"What's for Chow, Cookie"

Sea Classics, Jun 2006 by McLaren, Robert

Ask any seafarer what distinguishes one ship for another and you can bet the answer is most often ".. she's a good feeder." A Sea Classics salute to the most vital but unheralded personnel aboard ships - the men and women of the Steward's Department By Robert McLaren

There is no doubt the glory days of sail are gone. No longer do men go down to the sea in ships and live on hardtack, boiled beans and salt pork for months. In those days, sea gulls, albatrosses, and other tough sea birds were delicacies. No longer is livestock carried on the deck for a fresh meal. No more of cleaning out the pig pen or "head" as punishment by the Mate. No longer does the cook "turn to" in a squall and help the crew to trim sail. Sailors no longer ship out with all they own in a sea chest decorated with handsome beckets to show off their seamen skills. As late as 1904, legislation was passed in Congress for the protection of seamen's rights. For seafaring men of the time, the pay was poor, the food was poor, penalties of the lash and fines were accepted as the seamen's lot. And, no longer do you hear on the waterfront, that a ship is a "belly robber."

This article will deal with the often disliked and misunderstood but indeed very important department in every ship, the Steward's Department. On many Merchant ships the department usually consisted of a chief steward, chief cook, second cook and baker, three messmen and two utility men.

New regulations and new equipment on all ships have changed over the years, even in the galley. Steamship companies have found that food is one of the biggest morale factors on any vessel on long passages.

In 1936, the Merchant Marine Act was passed and the United States Maritime Commission was established. It was what the nation needed to correct the shortcomings learned from WWI. With ageing ships and if another national emergency emerged, the United States would not have ships and trained seamen to sail them. The act stated in part, "The United States shall have a Merchant Marine sufficient to carry its domestic waterborne commerce and foreign waterborne commerce at all times. It shall also be capable of serving as a Naval and military auxiliary in times of war or national emergency. Vessels shall be constructed in the United States and be manned with trained efficient citizen personnel". Congress mandated the Commission to pursue a 10-year plan to build 500 ships.

The "slop chest" (this is not to be considered a place to store food) is the time-honored designation for the store aboard Merchant ships. The term "slops" was first given to a sea chest where the personal effects of a seaman who died aboard ship were kept. His belongings were sold by the Master to members of the crew, all proceeds going to the widow or next of kin. Naturally enough, the sea chest became known as the "slop chest." On 26 June 1884, a Federal law was passed making the following stipulations: "Every vessel shall be provided with certain supplies for the seamen intended for a long voyage. Items will include: boots or shoes, hats, caps, underclothing, outerclothing, oil clothing, everything a seaman would wear and a full supply of tobacco and blankets to serve seamen." Oddly enough, these items were kept in the "store" that was an over-sized closet, and the old name "slop chest" was revived.

Prior to WWII, the chief steward handled the sales of the slop chest items and lawfully collected 10% of the profits. During WWII, the presence of a purser on all War Shipping Administration (WSA) operated ships and with the additional workload of the steward in feeding larger crews the job was turned over to the purser. When a ship reached a home port and in some foreign ports, custom officials would seal the chest.

World War Two did change the picture. A directive by President Roosevelt authorized the commission to construct over 4000 ships. Section 216 of the act directed the commission to set up a training organization for the purpose of training officers and unlicensed men to man the newly built ships.

Five types of training schools were established:

-USMS Training School for unlicensed men.

-USMS Officer's Schools.

-USMS Radio Schools.

-USMS Upgrade Schools.

-USMS Special Schools, ie: carpenters, assistant purser-hospital corpsmen, signal course, barrage balloon, convoy procedures, communication courses, turboelectric training and refresher courses for men returning to sea.

During the early part of WWII, three shore training stations were established for unlicensed seamen in the Deck, Engine and Steward's Departments. They were located at: Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York; Saint Petersburg, Florida; and Avalon on Catalina Island, California. Sheepshead Bay was by far the largest with a capacity of 10,000 men, Avalon had 3000, and St. Petersburg had 1500.

As Liberty ships and other types of ships were being built in 18 port city shipyards from Maine to Oregon, crews were desperately needed to man them. Training for unlicensed seamen was critical in all departments. Training for the Steward's Department with larger crews and troops was very important.