Pay rates and Salvage Awards 1950-1952

[John Arton]

From 1945 to 1950 my father was Captain of Overseas Towage and Salvage Limited Ocean going Salvage tug Marinia, based I believe in Falmouth
In January 1950, Watts Watts acting as agents for Blands of Gibraltar offered him the job as Master of the salvage tug Hercules, then fitting out in Newport S. Wales on a contract lasting for 2 years.
The Hercules was expected to sail from Swansea at the beginning of February for Gibraltar.
His rate of pay was £60 per month with and annual guaranteed salvage bonus of £50 per year should no salvages be done within the year, otherwise it was 1.5% of the salvage awarded after all company expenses and disbursements had been taken into account and 2.5% of any towage performed, again after any company deductions.
After two years he was entitled to 3 months leave on pay which could be taken back in the U.K. should he wish and the company would also pay for the family to join him in Gibraltar and also pay for them to go back to the U.K. if he chose to take his leave their.
The 2nd Mate was a Mr. A.A. Tully who was paid £34 par month plus a special allowance of 10 /- per day whilst on passage from Newport to Gibraltar.
I do not have the names of anyone else on board but crew sent from Gibraltar to join the ship were paid as follows.
Bosun...£20 per month
Firemen and Greasers...£18 per month
Sailors....£17 per month
Steward and Cook....£17 per month
Boy....£ per month.
There is no mention of overtime rates beyond a line that Crew Members are signed on N.M.B standard rates and that overtime for the Officers and Engineers have been included in their leave rates.
And so started our sojourn in Gibralter with my Mother, two sisters and me going out on the Uganda to live in Gibraltar for the next two years with my brother being born there.
It all ended when after two years my father was offered a further 2 year contract on the same basic pay rates but the commission on salvage and towage being reduced to 1%.
Father threw a hissy fit at this and we were given 24 hours to leave Gibraltar which we did by air.
During the two years in Gibraltar the Hercules carried out the following salvages
"Rumba"
"Julia C"
"Heathmore"
"Newberry Victory"
"Jankiki"
"Cleophie Ioanna"
"Ciudad de Alicante"
"Frosti"
"Paris City"
"Soro"
"Ally"
"Misox"
I believe we actually lived in Alicante for a couple of months whilst he was getting the "Paris City" off the beach there.
During the two years father was awarded the following commissions, figures in pounds, shillings and pence.
Rhumba £40.0.7
Ciudad de Alicante £40.2.1
Sovac, towage. £ 61.17.6
Frosti £16.16.11
Heathmore £22.15.
Eskridge £6.7.8
Soro £47.3.0
Thelelidomus £4.10.0
Misox £102.6.0
The ships mentioned above but not in the first section, must have been towage, not salvage.
On departing Gibraltar he was still owed commission on
Paris City
Newberry Victory
Jankiki
Ally
Cleophie Ioanna, the actual full award was for £18,500 to Blands
On returning to the U.K. he applied for a job with The Salvage Association...no luck
He the joined the "Midhurst" in 52-53, 1 year on board, before re-joing Blue Star line in 53 on the Wellington Star.
He died in 60 on board ship leaving Durban, the Newcastle Star.
Disch Book no.R26709
masters Licence 45140
Just a bit of interest for anyone, maybe should have put it in another section, but hey.
rgds
JA

[John Arton]

Further to the above,
here are the ITF rates of pay as of 2013. Figures in US dollars
www.itfseafarers.org%2Ffiles%2Fseealsodocs%2F33560 %2FITFUniformTCCCBA20122014.pdf&ei=xRZmU5ONG8fjO4TMgNAD&usg=AFQjCNFvnt17crctdby1sWE4RxCOx7hubg&bvm=bv.65788261,d.ZWU

Often when I was paying off any of the Filipino crew members they would be carrying anything up to $10000 as many of the lads who were not paying off would draw big cash advances and give this to a paying off mate, who would then pass it onto the family back in the Philippines after first changing it into Pesos at a much more advantageous rate than that given by the banks where their allotments were sent to. According to stories I was told by them you could get up to 50% more on the black market for your dollars in Manila.
Often wondered what would have happened if they had been mugged in transit lounges in airports.
rgds
JA

[j.sabourn]

Anything over 10,000 dollars has to be declared either coming in or going out of Australia and this was 15 years ago, still think it is 10,000 dollars. The Customs and Immigration were the same ones who worked the ships so knew some of them, they always used to ask me have you got more than 10,000 dollars on you and that was leaving the country always used to say you should be so lucky, I'm going to work not coming away from. Always mades sure however had less than 10,000 coming in. JS

[Captain Kong]

Very interesting posts John A.
Your reference to Philipinos, reminded me of when in 2002, Anne and I were flying home from Melbourne on a Philipine Airlines Plane, we left Manila and Crash Landed in Bankok. [ for the 2nd time that trip ] the plane was wrecked.
Bankok Airport was very crowded, hundreds of people and on top of that another 250 of us passengers were also in the lounge waiting for another plane.Very packed.
Anne and I were sat for near 24 hours and then six Phipinos came over to us and one said ."You a Seaman"? I said Yes. "We Seamen too, we go to North Sea Ferries." We had a chat about the North Sea etc, But,
I often wondered how they knew I was a seaman, out of the hundreds of people packed into that lounge.
and before Cappy says........... It was because you had a knife and spike on your belt and sea boots and oil skins on and a bottle of Four Bells in your hand and a Parrot on me shoulder.
No I didnt.
I was just curious,
Sorry for interupting your very interesting thread.
Cheers
Brian.

[robpage]

Flip Flops and shorts , maybe Brian ,

[Frederick Lacey]

Hi John, you give no wages for boy ratings in 1950, I was a Saloon/Pantry boy in 1950 on the Port boats,

wages were £7.00 a month, 1 shilling and 3 pence an hour overtime, but it was a 10 hour day 70 hours a

week before you got overtime, happy days, Regards Fred.

[Keith Tindell]

I cannot remember when the hours at sea were reduced, guess circa 1959 ?, we were then paid overtime for weekend work, and naturally we on the watches had to turn to. Prior to that for deck crew( Except the peggy) the weekend consisted of dhobi and bronzy , what a life, KT

[j.sabourn]

#4... Probably that Bruce Anchor sticking out of your hand baggage Brian..JS

[Captain Kong]

Talkng about Salvage, a few days ago, I forgot to mention it, I was listening to the radio and heard a mention that in Cornwall a loaded ship, full of Lime Stone, is totally abandoned and no one knows what to do with it. They do not know who the owner was, the crew have all gone.
The local council says it is not their problem, One phone in said , could he go and live on board as a seaside residence, Others wanted to scrap it and many other daft ideas.
.
Has any one heard of this ship???? and what is happening to it,
my idea,........could the members of this site take it over and we could all go back to sea again and take the ship to Valparaiso, the Scandi Bar is still open. sell the cargo and have a whale of a time with Maria,
Cheers
Brian.

[Don Rafferty]

I think I was listening to the same programme, a lady from the Mission gave a good account, not only of this incident, but also their wider works: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-27229109