Join the KJCPL/RIL

In October 1953, I had completed more than a year as Apprentice Deck Officer (Stuurman) with the K.N.S.M. (lovingly called the "Rye Bread Line"), sailing on the Mediterranean and the America services. Having the required Sea Time, I had to go back to school for my Second Mate's Ticket. That was not easy, because the studying interfered with my love/sex life. Having eventually passed the exams, I was told there were no ships available and to go and study for the theoretical part of the Mate's Ticket, with that I joined many others as there was an oversupply of talent.

It was a beautiful sunny spring day in Amsterdam when we decided not to waste too much time in the classroom, but go to the Rembrandt Plein for lunch and a drink. A few hours later we were very happily strolling past the building in which various shipping companies had offices. In the front stood a man enjoying the best of Dutch spring weather. He was very friendly and talkative, introduced himself as a seafaring person and asked us to come up for a yarn and a drink. We were quick to decide that it was too late to go back to school anyway and...........we fell in the trap. Before we left the building we had all signed up to give the next three years of our life to this super duper company, later known as the "Royal Interocean Lines". Only a few weeks later we all went to the East on the same ship, together with others, who had been shanghaied in a similar fashion. To this day I have never regretted the event or the consequences, I could have stayed at sea forever, but for the events that changed the course of my life.

Large cruise ships for the masses, as we have today were not there. Ships were for transport only. You would book a berth to go to a destination, be it business or holiday or whatever and back again. Large vessels had different classes, from First Class to Steerage and even various tweendeck areas. In the First Class we had the people with the money, able to enjoy the five star services. Cruising on that level was rare. There was an older lady on one of our ships on the Japan South America Service, who stayed on board for a few years, she was known by everyone and never went ashore. Each trip she met so many people, who were pleased to come to the ship to visit her and sample some of the luxuries that were on offer. Down in the hatches were White Russians, Japanese and Koreans, who made their way to a new life in South America. In the cabins on the lower decks was an interesting mix of the working class. 

First Class was "posh". Out of bed in your trackie and run around the decks, being an absolute nuisance to the crew scrubbing and holystoning the wooden decks. Then dress for breakfast, after that you put on suitable sports/daywear for deck tennis or card games or any other part of the organised games. Then dress for sit down luncheon and go for a rest afterwards. Dress for happy hour and then it was eveningwear for dinner. As Junior Officers we were not allowed to mix with these passengers.

However, in 1964 I was Chief Officer on the R.I.L. "love boat" "Tjiluwah". Whilst there was not quite the same stiff upper lip atmosphere because of the changes in the type of people travelling in the First Class, shipboard life went along similar lines. Now more passengers did the "roundtrip" and so the cruising came into the system.  My wife joined the ship from Sydney to Sydney via Japan and Hong Kong. The kids had given me the mumps, which kept me on board but did not stop her having a good time, when being looked after by other passengers and various members of the Staff, it did not affect her voyage.

My personal steward was a little bit worried and kept me informed: "Missie has come back on board and is now in the bar with So&So." Old Choy did look after me very well. We took that service for granted because we grew up that way in our life on board the RIL ships.

We never thought we were spoiled, life was so different.

Looking back I must agree that we lived in a world that is no more and will never be repeated.

In the lower ranks we had to share the service of Stewards on board, depending on your attitude towards them, you could still be "spoiled". Say that you wanted to go ashore in Hong Kong? Just mention it to the Steward and shore clothes were laid out on the bunk, the Hong Kong dollars in your wallet together with other requirements.

Then you could also find a number of old Chinese women in your cabin and all your clothes spread around, because the Steward had ordered the "Sausie Sausie's" to mend your gear as necessary. These old ladies never stopped talking and made a lot of noise, none spoke English and half of them had been offering seafarers alternative services when they were younger.

With the Head Office in Hong Kong, the Royal Interocean Lines was different to the shipping companies, operating from Holland. The three year term of duty did gave everybody the same commitment to perform and also created a closer bond between ship mates, as they were forced to live together over long periods. The atmosphere on board of each ship depended very much on the Captain and his interpretation of the Company Regulations, all nine volumes full of information on how to live on board the RIL ships. The sailing with Chinese crews became a quest of diplomacy on the part of all the Officers, in all ranks.

The attitude learned on the RIL ships would have no comparison in the world of today, it was give and take. Long hours when requested were normal and performed without complaints, as shore leave was there to make up for it.

I sailed with mainly older Captains, some not easy to understand, but on the whole they were doing the job in the way they learned from their superiors and believed they did it well.

Only after I left the RIL, I realised that I had been doing the same thing and that was why I was not happy sailing with a particular younger Captain, who ran the ship in a strict but friendly manner.

At a reunion in Sydney we met and I apologised for not understanding him. He smiled and said:

“Don’t worry about it, I knew what Captains you had been sailing with, I felt sorry for you”

For me the KJCPL/RIL had been a good company where I spent the most memorable time of my life.

Hans van Weel

Safety Beach VIC

6 September 2009