Skip to main content

Thank You 500,000 readers

The modern Black Gang

Stewardesses and Stewards are the modern "BlackGang"
by Earl of Cruise 
stokers, black gang, uss Massachusets
Stokers on board USS MASSACHUSETS - source Wikipedia
The men working in the bowels of the steamers had been named Black Gang. these where those men with the hardest labour - bringing the coal form the bunkers to the furnasses and filling them.
This ardous labour became obsolete, when the steamer and turbine furnasses became oil fired - cleaner, fewer men and no longer heat and coal dust drenched air.
The living conditions, when free from their shifts, had been similar ardous - cramped sleeping rooms, no light and less air, and few washing rooms and toilets. The loan was less than acceptable.
Despite some some first class travellers made their way in these aereas, as into third class, to "slum a bit", for whatever their reasons may have been, or tipping the men of the Black Gang for harder work making a fast voyage.
DAS TOTENSCHIFF, B. Traven, bying, In 1959 it was adapted into a film of the same name (also known as Ship of the Dead) directed by GeorgTressler. 
Today we have a very similar situation. But not with those engaged with the coal, but those in average underpayed, overworked crew members, the stewards and stewardesses, who are creating for us the cruise passenger a great time. The most do their best and try to fullfill the wishes of their guests.
cruise vessels, crew staircase
Behind the "Crew only" signs, there is no glittering world. The wall is steel, painted in white, perhaps a bit more friendly on some ships. The floor is painted steel. The stairs are steeper and narrow. The quarters are tiny and cramped. Only some of the newest cruise vessels offer ensuite fascilities, otherwise crowded toiletts and washing rooms ... Privacy? Such thing you can´t find. The food is at best "edible". The morals are rough and the tone of talk rude (if you ever had the chance working in a kitchen - the chef is the commander, like in military). The picking is easy and often, sometimes abusive, sexual harrasive. And the working hours are endless ... sometimes 10h a day ... And then there is something which is not often talked about - make your own imagination: the MAXIM GORKIY once was the biggest floating abortion clinic ... But not only women are abused, men too. Each one can become a victim of, but especially those from Asia, and good looks do not really help to prevent.
I am sorry to say, but I am eye- and ears witness of such abuse and sexual harassments.
But according to a research among crews, by Cruise Critic UK, the true horror is behind their closed doors, among us, the passengers.
80 percent say it is outrageous and over demanding passengers.
With a smile and a friendly tone you getting so much easier what you want, than barking an order, or snipping with the fingers.
I know of what I am talking, despite my privedged upbringing, I did work in a kitchen and did serve as a waiter, earning money to study. I wanted to be independent. those guests I let wait till the last day. And you may wonder, I got the most tip ... My motto was "Ladies (not me) and gentlemen are serving Ladies and Gentlemen", and who wasn´t ... got what he deserved.
The same will happen aboard. Especially in our days.
Similing and being friendly in every situation. There is no discussion. The passenger is always right. These are the top priorities for service crews on cruise ships, especially on American vessels. Whoever violates this rule: next port, exit - no matter how overdemanding the passenger is, or how rude he behaves, no reason is given the crew acting against that particular situation. No matter how outrageous the claim of a passenger, the crew has to deal positively with it. Only if clear rules speak against the passenger wishes, the crew member may say friendly and determined "no".
Here some examples from the research answers:
- Ignoring the crew and treating like slaves
- No "hallo" saying, or not friendly
- Taking the children later than closure from childcare
- General carelessness, creating extra work for the crew
  (especially on big ships with 5,000 and more passengers and "only" 1,000 or best 1,300 crew)
- No tipping or rediculously low
  (some cruise lines charge each passenger with a tipping fee, which is partly taken for the wages)
- And the allways loved stupid questions
  Is the crew living onboard? Who wouldn´t love answering - we are taken each night by heli ashore.
  Is the water in the toilett fresh or salt water? I would like to answer - try it.
  Is the electricity produced onboard? Who would not wish answering - No, we have a cable which is
  serving us.
But passengers can bother themselve with such stupid questions.
I have made my own experiences with such - is Mr. Hitler still livng? - I did answer: luckily burned to death, or: do you have electrcity in Europe? My answer was - yes, but it is transfered wireless.
But luckily not all passengers are that rude, or don´t know how to behave. And I don´t want to make a general bashing.
But the more mass market, or volume market, cruise vessels are floating in the seven seas, the more of these misbehaving passengers go on board. Among them a number of first timers, who don´t know what a cruise is, or havn´t made a comparable vacation at all.
The passenger gets what he is paying for - in general. The service he get and does expect on the price for the cruise. But for each price and service level there is one thing - a friendly tone and fairness makes the music. And with that you will get much easier what you want. And no jewel will fall from the crown ... The service is not well payed (600 to 900US$ in average), and works hard the money they earn. Sometimes nine month or longer at once. With no weekend or day off within. With the job they pay for their childrens education - which they seldom see, for medical service, etc. and you can´t get rich from the job, even if you from the Phillipines or another country with minor job employment possibilities.
The crew has to learn the passengers names within the day of embarkation. There more cabins, tables, etc. he is serving. You have your table waiter, cabin steward/esse, etc., it should be easy to remember these few names.
A nice smalltalk will help too. the crew member feels good by and the guest has the chance to learn a bit of his home country and/or life on board.
And as a surprise the cruise guests will feel better, by doing so, and to top it, the service is better.

Worth reading: `Cruise Confidential´ by Brian David Bruns
new black gang, Cruise Confidential, Brian David Burns
By his own admission Bruns is the only American who has ever endured it at Carnival for a total contract period of 6 months as a waiter, without any prior notice. He describes the "everyday" of a waiter and gives a fascinating insight behind what you get never seen as a passenger, such as the wild crew Parties, and he describes the working conditions just below deck. "Cruise Confidential" but is not a serious general reckoning with his job on board, but an entertaining reality story with many personal impressions.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Germany and HAPAG - A Journey through History

HAMBURG-AMERIKANISCHEPACKETFAHRT ACTIEN GESELLSCHAFT - HAPAG or HAMBURG AMERICA LINE is reflecting, as Germany, the LLOYD of Bremen, two times of rsing and two times of devasting downfall and a third rise. BORUSSIA , 1856, First Day Cover 1956 of Deutsche Bundespost - own collection Once Germany´s biggest shipping line HAPAG / HAMBURG-AMERIKANISCHE PACKETFAHRT ACTIEN GESELLSCHAFT-LLOYD, merged with it former old Hanseatic rival NORDDEUTSCHER LLOYD in 1970, to now HAPAG-LLOYD, had its peaks and downs, but rose each time on its own to new hights, without any state subsidies. As German mail subsidiaries did never cover the costs for purchasing or mainting the vessels ordered for the specific German mail lines.   by Earl of Cruise In this article I used most German Wikipedia links, as they proved to be mostly of better research quality, and surprisinf to me, some English lines and liners have only German written articles, for the others, English Wiki links are to find

HISTORY - EUGENIO C. a masterpiece of Italian design and engineering

EUGENIO C., later EUGENIO COSTA, was a masterpiece of Italian design and is an example of beautifully integrated ship design. Her naval architect, Nicolò Costanzi, and her interior designer, Nino Zoncada, worked side by side, or hand in hand, to create a perfect balance and continuity between the vessel's interiors and the exterior profile. EUGENIO C. became a masterpiece of the 60s design and elegance. by Earl of Cruise Some readers had been asking for interior photographies ... here they are.   Eugenio C. Tourist Class A pool, looking aft into the wake line - own collection, copy from my LINEA  „ C ‟ broshure EUGENIO C. entered service a little more than 50 years ago in 1966. EUGENIO C. was a child of the swinging 60s, when we had the first jet setters, and still style and elegance. And travelling by jet in those days was still an expensive way to travel for few. I am not the only one wishing the same intent and sensibility would be a guide line for present shipown

Thank You 500,000 readers

Ocean Liners in Movies or Films at Sea (updated Nov 2017)

For liners and the shipping companies movies and films had been a top marketing tool Movies or Films and liners at sea, had been intriguing me since I have read about in my youth in LUXUSLINER - BILDER EINER GROSSEN ZEIT by Lee Server ( THE GOLDEN AGE OF OCEAN LINERS ). But earlier, mot only since my first crossing, I was keen watching movies with liners in it, and disapointed, which was an understatement, when I realized the films have been made in a set ashore in some movie "factory". That was after my first crossing.   by Earl of Cruise an essay in progress `Sabrina´, Humphrey Bogart in the office, while LIBERTÉ is sailing out of New York harbor - screenshot Ocean liners, especially those of the luxury category, had been the location of dramas, love stories, thrillers, suspense and catastrophies sinde film was born, or nearly. In this list, the most descriptions are taken from Wikipedia, as I guess no one can expect having seen all these films ... otherwise I w

HISTORY - The CUNARD - WHITE STAR Liner rms QUEEN ELIZABETH (1938-1972)

Over years, in my early youth, the QUEEN ELIZABETH was shaping my mind for the perfect ocean liner, despite having made my first experiences with a liner onboard the HANSEATIC (1), ex EMPRESS OF SCOTLAND, ex EMPRESS OF JAPAN. When leaning at the rail of HANSEATIC entering the port, my eyes where every where and I wished to by a camera, I took all in. And when seeing the QUEEN ELIZABETH with my own eyes, the nice behaving young boy turned into a tomboy, that my grandmére was no longer able to tame ... I did draw quite a lot of looks, back then. I found, while on research, this article and thought it interesting publishing in my blog: written and published by John Sheperd at liverpoolships.org editing and comments by Earl of Cruise I ( John Shepard ) joined the CUNARD LINE in March 1962 as an Assistant Purser and sailed the QUEEN ELIZABETH throughout that year, before transferring to the Liverpool-based CARINTHIA in November, where I remained as Crew Purser for the next five

HISTORY - Traveling with airliner LZ 129 HINDENBURG was the most luxurious airtravel

The real airliner LZ 129 HINDENBURG enabled the most luxurious airtravel for decades. Imagine, gliding through the air while the landscape or the sea below can be seen ... LZ 129 HINDENBURG marks the climax of airship construction. On May 6, 1937, the story of civilian airship ended in a tragedy. In Lakehurst, New Jersey, the largest flying object and has been with the similar sized LZ 130 GRAF ZEPPELIN II the most luxurious of all time. How this came about can be reconstructed logically, a series of fatal physics concatenations . The airship LZ 129 HINDENBURG marks the climax of airship construction. It was in its time the fastest and most exclusive traveling object between Europe and America. The challenges of the construction of the giant of the heaven were immense. by Earl of Cruise LZ 129 HINDENBURG, 1936, in Lakehurst - digital copy of a coloured cover photo, originally by Bill Schneider, published in Dan Grossman´s book ` ZEPPELIN HINDENBURG: AN ILLUSTRATED HI

ss NORMANDIE 1935 - 1942 IX

s s / te NORMANDIE starting from cold Owners: COMPAGNIE GÉNÉRALE TRANSATLANTIQUE BUILDERS: PENH Ö ET, St. Nazaire, France   by Stephen Carey © , editing by Earl of Cruise   This document is almost exclusively about the engineering aspects of NORMANDIE , mainly on how to start her up from cold. If you are looking for photos of the passenger spaces, there is a plethora of them on the web, in Facebook groups - Admirers of the ss Normandie , ss Normandie photographic file , The French Ocean Liners / Les Paquebots Fran ç ais , ss Normandie , GREAT LINERS OF THE PAST & PRESENT , and others, Pinterest and in articles about NORMANDIE here in the blog, please see at the end of the article. Using "ss" for NORMANDIE is quite incorrect, as NORMANDIE was a Turbo Electric vessel and not a steamship, therefore NORMANDIE should be adressed as "te".   by Earl of Cruise te / ss NORMANDIE berthed in Le Havre, Gare Maritime May 29th, 1935 - colouring courtesy

HISTORY - ts / ss BREMEN and ts / ss EUROPA

Germany’s two luxury liners, BREMEN and EUROPA , have not only played an important part in their country’s mercantile revival, but have added also an immortal chapter to the history of transatlantic travel. Copy from Shipping Wonders of the World   From part 6 , published 17 March 1936 editing by Earl of Cruise ss / ts BREMEN in her early years - Source: Shipping Wonders of the World/Bundespresse Archiv The PRIDE OF A NATION - the NORDDEUTSCHER LLOYD quadruple-screw turbine express liner BREMEN . The keel of this ship was laid in June 1927. Her launch took place in August, 1928. In less than a year later, the Bremen made her first voyage to America, when she crossed the Atlantic from Cherbourg to New York in four days seventeen hours forty-two minutes, thus setting up a new record and gaining the coveted “Blue Riband”. During the passage the Bremen attained an average speed of 27.83 knots. ss / ts BREMEN in her early years - Source: W ikipedia For the populac

HISTORY - One of the earliest steam ship companies in the world ÖSTERREICHISCHER LLOYD was founded in 1833 - III 1914-19 becoming LLOYD TRIESTINO

After the assaination of crownprince Erzherzog Franz Ferdinand and his wife in Sarajewo , all European powers did run with `eyes wide shut´ in the first catastrophy of the 20th century. This war, caused equally by all the imperial powers, which was thought " to end all wars in the future ", seen as a " clearing thunderstorm ", caused with the Versailles Treaty only more war, grief and sorrow, with a final push from the Great Depression of the 1930s. LLOYD express steamers PRINZ HOHENLOHE and BARON GAUTSCH in Pola - own collection, copy from a postcard Even if the signals for this war could be seen as Menetekel (portent) at the walls, everybody was taken by surprise. Especially the economy, as nobody really was prepared for this war. by Earl of Cruise At the beginning of the First World War many ships of LLOYD AUSTRIACO were scattered on the oceans of the world. Some ships had to seek shelter in neutral ports, numerous were used by the k. u. k. Kriegsmar

HISTORY - AUSTRO AMERICANA the Austro-Hungary shipping line into the new world

Not many know about the Austro-Hungary shipping line, AUSTRO AMERICANA , which sailed out of Trieste to the Americas. Austro-Hungary and shipping? You may ask ... you may have heard about Vienna Walz, coffe house culture, Hotel Sacher and its famous chocolate cake, the Prater, chateau Schönbrunn, the Fiakers - the famous horse carriages and such things. But passenger shipping lines? There has been AUSTRO AMERICANA and ÖSTERREICHISCHER LLOYD , renamed in LLOYD TRIESTINO after 1918 and after purchased by EVERGREEN renamed in Italia Marittima. The actual company ÖSTERREICHISCHER LLOYD is a new formed management company situated in Austria.   by Earl of Cruise KAISER FRANZ JOSEH I. the biggest liner of AUSTRO AMERICANA - own collextion Parts of my family lived for a long time in the Austro-Hungary empire, which can be qualified as a "United Nations of the Balkan". Having traces into Austria-Hungay, the realm of Hungary in special, it is a pleasure for me making thes