Thread: A nautical story

Originally Posted by bob10

Should we have a merchant fleet?

Shipping out: Unions, industry, defence analysts concerned by shrinking merchant fleet

Dunno, but all I can remember was the Seaman's Union seemed to have them all out on strike most of the time & many times the Army & possibly the RAN were called in to load & unload ships.

Originally Posted by 4bee

Dunno, but all I can remember was the Seaman's Union seemed to have them all out on strike most of the time & many times the Army & possibly the RAN were called in to load & unload ships.

Probably happened twice, but you are right. Twice too many times. But that was before Patricks and the wharf reforms.

Possibly, & it would appear it was the Waterside Workers more than the Seaman's Union that did the most damage especially in WW2.
Some, if not all their actions were traitorous to this country & it's War Effort.

Is on the Public record.

Possibly, & it would appear it was the Waterside Workers more than the Seaman's Union that did the most damage especially in WW2.
Some, if not all their actions were traitorous to this country & it's War Effort.

Is on the Public record.

Not a "Story" as such but perhaps of naval interest.
Somehow, during WWII, my grandfather, a WWI ANZAC, ended up with this, which is in my possession.
He was a crafty, old Scot with the gift of the gab. I'm assuming he sweet talked a US sailor, on shore leave in Brissie, into parting with it.

A very nice item & the ship's name should date it...... 'circa'.

Maybe the yank Sailor is still patting & feeling over all his pockets & muttering to himself...."Now WTF did I leave my lighter?"

Here you go, & don't say I don't go out of my way to help.


USS Ulvert M. Moore - Wikipedia

Originally Posted by bob10

Probably happened twice, but you are right. Twice too many times. But that was before Patricks and the wharf reforms.

Bob, go and talk to some wharfies. They laughed all the way to the bank. One said to me they would "lose" every industrial dispute that gave a result like that one.

Originally Posted by 4bee

Possibly, & it would appear it was the Waterside Workers more than the Seaman's Union that did the most damage especially in WW2.
Some, if not all their actions were traitorous to this country & it's War Effort.

Is on the Public record.

4Bee, the wharfies made a decision to not back down and be treated again like they were in the 1920's and most of the 1930's. They had been locked out, denied work. trodden down by police horses, shot at by police and were not going to cop this treatment again even if the nation was at war. Have you ever heard of the "28'ers"? A 28er was a wharfie who scabbed in the big disputes and chose to work on the stevedores terms. One of the terms of settlement of this long running dispute was that the 28'ers be accepted back into the union without violence. They were despised and ostracised and in waterfront suburbs were known to all and sundry as a 28'er and a scab. A sick waterfront joke was that you could tell a 28'er by his missing fingertips. Supposedly nipped off by pushing through the closing wharf gates before they were locked out. During the negotiations for permanent employment in the introduction of containerised freight in the 1960's there was going to be a lot less labour required. Redundancy packages were to be financed by the Federal government. Note that the generous stevedores and ship owners did not get their cheque books out. A bone of contention was that a majority of WWF members objected to 28'ers getting rewards. The Federation convinced the membership that the 28'ers were legitimate members and had to be included.