A DANGEROUS ASSIGNMENT
On entering the saloon, the Captain, the Chief, and Second Mates
confronted us together with, a large local man whom we were told
was the ship's Agent in Bombay. We were not left wondering for
long. The Agent explained to us that the Government wanted the
ship to proceed to Mombassa immediately. This meant that the holds
could not be cleaned out before we left Bombay. The message was:
"Would the crew clean out the holds whilst the ship was sailing
from Bombay to Mombassa?" This would save several days
working time in preparation for the next cargo. We would be given a
pair of overalls and a pair of sea boots each, to protect our own
clothes. The reason we had been asked and not ordered to do it as a
matter of every day work aboard the ship was that of course, it was
war time, and the German and Japanese Navies had been quite
active in the Indian Ocean, thus making working down the hatches
whilst at sea quite dangerous.
I was only an Ordinary Seaman, and quite low in the "pecking
order" in matters such as this. Quite honestly, at this stage, I didn't
even realize the significance of the situation, but a couple of the
AB's did, and they made certain representations to the Captain about
the danger involved etc. After some short discussions, we were told
to go to "smoko" (tea break) and come back to the saloon in half an
hour or so.
We left the saloon, and went aft to our mess room, where indeed, we
had a mug of tea, and discussed the matter. At least, the AB's
discussed the matter, we three Ordinary Seamen did not really have
much of an input, but of course we listened with interest. They
discussed the depth of the holds (about thirty feet or more from deck
to the bottom of the hold by way of a vertical ladder,) and what (if
any) chances we would have of getting out of the hold if a torpedo
hit us. They even discussed just how long the ship , being
completely empty, would take to sink if it was torpedoed! They
talked about the excellent food we had on the ship, and that we
probably "owed" the Captain even if only for that. However, after
all the talk, the sense of self preservation prevailed, and they decided
to refuse to the job whilst we were at sea. We all marched back to
the saloon.
The AB who had been elected as spokesman for the rest of us
explained the fears we had discussed to the Captain and the Agent.
There was a brief discussion about how long the ship might stay
afloat, depending on where she was hit, but I think the Captain could
see the men were determined. An offer of 2/6 per hour overtime was
made for all who worked on the clean up, including the Ordinary
Seamen. (I think that at that time, the regular rate was 2/- per hour
for AB's, in port, and about 1/9d for Ordinary Seamen,) It seemed to
us that there was some sort of "deal" being worked out here, because
whilst rates of overtime are pre determined according to "The
Articles" it seemed that the Agent, who had been responsible for the
clean up whilst the ship was in port, was now offering extra money
to have the job done whilst we were at sea. In the end, the Agent
accepted that he hadn't realized how dangerous it would be to work
down the hatches whilst at sea, and said he would wire on ahead to
Mombassa to have a work force ready to board the ship as soon as
we docked there. With a big smile, the agent departed, and we went
back to work. The ship left Bombay the next day bound for
Mombassa.
We were "light ship"; the only ballast that we had was the bit of
sand that was left in numbers two and five holds. The ship was quite
high out of the water, and the propeller was making a fine display at
the stern. We sailed without escort. On the first complete working
day out of Bombay, the Bosun told us that "They" wanted the holds
cleaned before we reached Mombassa! All the Day Workers would
be required to work on it, and the two watches that would be
"below" at any time, would also be required to work on it. The
conditions that had been offered in Bombay, i.e., a suit of overalls
each, plus a pair of sea boots, and 2/6 per hour overtime for all as
they worked on the hatches. The "watch on deck" would keep up its
normal routine of wheel, stand by, and lookout.
The AB's were furious (I suppose I was also, but they were the ones
to make the decisions.) We all marched up to the Mate's Cabin, and
the AB's demanded to know why this should now be required of us,
when only two days previously, the Captain had agreed that cleaning
holds at sea in this area was too dangerous? The Mate was clearly
uncomfortable, and we sensed that it had not been his decision to
clean the hatches at sea, but that he didn't want to "let the side
down" by agreeing with our point of view. He in turn, reported our
concerns to the Captain, who then met us in the Saloon.
The AB's told the Captain that as agreed in Bombay, we would (all)
refuse to clean the hatches whilst the ship was at sea. The Captain
appealed for the usual calm, and asked that two AB's remain to talk
things out with him and the Mate whilst the rest of us went aft; we
did this.
After about half an hour, the two spokesmen returned to the
messroom looking rather glum. The story went something like this.
The AB's had told the Captain that we would not work in the
hatches whilst the ship was at sea. The Captain had been very
understanding, but said that the ship was required urgently once we
arrived at Mombassa, and if the hatches could be cleaned at sea, it
would save time, and a much needed cargo could be on its way that
much earlier. The AB's still refused, at which stage, the Captain had
started talking about the "Law of the sea", and what it meant to
refuse a lawful command of an officer aboard ship - especially
during wartime. Whilst the Captain had made no direct threats, the
AB's told us that he had been using phrases like "Mutiny on the
high seas", and that in Mombassa, the Military would be told of our
refusals to work. Mention had been made of "Courts Martial" and
even vague mention of people being shot for refusing to obey lawful
commands in wartime! The Captain had made it clear that he didn't
want things to go that far, but also made it quite clear as to what his
options were. He said that if the work was done, the conditions
agreed to in Bombay (Overalls and sea boots for all, plus 2/6 per
hour overtime for all) would still apply, and no more would be said.
The AB's had said they would "go and put it to the "Crowd" - an all
inclusive term for the crew - which they did.
Those of us who "went aft" were pretty steamed up about this
"double cross" as we had called it, and the general opinion was that
we would not do the work under any circumstances. However, when
the two Spokesmen returned to the Messroom, and conveyed the
Captain's message including the "Courts Martial" and "Mutiny on
the High Seas" bits, some of our previous bravado dissipated. Not
all were convinced that the threats were genuine, but after a bit more
discussion, it was agreed that we didn't want to risk any official
intervention, and the Bosun was informed that subject to all the
previously agreed conditions, we would do the work. We three
Ordinary Seamen, whilst not having any meaningful input to the
talks, would, of course have gone along with any decisions made by
the others. So, considering we would be getting 2/6 per hour
overtime (an undreamed of amount for us) we were almost happy
that it was all over.
Throughout the whole affair, the idea of patriotism or patriotic duty
had never even entered the discussions. By and large we were
generally convinced that there was some sort of deal done,
especially with the agent in Bombay to get the ship to sea a few days
earlier than they expected. It wasn't too difficult to work out that a
few suits of overalls, and a couple of hundred hours of overtime at
2/6 per hour were as nothing compared to the cost of keeping the
ship in port for a few days whilst the labour was done there.
I must have been on the twelve to four watch, because I know that I
didn't go down the hatches on the first day. After all the discussions,
it would have been late in the morning before anything was done
down there, and since the watch on deck was not required to go
down, I can only assume that I was the watch on deck that
afternoon. The twelve to four watch would have been out of it by
eleven AM for their "Seven Bell Dinner". This is the early dinner
for those going on watch at twelve. They have their dinner at "seven
bells" i.e., half past eleven.
When I eventually got down the hatch, the work had been started,
and a method worked out as to the best way of cleaning up the tar.
We started on the fore deck, in numbers one, two and three hatches.
We only took the hatch boards off numbers one and three, we left
the beams on so that we could cover up quickly should the need
arise. This was where the tar was, and it was at these hatches that we
"topped" the derricks in order to lift out the tar as we cleared it from
the hatch floor. The first crew men to go down discovered that
several large cargo baskets had been left down there. These were
large, round wicker baskets, about three to four feet high, and about
three feet across the top. Ships didn't normally carry this type of
cargo basket, so we assumed that getting the crew to do it whilst we
were at sea, had been the plan from day one, and these had been left
down there for that purpose.
It was much too hot to wear a suit of overalls, so we worked in
shorts and shoes. Although it was hot, the tar was quite firm, and we
were able to work from the edges of it with crow bars. Once we
could lift it, we could then throw shovel - fulls of sand under it. This
prevented the tar from sticking to the wooden "ceiling" of the hatch
again, and allowed us to use the shovels (a couple of them had their
edges sharpened for the purpose) to cut manageable chunks from the
main body of tar. Three or four of these chunks of tar could then be
put into the basket, and hauled out of the hatch. On deck, we had
three men. Two winch drivers, and a "hatch" man. The "hatch" man
would guide the basket up through the beams of the hatch (we had
left these on also in the name of expediency, in case a quick "cover
up" was needed.) Once the second derrick had the basket, the
"hatch" man would then tie a rope that was hanging from the bottom
of the basket to a cleat on deck, and let the basket lower away until
it had upended over the side, and the chunks of tar were consigned
to the deep.
The work was not really all that difficult, but it was very hot, and for
the first few days, we were all quite nervous in case the worst should
happen, and a torpedo should wend its way toward the ship.
However, all went well, and within a few days, we had completed
the forward holds. Once the "ceiling" was clear of tar, we then took
up the bilge boards, and cleaned them out. This must be the most
smelly job there can be on a ship. The sand was left to maintain the
little bit of benefit it offered as ballast. Then we moved to the after
holds, and performed the same operation.
Another job we were given whilst we were down the hatches was to
gather all the "dunnage" that was left over from the original cargo.
Dunnage is the timber that is used in a ship's hold to either separate
different types of cargo, or to wedge between the cargo and the
ship's side in order to prevent boxes from moving due to the ship's
motion whilst at sea. Dunnage comes in all sorts of sizes, ranging
from planks, to heavy balks of timber that are sometimes used to
"spread the weight" of a particularly heavy piece of cargo. Whatever
it is used for, it is regarded as a valuable asset, and as much of it as
is possible is always kept by the ship. It is often stowed in the
'tween decks, sometimes in piles, or sometimes stowed behind the
"stringers". "Stringers" are the permanent boards that are fitted
(usually in specially fitted cleats) to the "ribs" of a ship. They are
quite robust lengths of wood, and run fore and aft. They keep the
cargo from actually coming in to contact with the ship's side. The
collection and stowage of the dunnage is a routine and regular job
on any ship once the cargo has been unloaded, and the hatches are
empty. I mention it here because, a few days later, our knowledge of
exactly where the dunnage was, was to prove most helpful.
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