When the Ship Hits the Fan

Rob Anderson was a magnet for trouble long before he went to sea at 15. But when he became Captain Rob Anderson, one of the youngest Australian masters ever, it was suddenly his responsibility to keep everything afloat – no easy feat when the seas were unregulated, full of madmen, and more like the Wild West than anything on land.

Whether stashing a headless body in a cargo freezer, dodging pirates in Singapore Straits, losing the deceased before a sea burial, or treating a crew member who had swallowed a pair of knickers, it was all part of the job for Captain Rob.

Visceral, charming and definitely not for the faint of heart, When the Ship Hits the Fan is a treasure trove of hilarious incidents, accidents and seafaring shenanigans from working on every type of ship in every ocean of the world.

About the Author

Anderson first went to sea as a deck apprentice in British flag ships when he was 15. After many years serving around the world as an Officer in general cargo, container, salvage, and passenger ships he gained his first command of a Foreign-going ship at age 29, one of the youngest in Australia.

He served for 40 years as Master (Class 1, unlimited) in a wide range of ships including ro-ro vessels, oilrigs and specialized diving-support ships. Captain Anderson also gained a license as a Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait Marine Pilot piloting a wide range of ships of every size and shape in the Reef for 12 years, before again returning to sea as an Unlimited DP Master.

He has also held a Private Pilot (Aeroplane) License for more than 30 years and has lectured part-time over 10 years proudly helping nearly 400 seafarers gain their Master 4 Certificates. These days he lives on a small farm, rides high performance motorcycles and works part-time as a pole-dancer in a gay nightclub. When the Ship Hits the Fan is his first book.