A seafaring query.

Ann In the UK · Post by **Ann In the UK** » Thu Oct 08, 2009 12:27 pm

Any seafaring experts about?

Please bear with me

In days gone by (1870s and 80s ish), when mariners switched ships more often than they their changed socks , so their families back home wouldn’t have a clue where in the world they were, let alone know which ship they were on, what would happen in a disaster? How or when would the family back home hear about it if a ship with their family member on disappeared? Would they hear “officially” at all? Or would they just search the lists for missing vessels when they didn't turn up, and put two and two together?

I’ve always thought crew agreements where only handed in to the shipping office once a ship had arrived in a port. But were they handed in at the port of departure too, then passed on to a central point (Lloyds, say) in the home or destination country? Or were copies handed in at all three - the port of departure, the port of arrival, and the home country?

And would someone in the shipping office go to the next of kin and break the news once a ship was posted as missing - even if the next of kin had no clue they were on that ship in the first place?

Hope some of that made sense!

Regards,

Ann

Post by **joette** » Thu Oct 08, 2009 1:11 pm

As far as I know the first many next-of-kin knew about the fate of their loved ones was when they went to the Shipping Offices to collect wages to find there were none because the mariner had either been killed,shipwrecked or gone AWOL.
No ship ,no pay-so if your ship was lost & you survived you would quickly find another or go hungry.Ditto your loved ones at home if they were dependent on your earnings.
This is only verbal accounts from two or three old salts that I knew.

Ann In the UK · Post by **Ann In the UK** » Thu Oct 08, 2009 1:35 pm

Yes, that's what I understood to happen too. Just checking whether I'd got it wrong really.

Thanks Joette.

Ann

Hugh Stevely · Post by **Hugh Stevely** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 9:00 am

Most ships could be found in the weekly news paper from lloyds list some info here on the link.

http://www.nmm.ac.uk/researchers/librar ... st-indexes

Hugh.

Ann In the UK · Post by **Ann In the UK** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 9:35 am

I suppose, if they were expecting someone back, even if they didn't know the name of the ship they were on, they could check the crews of those missing ships if they didn't turn up. What a nightmare considering the ships graveyard that's down there.

Thanks Hugh.

Ann

Post by **Tracey** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 10:39 pm

When my gt grandfathers sisters wrote to him the letters were always written to him C/O Messrs so and so which i assume were the shipping agents or to the British Consul in different countries or sometimes addressed to the ships Captain in which ever country it would be in. Or assuming again if they knew the letters would not be passed on they wrote letters and sent them to various Sailors homes he would be staying in i.e Mearns Street Aberdeen, Seamans Mission in Sunderland ........and yet again i assume these places would have record of next of kin.
Luckily i have proof of postage via the original letters and envelopes !

Ann In the UK · Post by **Ann In the UK** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 11:11 pm

Luckily i have proof of postage via the original letters and envelopes

Lucky thing! I wish my family had taken care to hold on to such things.

Thanks Tracey,

Ann