Lasting memories
aboard SS Amerikanis
As a
photographer on board a cruise ship you don’t just take photos of the
passengers you get to go everywhere, taking safety photos for the safety
officer. As a result I knew my way around the Amerikanis very well. Having
been on board for some months, one evening I had grown tired of walking
from my cabin, lower floor aft up many stairs, virtually the full length
of the ship and down many stairs to the dark room lower floor forward. So
I decided to take a short cut. Opposite my cabin door there was a small
room with a ladder down to the engine room. This brought you out next to
the extremely long prop shafts, ducking under one I proceeded
forward between the two engines around a corner, where I came
across two engine room staff with their backs to me. Walking past them I
turned another corner and conscious of the fact I wasn’t supposed to be
down there I legged it as fast I could up another ladder, through the
staff canteen and on to the darkroom. The following day there was a rumour
going round the ship that a ghost of a photographer had been seen in the
engine room!
On
one occasion the sea was so rough that we couldn’t work in the dark room
in the bow of the ship, as we were being lifted out of our seats. This
also caused the chemicals in the processor to tar up, covering our photos
with black sticky spots.
When
it was rough you could also look over the side aft and see the huge brass
propellers coming out of the water.
Sat
outside a bar around a table in the
Azores
, mid
Atlantic
enjoying a beer; an American, Australian, Canadian,
Brits and a Geordie, all staff from the Amerikanis.
Welsh
John the photographer sat on top of the Amerikanis’s bridge singing
rugby songs and getting caught because he looked through the window from
above and waved at the crew. He was marched with Mick the photo manager
straight to the Staff Captain, who’s disciplining involved a laid back,
“don’t do it again”. Well we did process his films for free.
The
same two Mick and John play fighting one night, “John ya heeed”,
“Whats that Mick ma heeeed”. John needed 8 stitches in his forehead or
was it foreheeed after colliding with a table corner. John asked the ships
doctor if he was going to give him an anaesthetic whilst putting the
stitches in. He replied, “I think you’ve already had enough”.
Those
great Canadian’s the Amerikanis Show Band; playing the Pink Panther
theme tune whilst the Staff Captain was walking around the show lounge,
before Captains hand shakes.
The
Pirate ship Jolly Roger excursion in Antigua, swinging of a rope swing
from the mast into the sea, followed by far too much rum punch. The Mango
Tango catamaran tour to the Pitons in
St Lucia
.
Captain
Popanicalow, Safety George, Jerry Entertainment manager and lots of great
passengers, for some reason mostly from Minnesota.
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