Welcome on Museumship Hudson!
1) A storytelling ship
Welcome aboard. For 24 years the Hudson sailed all the world's seas as a pulling power for vessels without their own engine power. In 1939 she was launched. She made her first towage trips for L. Smit & Co (Maassluis). On her 5th voyage she sailed for West Africa when Hitler's Germany occupied the Netherlands. With other tugs that were at sea, she was added to the navies of the allied countries. With the 11 crew members of that 5th voyage, the Hudson spent 66 months at sea in the battle for the liberation of occupied European countries. After 1945 she sailed for another 18 years for L. Smit & Co's International Towage Service, to all corners of the world.
Come on board! Walk the three decks where an average of 14 men endured for weeks on a small boat that often rolled and pitched. How did they do that? What did they experience on the ship and on foreign shores? They’ll tell you in countless little sailor stories. Read them on the wall or scan the QR codes. Follow the numbers and see the whole ship. In the engine room you will walk through the story of the Dutch sea tugs during the Second World War, 'Willy-nilly heroes'. The tour ends on the aft deck, at 'the flying fish'.
Tip: a sea tug is a working environment. Watch your step and mind your head. Have a nice tour!
2) Kidding
When newcomers came on board, they were of course taken for a ride. With assignments such as:
- Look out for the post boat.
- Ask the engineer for a compass key. (Usually such a newcomer was given a very heavy wrench.)
- Ask the boatswain for a medium kickstart recoil.
- And a very old one: Quickly, get a pan of steam from the fireman.
3) Clean sweep
We always fought a fierce battle with the cockroach. It was important to keep the galley and quarters clean. Once a week, usually on Saturdays, everything was put aside. We called that clean sweep. Everything was swept and mopped. After this the first mate inspected our quarters. We also had to wash our bedding ourselves. If the weather was nice, the laundry could be hung outside. Then there were shirts, socks, trousers and sheets fluttering in the wind. That was a funny sight. But usually there were lines in all the hallways and cabins to let the laundry dry. The arrival of the washing machine was a big step forward. But the dryer's was even better.
4) The crew
On a sea tug, the crew has three departments.
The nautical department. This is the group that uses the ship for its intended purpose: towing floating vessels across the sea. This group is assigned to the 24/7 watch on the ship.
- The captain (commanding officer)
- The first mate (officer; move)
- The radio operator, “sparks” (officer; maintains communication with the mainland and other ships)
- The boatswain (non-commissioned officer; team leader of the deck crew)
- Sailors, light sailors (deck crew)
The technical department. This is the group that keeps the ship technically ready to sail and in good condition.
- The 1st engineer/engineer (officer), the “master” who operates the engine
- The 2nd and 3rd WTK / engineer (3 drivers to man the engine room 24/7)
- The oiler(s), responsible for lubricating the moving engine parts
- The henchman, general assistant in the engine room
The civil service. The cook and the cook's mate.
Go through the door with the window. Mind the high threshold.
5) From sea tug to museum ship
The Hudson is special in many ways. In the first place because it is the only pre-war seagoing motor tug in the Netherlands. In addition, the ship, dating from 1939, is clearly a product from the time of the industrial revolution. A real workhorse. But the Hudson is also a war memorial. Because in the Second World War, the ship delivered many remarkable achievements.
After the war, the sea tug made one world trip after another for L. Smit & Co's Internationale Sleepdienst N.V. In 1963, shipping company Smit sold the Hudson to a scrap yard, which in turn sold the ship to a manufacturer of flake ice. The sea tug served in this position for another 25 years. But then the Hudson was in danger of being scrapped. Fortunately, a number of people were just able to prevent this.
The 'Help de Hudson' foundation was established and with minimal resources and a small club of volunteers, the restoration of the sea tug has been worked continuously for 12 years. The results are impressive. The Hudson has started a new life again!
6) The cabin of the 1st mate
When our captain was absent, the 1st mate took over. He was also a doctor, navigator, administrator and kept the ship's logbook. The 1st mate was responsible for the maintenance of the ship, the rigging and all the equipment. He also managed the bottle of jenever from which we got a drink every week ('shot on'). The mate usually kept that bottle behind his pillow.
7) Five scratches on your buttocks
Let's be honest: you couldn't really call our shipping company modern on certain points. Condoms… The men had to take care of these themselves. And that is asking for trouble. With some regularity someone reported to the first mate with a serious ignition on his you-know-what. Fortunately, at a certain moment the medicine cabinet was allowed to be expanded with penicillin. And luckily that helped. Crew members with venereal diseases were 'skilfully' helped by the mate. In his cabin you first had to put your pants down and then bend forward well. Part of the buttock was disinfected and hop, the syringe in it. When the syringe was empty, you got a scratch on your buttock. The treatment consisted of five injections, so that meant a total of five scratches on your behind.
Go to the officers' mess on the other side.
8) Boiled pork chops from the fat
This is where the officers ate their meals, at different times. A sailing tug at sea is a fully continuous operation, which made this unavoidable.
Sometimes you hit it. Then you had an experienced cook on board who understood his trade. But sometimes we could have men who came on as cooks, but had never cooked before. Then, for example, such a person would have worked as a steward in the navy. Just looked after the officers at the table. Then we had a hard time.
Although, if such a young man was a bit nice and was willing to get things handled, it usually turned out well. Then we just kept him. There was always an oiler on board, for example Jan Hondkost, who had previously been a butcher and knew how to make brawn. It was much worse if the cook was relieved abroad and the new cook was pretentious. Then we got really bad food for the rest of the trip. If there was a freshman in the galley, it was usually very dirty there. Simply because he didn't know that you always have to secure everything on a tugboat.
We also had to deal once with a cook who put a large pan with fat on the fire early in the morning and then dumped the meat in it. He would let the lot simmer until lunch had to be served. That way he was always right on time. But we had to eat boiled chops. He even prepared the steaks in this way. Everything always tasted the same. Nasty. This cook was sent aboard with the comment that he couldn’t but make a complete mess of it.
9) The big space here
This space with the green sofa was created as a reception area when the Hudson became a museum ship. When the ship sailed the seas, here were two cabins for the engineers. Look back at the narrow corridor you entered. The entire corridor here was as narrow as there.
10 )The captain's cabin
This cabin was the largest on board. Here the captain received important persons such as the agent of the shipping company, the insurance agent, customs officers, the immigration service, the doctor, clients and suppliers. At right in the back of the cabin is the captain's sleeping place. He was the only one on board who had his own separate sleeping cabin.
11) The radio operator’s cabin
The open space here in the front on the starboard side was originally the cabin of "sparks", the radio officer. Radio operators were somewhat odd types. They could write, talk to others or even sleep while hearing with one ear what Morse code or radio signals were coming in. Our radio operator had a small receiver next to his cage. During the Hudson’s conversion into a museum ship, Sparky's cabin has been replaced by a staircase to the lower deck.
For your safety: go down the stairs backwards.
12) Sleeping on the lower deck
This is the lower deck. Here are the storage areas for all provisions for the journey. Lots of meat, bags of flour for the bread, peas, beans, potatoes, canned food (long shelf life) and fresh fruit and vegetables (for the first two weeks).
Here, where the engine was constantly heard, also the sailors, oilers and runners lived. Space was very limited, especially if all runners were on board. Because then no less than 14 people ate and slept here! The men had a ration of alcohol and cigarettes.
A runner is someone who is stationed on board a towed unmanned vessel to continuously monitor towage connections and seaworthiness. The runner sails on the tugboat on her way to the tug to be collected or when this has been delivered.
First look at the provisions. Take a look at the room to the far left.
13) The briefcase
Strict rules always applied to spirits on board. For example, a ship was only allowed to stock 0.1 liters of spirit per crew member per travel day.
When we left the Netherlands we usually had 10 to 15 tambazans (small carboys) with spirits on board. The captain always determined when and how much was allowed to drink. The first mate had to arrange this. He kept the bottle behind his pillow. And if the captain didn't trust him, he made a mark on the bottle to determine the contents.
Incidentally, it was sometimes the captain who drank more than was good for him. Then the mate was instructed to secretly tap liquor. After that he had to secretly carry the bottle of old gin to the captain in a briefcase.
Have a look at the other side of the corridor.
14) Easter in Brazil
Fresh ingredients were always scarce on board. So what did our cook do when we were in Brazil just before Easter? He immediately bought up all the chickens and eggs when he was in the Santarèn market!
15) Jenever with lemon
The gin that we received from the shipping society was so strong that it seemed spiritus. But we knew very well how to make that stuff taste better. We drained a litre or so and added some lemon and orange peels with a lot of sugar. We let it stand for a week and then tasted it well. If it wasn't quite to your liking, we let it ripen for another week. And man, how nice it was to us by then!
16) Finger-licking Indians
In the Amazon region, there were always a few curious Indians coming to us. They paddled to the ship in hollowed-out logs. We sometimes gave them some of those big 5-litre cans of super sweet jam. We didn't like it ourselves. But the Indians did. They greedily stuck their fingers in it and… gosh, enjoy!
17) Corned Beef in the Tropics
One day one of the runners was sick. According to his buddy it was malaria. It would be over after a few days. We consulted the paper doctor anyway, a thick book in which all possible syndromes were described. We then drew up a report for the Red Cross Hospital in The Hague.
The result was food poisoning. We asked the patient what he had eaten. No answer. His buddy didn't want to talk either. Until we put a lot of pressure on him. Finally the truth came out. The lads had been given a few large cans of corned beef from sea tugboat the Poolzee. Each time they ate some of this stuff, they shoved the rest back into the can. For the next meal. In the tropics that is of course asking for food poisoning. The runner's condition deteriorated rapidly and hospitalization was necessary.
Thanks to the efforts of the radio officer, the patient was eventually admitted to the Walvis Bay hospital. We sailed on to Cape Town. There we found out that they had only just in time saved the runner's life.
The men's rooms are in the hallway. The first right is the mess room.
18) Eating in the mess room
This is where the sailors, oilers and runners ate. The captain and his officers ate upstairs in their own mess room. The crew did not have to cook for themselves; that's what the cook did. He provided breakfast, lunch and dinner. The crew always hoped that the cook knew his trade. Because it sometimes happened that they had to do it with someone who wasn’t really able to prepare food at all.
It is not for nothing that the 'window slats' on the table have been applied to it. Your board could suddenly find itself on the other side after a heavy pull from the ship or worse, land on your lap.
19) Bad weather pans
Food was important to the crew. It also had to be ready on time. Morning, afternoon and evening. Whether it was wind force 12 at sea or not. When it was very stormy we did not eat from soup plates but from so-called bad weather pans. These aluminium pans had a high rim that prevented the soup to fly out if the boat made a big overturn. Later, when the boats became bigger and more stable, those pans disappeared.
20) Strange tastes
It was customary on board to give everyone a nickname. You had 'The Bacon Steak', 'Sour Jake', 'The Doghead' and 'Wild Bill'. The dishes were also given the strangest names such as 'Dots and stripes' (1), 'Dip Dollops' (2), 'Razor blades' (3), 'Chewing tobacco' (4), 'Bunker lids' (5) and 'Cork bags' (6 ).
Across the corridor is the cabin of the oilmen and the cook. The oilmen worked in the engine room. Read the stories in the cages and try to imagine what it was like to live and work on a sea tug. Not for a day, for a week, but for months.
21) Celebration and sadness
Sinterklaas (Dutch traditional feast on the 5th of December) and Christmas were celebrated on board in their own unique way. And the ragging of young sailors was always a lot of fun. As well as going out on shore when the ship was in port. But there were also sad moments. For example, in case of deaths on board. Then the men had to deal with this together.
22) The Captain's last voyage
Captain Klerks had suffered a heart attack on board and was therefore at home. But he missed the sea terribly. So he kept nagging until he was allowed to sail again. Everyone told him to be sensible and not to go, but he went anyway.
He was on his way from Cape Town to Durban with a large crane barge. Then the tow rope broke and it could only be reattached after two days of searching. That, of course, was very stressful. We had to approach the crane barge very carefully. A little port, a little starboard, pay attention, take it easy… Suddenly the captain fell over the telegraph*. It turned out he had suffered another heart attack. Everyone was in an uproar. This was Captain Klerks' last voyage. We quickly sailed into the nearest port. The captain was later buried in the Netherlands.
The telegraph is the instrument with which the captain gives orders to the engineer for manoeuvring the ship. Both the captain and the engineer have a telegraph; one is on the bridge and the other in the engine room.
23) New Year's Eve without fried balls
After nearly four months out on the sea, we were happy to have Rio Grande do Sul in sight. We were supposed to put in after midday on New Year’s Eve. But alas, the pampero* ruined it for us. Due to the increasing wind we could not enter the harbor. And of course the Brazilian pilot didn't expend much effort for us either, because he was sitting comfortably at home with his family, behind a glass of cana**. In short, we could whistle for our drinks and our traditional New Year’s Eve fried balls. All night we lay with that tow in front of the harbor. The wind tore at the anchor chain. I missed the home front at times like that. Then I thought of our living room, the family portraits on the wall and the smell of fried balls.
*pampero: an offshore wind from Antarctica, which flows to Paraguay via Argentina and Uruguay. It is a cold, dry wind, from October to January.
**cana: a strong drink made from cane sugar.
24) We are back home!
At 05:00 in the morning we swung (turned the ship) in front of the Prince’s Quay (in Rotterdam) and moored. Then we quickly went home. And then we always rang the doorbell. Because those who travel for a long time do not take a house key with them. When the door was opened, you yelled loudly, "Well, Mother, here I am!"
25) Man overboard
In general, the atmosphere on board was excellent. Most men got along just fine. But sometimes there happened to be an odd character. Such a person mostly did adapt during the trip. And then he was accepted. But not always. It also happened that such an outsider was constantly the target of bullying. And that sometimes had fatal consequences. I experienced twice that we suddenly missed a crew member. Such a person would have jumped from the ship out of desperation and drowned. Very sad.
26) Neptune baptizes the freshmen
It was always exciting for the inexperienced sailors: when they crossed the equator for the first time they were baptized by Neptune!
The newcomers on board, the freshmen, were left in limbo for as long as possible. The rest of the crew had been preparing for quite some time. For example, a trident had to be made for the God of the Sea and a bra for his wife. Usually the couple appeared in the company of a few buccaneers.
When the big day arrived, the freshmen were locked up in the washing room. Then they were allowed to appear before Neptune to be addressed sternly. After pronouncing a formula, the novices had to take a long gulp of a filthy fish drink.
Another dirty gunk was used for the baptism ritual. Sometimes the newcomers also had to crawl under a tarp blindfolded. Finally, they were rinsed with seawater and received their certificate and a new sea name. Afterwards, the captain usually treated us to a drink. And the cook provided a feast.
27) The cabin of Rinus and Toon
On our tugboat it was practice that fellow craftsmen shared space with fellow craftsmen. But that doesn't mean it always went well. Toon van der Heide, a clean and tidy oiler, had to share his cabin with Rinus van Eeuwijk, a careless pervert. Toon was terribly annoyed by the mess that Rinus made.
One day the oiler had enough. He took a brush with white paint and divided the cabin into two equal parts. Rinus was allowed to mess around as much as he wanted, but only in his part of the hut. We thought it magnificent to see. On the one hand it was one big mess. Totally hideous.
The sailors slept in the cabin next door. They were never all five together here because of the varying shifts and guard duties.
28) Lie by at berth
In the 1950s, it was common for tugboats to lie idle along the various shipping routes, waiting for a new job. This was called 'lie by at berth'. The ship was then in a harbour for a long time and everyone on board tried to pass the time as pleasantly or usefully as possible. Until the radio operator received a new assignment. Then everyone immediately jumped into action. Because of the high costs, laying at berth was later abolished.
29) Scalp surgery
While working on the aft deck, a sailor hit the tow bow hard with his head. And believe it or not, his scalp had just rolled up an inch! It didn't look good. We decided to try and secure the skin back in place. The fact that it was stormy at sea didn't make things any easier. In addition, we also had no equipment to properly anesthetize the sailor. Fortunately, we did have a few opium pills in the medicine cabinet. All instruments that we thought we needed were first carefully disinfected. This was followed by disinfection of the scalp. The first mate rolled the skin back down, doing his utmost to make sure no hairs got into the wound. Then everything was neatly put back together. And the sailor recovered wonderfully quickly!
30) The Captain's Dentures
In the middle of the sea, the captain lost the top part of his dentures. And that made eating difficult for him. What were we supposed to come up with? It would be days before we reached a port. The first mechanical engineer had devised a special plan. He collected dozens of toothbrushes. Then he melted them into a multi-coloured mass. And he poured new teeth from that big lump of plastic. After a lot of fitting, measuring and grinding, a usable upper denture was finally created. The captain wore it for about 10 days. Then Port Said was reached. The captain went straight to the dentist there, of course. This man thought the homemade teeth were so beautiful that he immediately asked if he could place them in the display case of his practice. And so was done.
31) Splinting with a broomstick
One time a sailor broke his leg. Unfortunately we had no splints on board. First mate Koos Fillekes simply took a few broomsticks and sawed them to size. With one leg splinted from hip to toe, the sailor was placed in the first mate's cabin. Then someone thought that the leg would heal fastest if a few counterweights were attached to it. A hole was immediately sawn in the bulkhead that separated the cabin from the hallway, otherwise it wouldn't fit. The sailor lay inside, the weights hung outside in the hallway. After a few days the ship entered a harbour and the infirmaries came to collect the patient. It seems that they have been scolding his caretakers a lot. Because of those weights. Fortunately, the sailor’s leg has recovered well.
32) Janus in the City madhouse
Saturday night in Venice. After collecting part of our wages from the first mate, we went ashore for a night out. However, the runners Janus and his cousin Kees did not return on board. Janus had got into an argument with a few Italian youths. There were heavy blows thrown back and forth.
But what the Italians didn't know was that Janus was a star at performing poignant death scenes. As now. Police and ambulance were called. However, the attending physician soon realized that drama was being played here. He had Janus and Kees locked up in the city nut-house. The next morning the police came on board to tell the captain exactly what had happened.
On Monday morning, Janus and his cousin returned aboard. We noticed that they were quite difficult to walk. However, this was not because of the fight. What turned out? Arriving at the madhouse, our runners were immediately put in a straitjacket. As a result, they could not have rid themselves of beer and food in a normal way. Everything was still in their clothes! But that was easily taken. Wash, put on work clothes and off we went, quickly back to the sea together!
33) Azores Station
The port of Horta on Fayal, one of the Azores Islands. We always liked coming here. For example, Maria, a widow of about 50 years old, always ensured that our clothes were washed and ironed at lightning speed. We also liked going to the Sport cafe owned by ship dealer Henrique Azavedos. To paint the town red, of course, but mainly because of the mail. This was a remnant of WWII. The letters we wrote in wartime often took months to reach the home front. Our mail was first extensively checked by the English. Then the letters were left for weeks. When the mail finally reached Germany via Spain, another check round followed, but this time by the Germans. Again the letters were left lying on a dusty shelf somewhere.
Until one of us came up with a system to get around everything. We just sent our letters to Henrique. He sent everything home and sent the letters from the home front back to the ships. Simple and effective.
34) Free time on board
There was always work on board at sea: watchkeeping and ship maintenance. 4 hours on, 8 hours off. We often filled the free time we had with cards or checkers. We also had a well-stocked book chest, provided by the seafarers' library. And correspondence between seafarers and schools was set up.
There were also men who liked to make ships in a bottle in their spare time. Or used flour sacks turned into caps. And they turned the cook's wooden cutting board into a true work of art.
I once built a beautiful three-master on board. It fit in parts in my suitcase. During the same trip I also made a birdcage from plywood. I had bought a canary in Lisbon.
Later on, more people started tinkering on board. We made toys for the children's home Geranja in Rotterdam. I then made a South-Holland water mill. And a farm for my son.
35) Brawl with the Portuguese Navy
The Miramar Cafe in the Azores was also popular with our crew. As long as there was payment there could be plenty of partying. And we stuck to that. We felt at home there. Probably a little too much, in the opinion of some Portuguese navy men. Once there was sudden a brawl. We knocked the Portuguese down and our party continued.
When we left the Miramar many hours later, we were met. The Portuguese marines had armed themselves with baseball bats and were hitting us hard. Some of our boys ended up in hospital because of this. The next morning the police came on board. The naval leadership was at their wits’ end what to do about the matter. And so were we.
After intensive consultation, it was decided to cover up the fight. We had supposedly played a friendly game of football. Unfortunately, there were some injuries. Subsequently, part of our crew repaired the damage to the Miramar's interior the very same day. That was the end for everyone.
36) Slaughtering a sperm whale
Sometimes the wait for a new salvage order took a long time. We would then do some chores and make repairs on board. We also helped other ships. But in October it became increasingly quiet in the port of Horta-Fayal. So for us it was mainly a distraction when the locals had harpooned a sperm whale again.
In those days, this was still done by hand, from wooden rowing boats. A great spectacle! Like slaughtering the sperm whale. They really spent a day on that. Everything, absolutely everything, was used. Even the mucus of the skin. Because that turned out to be great bait for the fish. And the sperm whale's blood was processed into a kind of fertilizer.
In total, about 40 men worked in the slaughterhouse. The sperm whale's teeth also formed trade. Ashtrays and letter openers were made from this, among other things. At one time, a model was even made of the sea tug Clyde. Truly a work of art consisting of all small pieces of tooth.
37) Tobias the half-wit
One time we had a runner with us who wasn't exactly smart. We called him Tobias. On board that meant half-witted. Coincidentally, his real name was also Tobias. Many people used to make fun of him on a regular basis. In fact, they abused his trust. Our Tobias, for example, had lent 300 guilders to his mate in Japan, where we had just arrived with a tow. After a few days we got the message that we had to pass on our tow. Part of the crew would be transferred to another tug, including Tobias' mate. From a number of runners we heard that he had really cheated Tobias. And then we made sure that our half-wit got his 300 guilders back and that this fine friend of his was not paid for a long time.
Across the corridor is the hut for the runners. The stairs in the hallway are for the cook who brought the food from the galley to the mess room.
38) Meeting in the tropics
Sometimes the Hudson made very special journeys. For example, under Captain Slotboom they sailed to the Amazon region. A totally different world. The crew sometimes had to contend with unbearable heat for weeks. No wonder, with a steel ship without air conditioning. Sailors slept on the foredeck or under the sloops. And boys who had never been further from home than their own village came face to face with Amazon Indians!
39) Chief in pyjamas
We were in the Amazon with the Hudson and came into contact with an Indian chieftain. A gift was clearly expected from me, the 'chief' of the tugboat. But what? Then suddenly I thought of my pyjamas, neatly ironed by my wife. I never wore these anyway. The chief was very happy with them. I wouldn't be surprised if he still proudly wears that night garment out there in the dark jungle.
40) The coffee drinking monkey
Once in Manaus I traded a carton of cigarettes for a monkey and two parrots. The monkey soon felt completely at home on board. When it was coffee time, he was very pertly rattling on the towing bitt* with a mug. He liked coffee with lots of milk and sugar. When we were back in the Netherlands I took the animal home with me. But my wife was less happy about that. Especially when this monkey once hung on a pan of meat. My wife got that very heavy thing on her leg and had immediately to be put in a cast. At last I brought the monkey to Blijdorp**. I had a lot of attention in the tram.
*towing bitt: heavy H-shaped construction on the aft deck to which the tow line is attached.
** zoo in Rotterdam.
41) Parrots in distress
The engineer had trimmed the parrots from Manaus, but just not enough. No problem. Because we fed them well, they stayed on board with us anyway. Until we had to tow a crane to Caracas, together with tugboat the Red Sea. The crew of that tug waved bunches of bananas at our parrots. Sure enough, there they went. On the wind, over the railing. And then they plunged into the sea. I can still hear them screaming. A terrible sound, but we couldn't stop the ship.
42) Power for Manaus
After taking provisions in Belém, we set out for Manaus in Brazil, more than 1000 km inland on the Amazon. Since it was a full moon, we also sailed at night. The many jungle sounds we heard made the trip extra exciting. During the day we passed several small settlements. The children came to us in a hollowed-out log, hoping that we would throw some treats at them. In total we sailed about 1000 nautical miles (1850 km).
Incidentally, we visited Manaus more often. For example, we once had to tow a power station built in one of those old World War II landing craft. From New Orleans to Manaus. The power station was a gift from the Americans. A few kilometres before Manaus we put that colossus in the mud on the bank. We couldn't do more, there just wasn't a decent harbour. The deal was that those "Yanks" (Americans) would build the power plant, so our job was done. We continued for two more miles to the city of Manaus. Here we were brought in with gunfire. That was a feast, you know!
After this cabin you will enter the port fuel bunker. This is where the exhibition 'Willy-nilly heroes’ starts, about the Dutch tugs in the Second World War. At the end of that you are in the starboard fuel bunker. There you go up the stairs, back to the main deck. At the top of the stairs you will find no. 43.
43) Home
Let go, he who likes to sail.
I have sailed, I turned my tail.
Here on the main deck, re-enter the glass door. Mind the high water-retaining threshold. Immediately go left up the narrow stairs. Mind your head, it's low here. You’ll end up on the upper deck, in the chart room.
44) Rhymes from the chart room
With the tables of sun and moon, the sailor sails the oceans smart.
Only to fathom a woman's heart, no-one invented yet a chart.
You may see churches and towers yet, the journey is not over and set.
Rain does not break long tall masts, yet breeds boys as empty casts.
He who never sailed the seas, didn’t see a sailor at ease.
On the nautical chart, the course line was set by the captain or first mate. He gave the helmsman a certain compass course to sail. The chart room also contains the sailor's guides, the ship's sextant, the time meter and the gauges. Also nautical flags and company flags. In the top drawer of the chest under the chart table you can now see, among other things, the ship's log.
45) The Hudson Leasure Club
Directly behind the chart room is the radio cabin, the domain of the radio operator. He was the liaison between the ship and the rest of the world. All messages, usually by radiotelegraphy, came on board through this place. The Hudson's radio call letters are P E U J (Papa-Echo-Uniform-Juliet). The radio hut is furnished by Radio Holland with transmitters and receivers from that time.
Chief engineer, master Punt, was chairman of the Hudson leisure association. And he did not take that position lightly. In fact, one day he even decided to ask the Queen for a financial contribution for our association.
Master Punt had read in the Ocean Post that Japan had been hit by an earthquake. The Dutch government had decided to transfer a substantial amount of money. This was very much against the will of Master Punt. He had been in a Japanese camp with his family, in WWII. And during that period the Japanese had also confiscated his toolbox.
All this led him to the decision to send a telegram to Her Majesty. He wanted to express his dissatisfaction with the financial support from the Netherlands and ask whether the Queen could ensure that the promised amount would be rerouted to our relaxation association. Radio officer Hans sent the telegram without comment.
Hans only started thinking when a telegraph operator from Scheveningen Radio contacted him. In the middle of the night the radio officer stepped over to the captain. He decided that the telegram should be withdrawn immediately. Fortunately, the telegram had not yet reached Soestdijk Palace. If that should have happened, we would undoubtedly have made the news in the Netherlands.
Pass on to the wheelhouse.
46) Guard duty
The wheelhouse (“the bridge”), together with the chart room, is the ship's command center. In the middle are the steering wheel and in front of it the compass, the navigation instrument with which the helmsman keeps the ship on course. On the starboard side is the telegraph with which the captain gives commands to the engine room. Forward-backward, hard, soft, etc. Once at sea, the position was full-forward for days. On the port side is the radar (it is from a much more recent time).
Life went on day and night aboard the Hudson. And guard duty was geared to this (4 hours on and 8 hours off). Six different patrol periods were in use. We had a naughty mnemonic to remember them all: Adam Pisses Evel’yn Her Darling Vulva.
Achtermiddagwacht (Afternoon watch)12:00 – 16:00 uur
Platvoetwacht (Flat foot watch) 16:00 – 20:00 uur
Eerste wacht (First watch) 20:00 – 24:00 uur
Hondenwacht (Dog watch) 00:00 – 04:00 uur
Dagwacht (Day watch) 04:00 – 08:00 uur
Voormiddagwacht (Morning watch) 08:00 – 12:00 uur
This is the so-called 3-guard system. Before WWII, the 2-guard system applied. In addition, the changing of the guard was not every four, but every six hours. The watch consisted of the first mate and two others. This was stipulated by law. The mate was usually in the navigation and chart room working and supervising. One of the others was at the steering wheel and the other one was on the lookout. As soon as the sun came up, the latter was cleaning, painting or doing odd jobs. No noise was allowed at night because our sleep was sacred.
Exit through the port side door and on to the right. You look out over the bow with the anchor winch and the bollards. Continue to the stairs.
47) A verse, learned from captain Weltevreden
On a pretty day in May,
in the window, David lay,
eager looking round beyond.
What did he then got in sight?
Bathsheba, naked, blonde and bright,
bathing in a sunny pond.
Go down the stairs to the boat deck.
The sloops hang in davits, iron bars, bent at the top. The sloops were not only used as lifeboats but also as workboats. Originally they were rowing boats. Much later an engine was installed. The sloops were used for casting moorings, for inspection work, for transferring runners, etc.
48) Searchlight in tatters
Against all blackout orders, Captain Weltevreden used the searchlight to find two ships. The English ship accompanying us signalled that it must stop immediately. Otherwise they would shoot the searchlight. Uncle Ben ignored the signal. "He doesn't dare to shoot," he said. What they did. “Now we have lost our beautiful searchlight”, was the reaction of Uncle Ben. We really put up a poor show.
49) Our guns
There used to be a cannon here, a Krupp 5 cm gun no. 2. It formed our defence against German air raids, together with two machine guns and a barrage balloon. This was an inflatable balloon that was connected to the ship by cables and, possibly together with other balloons, closed off a certain area for the enemy air defence.
You can also see a second telegraph that was used when maneuvering during the transfer of the tow rope.
Walk on past the stairs.
50) Uncle Ben's eggs
Captain Weltevreden (Uncle Ben) loved fresh eggs. That's why he had the engineer build a chicken coop behind the funnel. Sometimes the chickens were completely out of lay, the captain thought. In reality, his eggs had been stolen by one of the guys!
Go back and take the stairs down to the main deck. It is steep and narrow. Step backwards down and watch your head. Arrived downstairs, go inside, to the galley.
51) The cook's prawn crackers
Once we had a very bad time with our cook again. He really didn't know anything about his trade. For example, one day he had hung a large piece of pork rind over the stove. I wanted to know what he was up to with that. “Make prawn crackers” was the answer. Apparently he assumed that a captain didn't know how to make prawn crackers. Well, one thing is for sure, you don't make prawn crackers from a piece of rind, but from fish or shrimp. In addition, the dish originally comes from Indonesia, where most people don't eat pig at all because of their religion! Later it turned out that our cook was not even able to bake our daily bread. Worthless!
Turn around and now go to the aft deck, to the towing bitt. That's the big, black H-shaped construction.
52) The towing cable between sea tug and towed vessel
The hawser (the tow rope) is attached to the bitt on board the tug. In harbors and on rivers, the towed vessel is located close behind the tug boat. Out on the sea the tow rope will be paid out up to 700 meters. Behind the bitt you can see the winch room. A winch is a shaft that can rotate with motor power to wind a cable. In the winch room, a long tow line can thus be wound up, making it shorter. You will also see heavy drums on the outside of the winch room to winch cables.
53) Shot on!
Drinks were served on board twice a week. The first mate then stood here by the towing bitt and shouted “Shot on!”. We all had our drink from the same glass.
The first mate Frans van Delden liked drinks very much. So what did that sneaky one do when it was time to get us round for a drink? He filled the bottle with the daily ration, went upstairs and quickly poured himself a drink. "Shot on!" he shouted. But so softly that no one heard. So Frans poured himself another drink. "Shot on" he whispered. Again no response. Frans tossed down a third drink and then walked away, shaking his head. Supposedly not understanding that no one showed up. The first time, Frans was lucky. The second time, however, we became angry because again no shot had been given. We wanted to know from the captain what was going on. Well, and then Frans had a hard time. Because we then ran into him. “Jesus, Frans, you have to shout a little louder!”
Go down the deck to the back, past the engine room hatches. Watch out for your head at the tow bows.
54) The black choir
If, in bad weather, we couldn't make it on deck due to an unwilling hawser, or if the entire stern became submerged, the black choir sprang into action. Those were the men from the engine room. They came to lend us a hand on deck without hesitation. All hands on deck! On a sea tug you helped each other when needed.
Looking back to the front you will see two masts. A loading boom is mounted on the one nearby, the aft mast, to lift heavy loads on board. The front mast has several navigation lights. These lamps could burn in various combinations. In this way sailors on passing ships could see in the dark what kind of ship this was and whether or not a vessel was being towed. This mast was also used for the radio antennas, flag lines and on-board lighting.
55) Flying fish
A free meal of fish without having to do anything for it! We were lucky enough to keep an eye on the hawsers at night. The flying fish that came towards the light then spontaneously landed on our low aft deck. Wrapped in a piece of silver paper they were smothered in the oven.
You have come to the end of the tour around the Hudson. Do you have any questions? Feel free to pass them on to our staff. In the reception area on the main deck you can watch videos about the Hudson and towage in general. Would you like a memento of your visit to the Hudson? Look at the ticket office on the starboard side of the winch room.
Thank you for your visit. Goodbye and… tip others!