MANAGEMENT OF THE FLEET
Us and Them
The majority of seafarers employed by Palm Line had relatively little contact with any of the Head Office staff or even those from Regional Offices, when these existed. Most deck and engine room ratings found their way onto the company’s ships via the British Shipping Federation. Catering ratings were employed via the Palm Line Agencies. Most of these were from Sierra Leone and there were some from Nigeria. It would be very unusual for any of them to ever visit the company’s Head Office. However, a small number of ratings signed Company Contracts and the proportion of these increased in the last few years of the company’s existence. That did result in some degree of contact.
All officers and trainees were interviewed before being employed, usually at the Head Office. The interviews were conducted by either the Manager or Deputy Manager of the Marine Personnel Department. In most cases, and invariably so for more senior officers, the interviews would also involve a Deck, Engineer or Catering Superintendent, Manager or Director.
The regularly published Palm Bulletin, several copies of which were always sent to each of the ships, did provide plenty of information about the Head Office staff and to some extent how the office operated. However, and as might have been expected, there was sometimes a degree of ‘us and them’ antipathy between the Sea Staff and Head Office. This antipathy was higher in the earlier years of the company and then increased again in the final years as the fleet reduced, the company’s name was sold, and the last ships were sold off.
In the early years there was no such thing as redundancy. Incompetence usually meant the sack, but the large majority of the turnover was the result of the vessels’ itineraries with all the associated problems that came with them. In the later years a delay in promotion was also a serious issue.
Overview
As might be expected, a significant Head Office structure is essential for the safe and efficient management of a fleet of ships. Most British shipping companies Head Offices had a broadly similar structure with minor differences to take account of the different type of ships and the varying trades.
There are a number of diverse elements required for the successful management of a fleet of ships and for Palm Line these included:
A Commercial Department for the procurement of cargoes for the ships to carry (not covered in this section)
A Traffic Department controlling the itinerary and movement of the ships (not covered in this section)
A General Accounts Department (not covered in this section)
A Claims Department for dealing with cargo discrepancies (not covered in this section)
Manning the ships with the correct numbers of suitably qualified officers, petty officers and ratings (Marine Personnel Department)
Management of the marine and deck issues (Marine Department)
Management of the technical and engineering aspects (Technical Department)
Management of catering issues and purchasing of spare gear and stores. (Catering & Purchasing Department)
The creation and make up of these departments changed somewhat over the years. However, the basic structure was already mostly in place on the formation of the companybecause it inherited the previous structure of the shipping side of the United Africa Company.
Marine Personnel Department
Palm Line was one of the first British shipping companies to have a stand-alone department dedicated to it seafarers. It was created in 1959 when the company moved its head office from Liverpool to London.
There were several different functions the department had to manage and these included:
Ensuring there were sufficient seafarers to crew the ships. Whilst it was important to have the correct number for each rank, it was essential to have sufficient officers with the relevant certificates. Too many salaried staff also had to be avoided. Planning ahead was essential.
Every contracted seafarer has their own hard copy ‘file’. Each file had to be kept up to date with the contents including:
o Personal details
o Employment details including dates, ships and position
o Leave position
o References
o Qualifications and certificates
o Correspondence
Managing and paying the salaries of the contracted seafarers. The majority of officers were on contract as well as a minority of ratings. Salaries were paid into the seafarers’ bank. Officers’ salaries depended on different factors including:
o Rank
o Number of years in that rank
o Qualifications and Certificates held
o Current Ship (e.g. time on Matadi Palm resulted in a 15% tanker bonus)
o Any other ‘bonus’ payments such as French speaking
Managing the ‘allotments’ of the non-contracted seafarers. These seafarers were ‘paid off’ in cash with the balance of their wages when they left the ship at the end of its voyage, usually in UK or North European waters. Any cash drawn during the voyage was deducted first. There was a facility for these seafarers to have a significant part of their wages paid either weekly or monthly into a bank account of their choosing such that their dependents had access to money while they were away. As voyages could, in theory, last up to two years (and in some instances even a bit longer) these allotments were essential for seafarers’ families and had to be carefully managed. Whilst most of the company’s ships’ voyages did not last more than about four months, there were times when they were longer if the ship was chartered.
Dealing with crew mail. In the days before the internet, mobile phones and computers, hard copy mail was the only means of communication between the seafarers and their families. Use of the ship’s radiotelephone via Portishead Radio was only rarely used because it was expensive, had poor reception and there was no privacy. Ensuring that personal mail was delivered to the ships was a complex and somewhat hazardous task. All mail to seafarers had to be sent to the Head Office where it was sorted and put into a dedicated pigeon-hole for the ship on which the seafarer was currently employed. An up-to-date knowledge of how long air mail took to reach the ports used by the ships had to be maintained, and the person in Head Office had to liaise with the Traffic Department to best calculate where to redirect the mail. There was a palpable feeling of disappointment if the agent did not bring any mail on board when a ship first arrived in port. For many years, Helen Haase had the task of re-directing the mail and she became well known to many of the seafarers as she often added brief messages to the envelopes.
Up until the early 1970s the company maintained a presence in both Liverpool and Tilbury. Jack Hayes in Liverpool and Norman Bakewell in Tilbury were responsible for the interests of the Marine Personnel Department when any of the company’s ships were in those ports.
When it was created in 1959, and during the first six or so years, the department included the following employees based in London:
David Williams - Marine Personnel Director
Denys Way - Marine Personnel Manager
Robin (Bob) Emley - Deputy Manager responsible for Apprentices
Stanley Holt - Marine Personnel Accounts Manager
Alan Hoffman - Assistant Personnel Manager
Rod Wilson - Assistant Accounts Manager
Mike Sinnock - Assistant Manager (Records)
Tony Smith - Assistant Manager
Rosemary Francis - Accounts Clerk
Helen Haase - General Administration Clerk
By 1967 the Marine Personnel accounts work came back under the direct control of the main Accounts Department. The size of the fleet had also reduced from 24 to 16 ships and the department’s staff included:
David Williams - Marine Personnel Director
Denys Way - Marine Personnel Manager
Rod Wilson - Deputy Personnel Manager responsible for Apprentices
Jean Ottway - Personnel Assistant
Helen Haase - General Administration Clerk
At this time Jack Hayes and Norman Bakewell remained in Liverpool and Tilbury respectively, but soon after Jack retired the Tilbury office closed and Norman moved to the Head Office. When David Williams retired in 1976 it was felt there was no need for a Marine Personnel Director as the incoming Chairman, Gerry Howe, had a seafaring background. By that time the size of the fleet had reduced further and the office comprised:
Denys Way - Marine Personnel Manager
Rod Wilson - Deputy Personnel Manager responsible for Apprentices
Norman Bakewell - Assistant Manager responsible for ratings
Anne Smythe - Personnel Assistant
Finally, by 1984 with the fleet now down to just six ships the office comprised:
· David Shakespeare - Marine Personnel Manager
· Carol Shelley - Personnel Assistant
Marine Department
Prior to the company using stevedores to look after the loading and discharge of cargoes in UK and European ports in the 1960s, the Marine Department had the overall responsibility for this work with the active involvement of the ships’ Chief Officers. Other responsibilities of the Marine Department included:
Purchase and maintenance of all bridge equipment
Maintenance of cargo gear
Monitoring of ships’ stores requirements
Any necessary direct management of the senior Deck Officers
Input into the cargo handling and bridge related equipment on new tonnage
In 1966 the department included:
Captain Manson - Nautical Advisor
Jimmy Puntin - Assistant Nautical Advisor
Jack Bancroft - Marine Superintendent
Gordon Williams - Marine Superintendent
John Cay - Assistant Marine Superintendent
By 1978 the department comprised:
· Gordon Williams - Marine Director
· John Cay - Marine Superintendent
· Chris Field - Marine Superintendent
· Carol Shelley – Marine Assistant
In 1979 David Wyatt as Assistant Marine Superintendent replaced Chris Field who had resigned and in 1981 Susan Partridge replaced Carol Shelley who transferred to Marine Personnel Department.
In 1982 the department effectively closed down soon after Gordon Williams became Managing Director. As he put it at the time, if there was an urgent marine related issue which required a deck officer’s experience, he would handle it. The department’s remaining responsibilities were dealt with by the Technical Department managers.
Technical Department
The company’s Technical Department had the responsibility for all the ships’ technical issues and these included:
Organising and supervising all dry-docking and ships’ surveys
Organising and supervising all inter-voyage repair work
Monitoring of ships’ maintenance schedules
Monitoring of ships’ spare gear and stores requirements
Input into the design of new tonnage and final say on all plan approval matters
Any necessary direct management of the senior Engineer Officers
In 1966 the department included:
Peter Yarwood - Technical Director
Bob Owen - Chief Engineer Superintendent
John Fotheringham Engineer Superintendent
John Miller - Engineer Superintendent (based in Liverpool)
David Shakespeare - Technical Assistant
Soon after Peter Yarwood left to work for African Container Express and his position was first filled by Martin Salisbry and then Les Woydatt with the job title Technical Manager. John Miller retired and John Fotheringham resigned to work for Middle Dock and Engineering Company. They were replaced by two of the company’s Chief Engineers, Dickie Dawson and Bill Shaw. After Les Woydatt left to work for theNigerian National Company, Bob Owen was promoted first to Technical Manager and then Technical Director. Following Dickie Dawson’s resignation, another Chief Engineer, Tommy Brace took on the position of Engineer Superintendent, based in Liverpool. Jerry Batte came ashore in 1977 to join the department.
By 1977 the department comprised:
· Bob Owen - Technical Director
· Tommy Brace - Engineer Superintendent
· Tom Cullen - Engineer Superintendent
· Jerry Batte - Engineer Superintendent
· David Shakespeare - Technical Assistant
That same year Tommy Brace sadly crossed the bar. In 1979, Jim Ross, a naval architect, was taken on as an Engineer Superintendent to assist with the new buildings in Ulsan and Sunderland. He left in 1981. About the same time, David Shakespeare transferred to Marine Personnel Department and was replaced by George Smith.
In 1982 with the fleet reducing, and the writing being on the wall for the long-term survival of the company, the position of ‘Superintendent’ was made redundant. The Technical Department then comprised of just Tom Cullen as Technical Manager and Jerry Batte as Engineering Manager.
Purchasing & Stores Department
This department had the dual responsibility for purchasing the stores and spare gear ordered by the ships as well as the shoreside management of the catering on board the company’s vessels. Ships at sea (and this basically applied when in West African ports as well) do not have access to local hardware stores or supermarkets and therefore had to carry on board any spares vital to the ship’s operation in case of a breakdown and sufficient consumables for the projected duration of the voyage. Whilst it was vital for the ships to order the correct items, it was just as vital for the department to ensure the correct and sufficient items were delivered.
Spare gear was always ordered from the original manufacturer where these were still in business. However, as ships and equipment aged, this became more of a problem as equipment manufacturers for ships built in the UK dwindled as the number of shipbuilders declined. The department thus became adept at obtaining spare parts that were seemingly unavailable.
Catering stores in the early years were usually obtained from ship chandlers in the ports where the vessel was storing. This meant that ships trading to the ports in North-West Europe, usually Hamburg, Bremen, Antwerp and Rotterdam ended up with Continental produced food. Generally, this wasn’t a problem with a few minor exceptions which did result in some complaints. A prime example of this was the traditional English pork sausage as substitutes for these simply were not the same. In the late 1970s a way around this was found by using the Avonmouth ship chandlers Harding Brothers to supply virtually all the stores’ requirements for the ships.
For the last couple of years when all the ships were on charter, most of them never sailing to Europe, stores were again bought from local chandlers in the most convenient port available.
From the late 1950s until 1982 the turnover in the department was relatively low and employees included:
Jack Morrow - Catering Superintendent & Purchasing Manager.
John Drewery - Initially Deputy but took over from Jack on his retirement in 1977.
John Wood - Assistant Purchasing Manager.
Cathy Winchcombe - Purchasing Assistant.
Ann Smythe - Purchasing Assistant.
Susan Partridge - Purchasing Assistant.
Jill Snitter - Purchasing Assistant.
Pre-Sailing Inspections
A True Story (because I was there)
For many years when the ships were on their standard voyages from UK or North-West Europe to West Africa and back, it was usual for something called a ‘pre-sailing inspection’ to be carried out at the final loading port. This was usually carried out by one of the Directors. David Williams, when he was the Marine Personnel Director, more often than not, drew the short straw. Because it was his signature at the bottom of letters, memos and edicts on anything that affected the seafarers, many of which were perceived somewhat negatively, he was seen as something of a bogey figure by the seafarers. His morning inspection of the ship was very similar to the Sunday inspections carried out on board by the Master when a ship was at sea. Prior to lunch, David would invariably want to greet all the officers and buy them a drink.
At this time beer was just one shilling a pint, equivalent to five pence today, so it wasn’t costing a fortune. However, he always asked for a receipt so he could claim it back on expenses. What was unusual was that he always seemed to know and remember the names of everyone. As he had only ever met a handful before, his memory was clearly more than good and even suspicious.
Willie Clark was the Third Engineer on board that day and he had worked out the secret to David Williams’ memory. He used to get a list of the officers on board on the day concerned from Denys Way and this specified the officer’s rank. David memorised the list and as all the officers were in uniform before lunch he could instantly ‘recall’ the individuals’ names. Quite simply, Willie got us all to swap our uniform jackets. Hey presto, David got all the names wrong. He looked somewhat bemused, but nobody said a thing.
Help Needed
There may be some minor errors in this section and there is certainly scope for the addition of more information. If you can help, please contact us at palmship@aol.com