# Hell on Earth



## fredw

Spud Bashing on the Vindicatrix in Jan 1956, and being permanently hungry!! You know it! cheers FredW


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## Ray Mac

fredw said:


> Spud Bashing on the Vindicatrix in Jan 1956, and being permanently hungry!! You know it! cheers FredW


All worth it when you joined your first trip on a voyage of discovery(Thumb)B\)(Read)


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## ALAN TYLER

"Spud Bashing" on my first trip, with a heaving deck beneath my feet and trying to use a right-handed peeler when I was left-handed. No Spud peeling machine, just me as I was told very soon in my career!!
Still peel everything with my right hand to this day.


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## fredw

My first trip was on a tanker from Isle of Grain to Liverpool. It took all of 5 days in heavy weather. I caused a lot of amusement by turning up in my brand new Vindi uniform. First and last time I ever wore it (although the "piss jackets" came in handy!)
I gave it to an Arab gentleman in the Suez Canal in exchange for a tablecloth. I think his name was George Robey--very good man!!

Strange though, I never did get to sail in a passenger ship, only tankers and the odd tramp ship. I have no regrets, I`d do it all again. Must go, my bladder is filling up with emotion! cheers fred.


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## sagalout

5 dust bins of spuds & 2 of onions remember it well. Just as well I had a case of beer [1 shilling a can ] to get me thru it all


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## fredw

sagalout said:


> 5 dust bins of spuds & 2 of onions remember it well. Just as well I had a case of beer [1 shilling a can ] to get me thru it all


Barclays Red or Blue can?
After the first trip to Liverpool (5 day run job) it was back home on the train. My Mother thought I`d jumped ship! Happy Days!


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## R396040

Never peeled spuds on Vindy 1947 but first trip was galleyboy it was regularly sack a day on LOCH GARTH, like entry above ,no pototo machines in those days. Great first trip though brilliant run,West Indies Panama and Canada and States West coast. Remember having row with deck crew when we were entering Curacoa and they started throwing my PEELED potatoes at hammerhead sharks which were accompanying us through picturesque entrance,I said use UNPEELED b******


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## fredw

R396040 said:


> Never peeled spuds on Vindy 1947 but first trip was galleyboy it was regularly sack a day on LOCH GARTH, like entry above ,no pototo machines in those days. Great first trip though brilliant run,West Indies Panama and Canada and States West coast. Remember having row with deck crew when we were entering Curacoa and they started throwing my PEELED potatoes at hammerhead sharks which were accompanying us through picturesque entrance,I said use UNPEELED b******


 I Remember Willem and Emmastad while on the shell tanker "Hadra"
Rum cost next to nothing, but coke cost a bomb, so we used to take our own ashore with us!


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## Billieboy

fredw said:


> I Remember Willem and Emmastad while on the shell tanker "Hadra"
> Rum cost next to nothing, but coke cost a bomb, so we used to take our own ashore with us!


Rum and coke = two bottles for two and a half guilders, extra bottle of coke cost two guilders! the rum was white Bacardi, ice was free! At the Madhouse, Curaçao, 1964.


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## kevjacko

Sometimes it was more of a chore using the rumbler than peeling by hand. You still had to 'eye' the potato's, could'nt have the captains spuds winkin back at him, then you had to strip it down and give it bloody good clean. They were and probably still are a health hazzard. So sometimes I found it pretty relaxing to grab another member of the galley staff if no galley boy available and go sit on the poop deck in the hot weather and bash a few spuds so to speak.

My worst nightmare was fresh brussels sprouts, peel off the outer leaves and score a cross in the bottom. Use to take booldy hours, and thats with doing 'peel one, throw one over the side'.


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## fredw

kevjacko said:


> Sometimes it was more of a chore using the rumbler than peeling by hand. You still had to 'eye' the potato's, could'nt have the captains spuds winkin back at him, then you had to strip it down and give it bloody good clean. They were and probably still are a health hazzard. So sometimes I found it pretty relaxing to grab another member of the galley staff if no galley boy available and go sit on the poop deck in the hot weather and bash a few spuds so to speak.
> 
> My worst nightmare was fresh brussels sprouts, peel off the outer leaves and score a cross in the bottom. Use to take booldy hours, and thats with doing 'peel one, throw one over the side'.


I "employed" a south african fireman on the 4 to 8 watch. He used to like spud bashing. It was probably better than being in the engine room. I used to give him extra chocolate duff and vanilla sauce when it was on the menu.


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## Billieboy

kevjacko said:


> Sometimes it was more of a chore using the rumbler than peeling by hand. You still had to 'eye' the potato's, could'nt have the captains spuds winkin back at him, then you had to strip it down and give it bloody good clean. They were and probably still are a health hazzard. So sometimes I found it pretty relaxing to grab another member of the galley staff if no galley boy available and go sit on the poop deck in the hot weather and bash a few spuds so to speak.


On my first trip as J/E, I managed to get the, "night aboard", job for all ports after the first weekend in Yokohama. As this was a "B" article trip it meant four hours overtime every night in port and 24 hours for every weekend. The cook, also from Barry used to leave a side of beef hanging in the galley, (coal fired), the night deck apprentice used to eye the spuds and I used to cook. Pretty much every night, my work was finished at Midnight, so off I'd go and cook us a super steak onions tomatoes and fried egg supper. It was always at least a pound and a half of steak, sometimes with mushrooms, or bubble and squeak! Then the apprentice would do the washing up, I spent hours teaching him to cook, but it was a waste of time.....

Crash at 01.00 and be woken at 05.45 for a day ashore with the relevant girlfriend; then back for 17.45. what a life!


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## TonyAllen

A bit of downtime is what I thought of spud bashing out side the galley door, no one to lean on you if you had caught up with all other chores,never used the grinder if I had time it was just as much trouble to clean the plate to make sure it passed the march of the stripes whereas the peeling went over the side
loved every minute of being a galley boy.chefs assistant was fetch and carry jobs not to keen to show you their little secrets and short cuts Tony


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## kevjacko

What else did we hate cleaning in the galley then gents?. I never used to mind doing the meat slicer, in fact got some sort of perverse kick out of the getting the mechanics of it right, never used to mind the steamer for some reason or other, found the stove a pain in the **** so used to try and do it most nights so it never used to get on top of you. My pet hate for cleaning, or strapping up was probably individual derrier moulds after there'd been a duff on for sweet, and why was it called 'strap up'? come on old hands never did think of asking that one when I was at sea.


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## cueball44

kevjacko said:


> What else did we hate cleaning in the galley then gents?. I never used to mind doing the meat slicer, in fact got some sort of perverse kick out of the getting the mechanics of it right, never used to mind the steamer for some reason or other, found the stove a pain in the **** so used to try and do it most nights so it never used to get on top of you. My pet hate for cleaning, or strapping up was probably individual derrier moulds after there'd been a duff on for sweet, and why was it called 'strap up'? come on old hands never did think of asking that one when I was at sea.


To wash up the saloon table gear- A steward is said to be ''On The Crockery Strap Up''.(Smoke)'cueball44'


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## TonyAllen

cueball44 said:


> To wash up the saloon table gear- A steward is said to be ''On The Crockery Strap Up''.(Smoke)'cueball44'


There was a thread last year I think on that very subject I will try to find it again Tony


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## paul rennison

*Galley jobs*



kevjacko said:


> Sometimes it was more of a chore using the rumbler than peeling by hand. You still had to 'eye' the potato's, could'nt have the captains spuds winkin back at him, then you had to strip it down and give it bloody good clean. They were and probably still are a health hazzard. So sometimes I found it pretty relaxing to grab another member of the galley staff if no galley boy available and go sit on the poop deck in the hot weather and bash a few spuds so to speak.
> 
> My worst nightmare was fresh brussels sprouts, peel off the outer leaves and score a cross in the bottom. Use to take booldy hours, and thats with doing 'peel one, throw one over the side'.


As galley boy on Melrose Abbey in 1966, 
96 bloods Hull - Rotterdam run, my job was to do final wash down in galley after dinner service,
I shouted to the 2nd cook ( Colin Ewen) to check all electrics off - all off seggy?,
affirmative answer, I threw a bucket of soapy water over stove top, bloody thing blew me and him clear across the galley. b##ered the stove, big hole through to the hold , two days in ming ming (Immingham) dry dock for repairs. I thought I was a cert for the sack, but couple of weeks later I got my rating and went one deck up to be a flunkey, (Roscoe the chief cooks pet name for stewards).
Re the spud bashing, on the Melrose we had a rumbler that would take a full sack, no problem with eyes - just let em rumble till there were none!
happy days,

rennop (Ouch)


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## Pat McCardle

I used to be a 'spud barber' when on nigh****ch duties. I used to put all the spuds in a bucket with onions..............Then the spuds would cry their eyes out.

The old ones are the best!!


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## cueball44

I remember a galley boy on the trawlers who gave the spuds a short back and sides, they finished up like oxo cubes, when the cook pulled him about it he replied ''peel the [email protected]€rds yourself'' then turned in, he got sack and i don,t think he went to sea again,(Jester)'cueball44'.


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## kevjacko

Pat McCardle said:


> I used to be a 'spud barber' when on nigh****ch duties. I used to put all the spuds in a bucket with onions..............Then the spuds would cry their eyes out.
> 
> The old ones are the best!!


Yeah right Pat, but it still makes me chuckle....


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## Rodney

I was galley boy on the worst ship I had the misfortune to serve on, B.M's La ***bre 18-3-55 - 22-1-56. Supposed to be Home Trade; yeah! Ten months later, paid off in Emden, because the bucket of rust nearly sank in a storm in the Channel. Anyway the point; if you pull up a photo of the La ***bre you will see a hut of sorts on the extreme aft, that was the potato locker. I spent many a hour spud bashing, climbing into the "spud locker" just for peace and quiet. Something to be said for spud bashing.

Good sailing Rodney R602188


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## Ray Mac

kevjacko said:


> What else did we hate cleaning in the galley then gents?. I never used to mind doing the meat slicer, in fact got some sort of perverse kick out of the getting the mechanics of it right, never used to mind the steamer for some reason or other, found the stove a pain in the **** so used to try and do it most nights so it never used to get on top of you. My pet hate for cleaning, or strapping up was probably individual derrier moulds after there'd been a duff on for sweet, and why was it called 'strap up'? come on old hands never did think of asking that one when I was at sea.


Cleaning the extractors in the tropics(==D) and the pans if you had upset the boss manB\)


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## Pat Kennedy

Being a deckie, I didnt have much to do with the galley, but on one ship, the rock dodger, Firth Fisher, it was our job to go in the galley at 05.00, and flash up the oil fired stove ready for the cook who turned to at 06.00.
This stove was a right royal bas**** of a thing and it would often take a full hour before it would ignite. The cook, couldnt even get it going sometimes, then we would all get sandwiches until the engineer could be persuaded to have a look at it.
Luckily there was a chip shop handy at each end of our Warren Point to Garston run.
regards, 
Pat(Thumb)


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## Vital Sparks

Being a sparks I had very little to do with the galley but on 1960s built British ships with their total separation of officer and crew accommodation, going via the galley was the only "indoor" route from one place to the other. One day, in the Pentland firth, we were being bounced around worse than usual and I was summoned to investigate a failure of the TV in the crew mess. So I headed down to the officer's saloon, through the double swing doors to the galley and was heading for the other set of swing doors when I spotted the 2nd cook looking a bit greeen round the gills. One minute he was stirring his pot of soup and the next he was contributing to it. Nobody had the soup that night and the Chief Steward blamed me for talking.


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## notnila

Vital Sparks said:


> Being a sparks I had very little to do with the galley but on 1960s built British ships with their total separation of officer and crew accommodation, going via the galley was the only "indoor" route from one place to the other. One day, in the Pentland firth, we were being bounced around worse than usual and I was summoned to investigate a failure of the TV in the crew mess. So I headed down to the officer's saloon, through the double swing doors to the galley and was heading for the other set of swing doors when I spotted the 2nd cook looking a bit greeen round the gills. One minute he was stirring his pot of soup and the next he was contributing to it. Nobody had the soup that night and the Chief Steward blamed me for talking.


What a big clype you turned out to be!!!(Jester)


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## sagalout

Hi Fredw if I remember right the beer outbound was Tennants Export for the life of me can't remember the Kiwi beer homewards. Must of been strong though 'cause a deckie who I rarely saw sober had an appendix burst!!!!!!! Had the op in the mess room & the drugs didn't knock him out felt the op all the way through.
Sagalout


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