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End Of An Era
The 1950’s and 60’s
arguably saw the heyday of the world's merchant fleets. Although
those of us still at sea in the early 1970’s didn’t realise it at
the time, technology was eating into our world producing bigger and
bigger ships needing fewer and fewer crew.
Sailors of Britain (and no doubt other countries) felt the economics
of cheaper labour costs from smaller European countries, and
gradually, those men who did find jobs discovered that the days of
working on ships from their own country, with crews made up of their
own countrymen, were fast disappearing.
Regardless of the flag flown, passenger ship crews are now just
civilians, working on ten month contracts, generally out of Miami, and
even though Cunard still flies the Red Ensign, the company is now
owned by Americans.
Sailors from other countries around the world have felt the same vice
like grip on their chosen profession.
All that is left now are
the memories we cherish of the best times of our lives; when we were
young and bullet-proof, “money was made round to go ‘round” and we
could always count on our shipmates.
This web site is dedicated to seafarers of all countries, of any rank
or rating, and regardless of sex. If you have memories of your time at
sea, please share them with us.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Why is the site called All At
Sea?
A. Apart from the obvious, the
site was born out of frustration and a feeling of being "all at sea" - most of the
web sites around the world only cater for a small minority of ex and
serving merchant seamen who trained at one or two sea
schools. We felt the need to broaden the appeal for all seafarers,
regardless of rating, rank, sex or training.
Q. Why does the address end in .cx?
A. The domain name allatsea
is registered in Christmas Island, a small land mass of approximately 135
square kilometres off the Australian west coast. All domain name
registrations on Christmas Island use the little known .cx instead of
.com. Christmas Island domain registrations are easier to obtain and
cheaper than on the mainland.
Q. How is All At Sea funded?
A. During 2005 All At Sea was
built, maintained
and funded by Bill and Julia Young,
with hosting very kindly
provided free of charge by
www.kalnet.com, a Kalgoorlie based
ISP whose server is located in Perth, Western Australia.
From January 1,
2006 we are totally liable for all registration and hosting
costs. If you have enjoyed this site, please consider making a
small donation to help us defray the costs -
CLICK HERE
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