Caronia's Crew Deck Spaces
Within all the Caronia brochures, the acres of open deck space was a major selling point to prospective passengers. There were also spaces that were crew only. On modern ships, there appears to be a distinct lack of crew deck areas, which I feel is a great shame.
Being able to escape to an open deck was always a welcome relief from the hubbub and stresses found down below. Even when it was quiet, inside the ship there was a constant hum of the generators and the venting sounds of the air-conditioning. Access to an open deck was always a bonus, whether the sun was shining during the day, or if it was a clear and moonlit night.
[Photo: Courtesy of John Higgins]
The forward crew deck was always a favourite spot for the required “bronzie.” For any Caronia crew, getting home from an around the World trip without a decent suntan to prove it, was not an option!
[Photo: Courtesy of John Higgins]
The aft crew deck space offered a mix of open and covered areas. Sitting on one of the bollards at the aft end, watching the propeller wash trailing behind us for miles, was always a relaxing experience. Further forward on both sides were dead-end covered areas, with good views out to sea through large open apertures.
George Peterson writes…
The covered crew deck space as shown in the photo is where the table-tennis table was stored, lashed to
the inner bulkhead on rough days. The crew competitions were held here as I reached the final against
printer Garry Tomlinson on the 1965 world cruise. He beat me five games to four - the final game being 21-19.
The prize-giving celebrations and ceremony were performed in the forward “Pig” that night by the Staff Captain. If Garry reads this, he was still lucky - he got the roll of the ship that day.
A Frequent Question
One question that I'm often asked is, would I want to go back to sea these days? Well, apparently in common with several visitors here, this Timeline site doesn't do much to pacify the travel-bug. However, my considered response to this question is based on a few factors.
When I travelled around the World at that time, large areas of it remained unspoiled. Cruise ships these days spend incredibly short stays at ports of call, giving little chance of crew shore leave. It appears that the legacy of the 1966 seamen's strike still has an effect today, especially on crew pay.
Even though there have been major improvements made in crew accommodation, the final straw in my saying “No, not as a crew member…” would be the lack of these places on deck to escape to and take time out to contemplate.
If you can contribute any information, do please get in touch…
North Cape 
