Duties of Deck boy /JOS

[John Pruden]

john I do have a very large what you call Rambo knife I took it of a lad one night{encase he cut himself}? jp

[Tony Sweet]

My first trip deck boy 1947 British Glory lived forward open foscasle 3 months before my 16 th birthday , green as grass ! But grew up very fast . Looking back would not have changed anything .

[Laurie Ridyard]

Can anyone provide some detail of the duties of a Deck boy and a Junior Ordinary Seaman ,my father was a Deck boy on the Empress of Scotland and then JOS on the oil tanker Teakwood in 1947-1948 what would there daily routine have been like ?

Deck boy duties are learning and assisting with all the work on deck at the direction of the bosun- in port and leaving tending the derricks, opening and closing hatches, tending the moorings, chipping and painting the hull. At sea-washing paintwork, chipping and painting the decks and accommodation, cleaning decks . overhauling derrick blocks and wires, learning watchkeeping duties - lookout steering and farmer.. Arriving - tending moorings , rigging derricks. They were not allowed to go over the side.

In addition , the deck boys would do work as a " peggy " i.e. looking after the crew's and bosun's and carpenter's mess rooms washing up, cleaning,brewing tea and coffee for smokoe, laying tables and dishing out the food. On my ships there were 3 deck boys and they took it in turns to do one week at a time.

J.O.S. doing all the above ,except peggy. keeping watch at sea ect

ATB


Laurie.

[j.sabourn]

My first trip to sea there were 4 deck boys. Plus 3 of the 4 apprentices were under 18 , plus a catering boy. That was 8 young persons out of a crew of about 38/40. JS.

[Michael Humby]

If like me you had a choice of the mines, national service for two years when you reached 18 years but if you chose the Merchant Navy and remained until age 26 you were exempt from National service. I chose the MN from age 17 to 24 when NS ended but still got called up for 2 years with the very last intake with all the others who were actually eligible on the date that NS ended. So after 7 years in the MN I still had to complete 2 years in the army earning £1 per week. I am 84 now and the experiences did me no harm over the following years.
Michael

- - - Updated - - -

Forgot to mention graduated from the Vindicatrix and started on the Sterling Castle as a deck boy or ‘Peggy’ as we were known.

[Jim Bartnett]

Can anyone provide some detail of the duties of a Deck boy and a Junior Ordinary Seaman ,my father was a Deck boy on the Empress of Scotland and then JOS on the oil tanker Teakwood in 1947-1948 what would there daily routine have been like ?

Hello Peter,
There is a very very good book that refers to this, "A Deck Boy's Diary", (ISBN: 0 9537242 1 2, published in 2000 by Classic Marine Publications, 121 Vivian Road, Sketty, Swansea, Glamorgan SA2 0UP) written by John Richardson about his first trip as a Deck Boy in 1953 onboard MV Willesden from South Shields to Montreal, Canada, returning to Hull. My late father, Jimmy Bartnett, was Assistant Steward onboard for this leg of the book (the ship continues from Hull to India). John lists all the crew onboard for the duration of his trip and really tells what life was like onboard in these times.
I think this book will give you a great insight into what your father's life would have been like back in the day. My father's first trip was in 1947 as a 17yr old so they were probably of a similar age.
I spent 38 years with Cunard Line as an Electrical Officer, retiring in 2016, so my time at sea was very different to my father's!
Jim Bartnett

[j.sabourn]

#72 although at sea at 16 still had to register at the BSF for National Service . Was issued with a green card postcard size with all relevent information and saying exempt from national service due to occupation .Think I still have that green card somewhere will turn up some day no doubt , probably when all the junk gets thrown out. Cheers JS

[Bert Schroeder]

I think I could have qualified for a steering ticket and an engine room ticket because as at 16 I was an officers mess boy with coast lines. and spent most of my spare time on the wheel or below with the watch, infact when I came ashore I went into heavy truck maintenance and repair,

[Red Lead Ted]

When I was fresh out of Gravesend I could box the compass both clockwise and anti-clockwise, Could conduct all the rope splices, Bends and Hitches, Rig a painting Stage, Bosuns chair, Steer a ship by points, In fact carry out most duties on deck, But had never done any of these things aboard ship or at sea with experienced seaman. That's what the difference was for all of us peanut's. Terry

[Ken Norton]

I can not remember now how many hours you had to do on the wheel but I know that I had to do a number of hours before being issued as deckboy. Later on when I took the wife away she also did her steering ticket, she was quite proud of that. I think it was aboard the British Wye I know she still has it somewhere lol I also remember having to rig a paint stage and going over the side as at that time I could not swim + the bosuns chair and; I think I already told the story on here of going up the foremast in a gale to change the foremast light bulb, as the engineers were older and wiser than I. Still have a Marlin spike but no Green river knife lol