# pass that tin........



## redgreggie

i worked in catering for around five years, i hated it when i first went in, this was in 1964 or 5, i'd never seen so many potatoes in my life..........."how many do you want peeling".........."what, all of them?" anyway i got use to it and started to enjoy the life, i still use to hate chip day as we always needed more potatoes on that day.anyway galley life did become good, i worked with people who were fantastic cooks and bakers, but there was one thing that has always mystyfied me........ i would be busilly working away and all of a sudden the cook would shout, "pass that tin", not knowing what he was referring to i would automatically ask, "what tin"................ then would come his reply "the tin"..etc. i have spoke to someone who was in the merchant navy but he worked on deck and didn't know what i was on about..........do you........or am i imagining things, did the alcohol addle my brain that much. anybody know what i'm on about?


----------



## tell

the tin that rin tin tin s**t in, ha ha fancy falling for that one


----------



## redgreggie

*thanks tell*

that phrase has been a source of amusement for many a year. i used to tell my sons about things that we got up to, what amazing people i had the pleasure to meet and sail with. what fantastic food that the cooks and bakers would turn out for us, i often make my own bread to this day.
i would catch my sons out with the phrase, they would be in the kitchen and i would shout " bring us that tin on your way back in", invariably they would fall for it, " what tin", they'd reply, as soon as they had said it you could tell they knew that they had fallen for it from the muffled mutterings that followed.
they would try to catch me out but never succeeded,. i should hope not after all the times and all the cooks and bakers that caught me with it.
my eldest son lives near to warrington and i think it is the manchester ship canal that runs by, just nearby there is a lock and my son assures me that ships do actually pass through it, i said to him that if an english ship is ever in there what we should do is .......he stand at one end of the lock i at the other, i would shout "pass that tin", he would shout "what tin", and see if anyone from the ship could finish it off? what do you think? nice talking to you and thanks, it's brought a smile to my face. also it's nice to hear that someone who worked on deck understood it. i worked for ellerman wilson, utd. baltic corp. federal steam navigation, shell tankers(1), houlder bros, brookline shipping (coaster) and north sea ferries. i only stayed in for five years and then married........but i'm so glad i did the few years that i did!
regards, ray


----------



## Pat McCardle

redgreggie said:


> that phrase has been a source of amusement for many a year. i used to tell my sons about things that we got up to, what amazing people i had the pleasure to meet and sail with. what fantastic food that the cooks and bakers would turn out for us, i often make my own bread to this day.
> i would catch my sons out with the phrase, they would be in the kitchen and i would shout " bring us that tin on your way back in", invariably they would fall for it, " what tin", they'd reply, as soon as they had said it you could tell they knew that they had fallen for it from the muffled mutterings that followed.
> they would try to catch me out but never succeeded,. i should hope not after all the times and all the cooks and bakers that caught me with it.
> my eldest son lives near to warrington and i think it is the manchester ship canal that runs by, just nearby there is a lock and my son assures me that ships do actually pass through it, i said to him that if an english ship is ever in there what we should do is .......he stand at one end of the lock i at the other, i would shout "pass that tin", he would shout "what tin", and see if anyone from the ship could finish it off? what do you think? nice talking to you and thanks, it's brought a smile to my face. also it's nice to hear that someone who worked on deck understood it. i worked for ellerman wilson, utd. baltic corp. federal steam navigation, shell tankers(1), houlder bros, brookline shipping (coaster) and north sea ferries. i only stayed in for five years and then married........but i'm so glad i did the few years that i did!
> regards, ray


That should read 'BRITISH SHIP' Ray, don't forget the Jocks, Taffs & Paddy's. No offence, forgot Geordies too!!


----------



## Pat McCardle

How many deck boys went down the Engine room for a bucket of steam, collected food waste for the Panama mules etc? (Thumb)


----------



## redgreggie

many apologies, i stand corrected, it should say british ships, also i am very poor at using capital letters, only because i'm fed up of leaving "CAPS LOCK" on and then having to delete a load of waffle!
i was sent up to the first officer for the hymn books on sunday, to the chief engineer for a spanish handpump, the cook sent me on each occassion, this was cause he was fed up of having to wait for me to peel more potatoes.......i suspect!


----------



## Marcus Cardew

Ron B Manderson said:


> These things have a habit of back firing .
> We sent a app in the elect trade for a left handle hammer. He came back with one from wholesalers .
> Yip a panelbeaters hammer. Boss no to please with the bill .
> also the" lang stand " Aye just wait there a minute .


The Lecky I sailed with on the 'Alaunia' (my first trip), regaled us about the occasion he was on the QE1 (4 Turbines, 6 Boiler Rooms, 100's down below...) , and went to get a hammer from the engine room storekeeper, only to be told 'It's Out!'..............


----------



## trotterdotpom

I pointed out the flying fish to a first trip Junior engineer who must have been worn out by all the tricks: "Don't give me that ****, I know they're birds," he snapped!

John T.


----------



## R58484956

QE1, 4 boiler rooms, 12 boilers, 12 turbines, 2 engine rooms


----------



## John Rogers

There was also the Old Board Joke Wheres the Board??? Monkey and cat.


----------



## John Rogers

*John Rogers*

Yes Ron I heard about that thru the grapevine,never ventured those places always went to the mission to seaman, Wow (EEK) (*))  what was that crash of thunder,(maybe I told a whopper) (Thumb) . Sandy place?? Port Said or Alexandria maybe.


----------



## Paul Murphy

What about the young guy who was sent for 'humming oil for a generator' and didn't reappear for four hours...without above mentioned ...and believed his career to be at an end because of his failure.


----------



## janbonde

it is to do with rin tin I was deck/bridge and we knew about it but kept quiet


----------



## oldbosun

*The tin*

Ahhh....................you must mean "the tin that Rin-tin-tin spit in" Right? well almost right. (*))


----------



## Mick Spear

I still catch people out when doing a bit of ship spotting on the **** end: "I'm glad i'm not on that one" Why says the boy? "cos all my gear is on here!!"

One of note is: I remember i was 2nd Steward and we had a gay Purser, and i sent the Galley boy up to him with a errand. Ask the boss if he's got a "bona dish?" (camp palaree for nice ****) The lad never took me serious again after that.

Mick S


----------



## unsteadyken

Och the Panama donkeys, how could I have forgotten them. The buggers set me up a treat, by the time the Hinnites arrived i had two big dixies full o carefully sorted bread scraps one with crusts and one with just the soft bits "cos some o them poor cuddies hinna got any teeth and they canna chew the hard bits" and the roar when I appeared on deck with them. Aye, very funny lads.


----------



## kenneth crosby

and then there was the left handed spanner for the hobart, god i suppose the list is endless,happy days


----------



## beejay

Sending a first tripper down to the 3/E for along wait, a population rod or a womb expander.
Regards Brian.


----------



## KIWI

On Stratheden a first tripper J/E ex railway workshops was asked to go down the shaft tunnels & inspect the sand boxes.This he did. Kiwi


----------



## Terry Willcox

I was Galley Boy on my first trip to sea on the Port Pirie in 1964. On our return we were in thick fog coming up the channel, I was cooking porrage on the range when all of a sudden a brick wall sailed into us, ( Dover Harbour ) the pots went flying, and I think I broke the record for getting out of the Galley and onto the deck. They were thinking of scrapping the ship after that. ..Take care Terry


----------



## Volunteer

*The key.*

Another one was to send a sprog for the 'Key to the keelson'. If I remember correctly.


----------



## gorach

Getting sent to the freezer for chicken lips to garnish the soup,


----------



## jg grant

Heading out to the far East on RFA Retainer. Lots of first trippers on board and all were urged to get there mail written and ready for the helicopter pick up when we turned the corner at Gib! That was a sight to see. Also they had to be prepared to feel the bump as we crossed the line. HeHe. Regards Ronnie


----------



## willie struth

what about the "SPARELASH" on the focs;tle ?!!.


----------



## Klaatu83

I recently had dinner with a lady friend in a restaurant that actually included "bread pudding" on the menu. She wanted to order it because she had never heard of it before and assumed it must be something exotic. I simply couldn't resist mentioning that it was actually a dish that I had frequently encountered on shipboard, and that it's appearance was invariably a sign that the bread was beginning to go stale!


----------

