A "tanker stiff" was/is someone who sails only, or preferably, on oil
tankers. In WWII, tankers were a really hot "target" of U-boats so the
guys who sailed them got extra pay. After the war, the trend continued
and, generally, "tanker stiffs" got a bit more pay. It was dangerous.
Do you remember the Sansinena? My Mom was way down the coast (Calif.)
when it blew up and she said she "felt" it. And that was caused, they
said, by a nylon jacket being tossed over a steel pipeline during a
Butterworth operation (that is when tanks are cleaned with hot water),
when the ports in the deck were open. I don't know if they ever changed
their opinion of the cause, but it shows how dangerous it could be.
Today, it is much safer. Much, much safer! We have inert gas systems
and the Butterworth systems are built in to the deck. So, no open
hatches in the deck. While I have barked my shins on the lines more
than a few times, they are a whole bunch safer!
And..."tanker stiff" is just a nickname. The job title, at least my
last one, was QMED, which stands for "Qualified Member Engine
Department". Took 10 or 11 tests total, to cover each of the engine
department jobs, but it was still unlicensed. Less moolah, in other
words.
Sorry, didn't mean to get so blabby...
Thanks for the posts!
PeggLeg
In article <93l5fa1mjgqelg0oe4usp1rk1rs95368nh@4ax.com>, |--Spike=-
<|--Spike=-@Home.Co.UK> wrote:
> On Sun, 01 Mar 2015 00:02:34 -0800, PeggLeg <reply@here.net> wrote:
>
> >Thanks for the "Sea Tales". I spent 30 odd years sailing Merchant
> >Marine ( I was what was known as a "tanker stiff") and I did 4 in the
> >Navy before that. I was on the Oriskany in '66 when we had the fire. I
> >guess I have "salt water in my veins" as my Dad would say. He sailed
> >too, but as a Marine Engineer. These are some really nice and
> >interesting pieces.
> >And...yeah...I'm just NOW getting around to getting them. You guys can
> >post faster than I can download...
> >Thanks for all.
> >
> >PeggLeg
> ==================================================
> Sounds like a long and interesting career.
> What did a Tanker Stiff do ? Guessing that is/was slang for a job
> title !?
>
> I'm just reposting these from 'MVGroup' as and when they are uploaded,
> there are no more at the min. but hopefully more will appear :)
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