching the age of 65 in 2002. He now spends most of his time on DIY projects, sailing and renovating outboard motors.