Roger,
These two ruffians are probably too young to remember real ships. Back in the late fifties, a workmate told me of one cruel trick. On the older parts of the Grey Funnel Line, the lavatory system consisted of cubicles with open bottomed bowls in each, with a continuously flowing water filled trough, like a larger urinal, passing directly underneath. When most were occupied, a wag would float lighted cotton waste waste down the trough, resulting in hot bits. :welldone
Of course you must realise that I've probably completed more nautical miles in my single handed racing dinghy, just around Poole Harbour, than their combined lifetime total. :thankyou:
Too young? I wish!
I first went to sea in 1960, but don't remember the heads you describe, but that is an old story about the lighted cotton waste, but the version I know, took place in Singapore dockyard. The British matelots who prefer to sit on the seat, got their arses burnt, but the natives, who prefer to squat, just got warmed up a bit

))
The heads in most ships had a non-return valve at the end of the disposal pipe, before it left the side of the ship, on its way to the sea, to prevent any flashback, or splashback from the sea.
One ship I was on, a frigate, I was sitting in the for'ard (that's the front you landlubbers) heads, during a very rough sea.
The bow of the ship was just rising up to mount the next wave, before crashing down and ploughing into the next one. A great force of water, obviously too much for the non-return valve, as the water forced its way up the disposal pipe, and burst up through the toilets, creating the most efficient bidet ever known to man. Too efficient actually, as I, and two others in adjoining cubicles, were roused from our revelries, by being swept upwards by a violent gush of seawater from below. Luckily, I had not yet managed to achieve the purpose of my visit, so it could have been a lot messier! After that, they had to slow the ship down, to avoid sinking the ship

))
Just thought i'd share that with you.
Sailing round Poole harbour eh O.G.? I suppose that will have to do if you're scared to venture onto the open sea
