STEVEDORE

[audrey]

any one know what a Stevedore is please
thanks
audrey

[suttontrust]

A dock worker, loading and unloading ships.

[audrey]

thanks for that in outher words just a posh word for laborer
audrey

[suttontrust]

Not at all, it was and is a very skilled job - handling cranes, fork lift trucks etc.

[goggy]

A stevedore was in charge of ..and responsible for,.the actual individual holds of a ship.
Each hold was accessed via the deck level hatch,holds were of many levels,say from ships tank tops,bottom hold,up three or more levels.
Each hold had to be carefully filled,for maximum space usage,and in consultation with the ships First Officer,re weight distribution+ease of unloading.When one hold was finished it was decked over,then another hold was ready for loading,When a series of holds were full,to deck level,the stevedores job was done.He also had to have a working knowledge of ships drawings.
He didnt handle machinery or that,he was a cargo loading specialist,as specialised as those loadmasters used by todays aircraft.
Long winded ay!!
Cheers,Goggy.

[suttontrust]

I bow to your knowledge, but I know that in these days of containers a stevedore requires a fork lift license, amongst other skills.  There does seem to be an attitude in some quarters that a manual job equals labouring.  But then, what's wrong with labouring?

[goggy]

Suttontrust,manual labour is good for the soul!My "T" shirt is long gone,but memories of having been there,done that ,are still with me.
Regards,Goggy.

[jbidaho]

As a stevedore's daughter, I must add the comments my dad would have made when he was alive! 

As you say Goggy, it was a skilled job.  On this site, aren't we speaking about past occupations, not how it is nowadays? 

The stevedore was responsible for loading the ship and was therefore allowed on board, the dockers were on the quayside.

As Goggy said, the stevedore was responsible for stowing the cargo, keeping in mind the various ports the ship was visiting.  What hadn't occurred to me was that it wasn't just a matter of stowing the cargo to make it accessible at the right time, the balance of the ship had to be maintained throughout the whole of the journey. 

My dad wrote a booklet about the role of the stevedore, linking it to the rhyming slang that was used.  I'll try to find a copy of it if anyone's interested?

JB

[Clincher]

Yes please JB if you can find it. Which docks did your Dad work at?