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Old 21st Jan 2022, 1:17 pm   #29
Pellseinydd
Heptode
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Flintshire, UK.
Posts: 707
Default Re: On-board ship communications

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sparks View Post
By this, I mean the likes of passenger cruise ships, cross-Channel ferries and so on. Were/are they fitted with GPO-style telephone exchanges with simple telephones in cabins, crew quarters, bridge, engine room etc ? Or were wired or wireless intercom or sound-powered telephones used ? I acknowledge that marine band VHF radio would be found on the bridge.

Thankyou.
I have one of the three GPO style pre-decimal 'Button A/B boxes that were fitted/used on the Canberra cruise liner until 1992. They then became 'unusable' because the old 'Florin' sized 10p piece was withdrawn in 1992. Although they were 'pre-decimal' the slots weren't the usual Penny/sixpence(6d)/shilling (1/-) .

Instead they had a 2/- (florin/two shilling) slot at the front with the usual 6d and shilling at the rear. There was a 'stick on' notice on the front of the A/B plate stating -
6d = 5 cents
1/- = 10 cents
2/- = 20 cents

Thus both old UK pre-decimal coins and Australian decimal coins could be used depending where the ship was. Not sure of New Zealand coinage?

The 'coin denomination' plate was the old style cast metal silver finish but with '2/-' for the front slot and the usual 6d and 1/- slots further back.
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