Mol_PMB Posted November 3, 2021 Share Posted November 3, 2021 12 hours ago, St Enodoc said: There's a name from the past, although probably a newer ship than the one I remember seeing in an old Ian Allan book. Pictures please? Here she is: Not the original 'Royal Iris' (which is in a very sad state on the Thames), this one was built as the 'Mountwood' in 1959 and renamed in 2001. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium New Haven Neil Posted November 3, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 3, 2021 1 hour ago, MarkC said: FWIW, I actually hate taking passage on conventional ships that are fitted with stabilisers. To me it's an unnatural sensation, as I'm expecting the roll to continue a few more degrees, but of course it doesn't... These fast cats are fine in calm conditions, but, let's face it, they're never going to ride well in any sort of seaway. When I'm on the Ben in rough weather, I can feel the stabilisers at work, it rolls once, twice, and....stops in the 'wrong' place - so I agree with you totally, Mark. Its also not great in the forrard lounge, as she pitches rather and it gets to be a bit of a roller coaster. It remains to be seen if our new Ro-pax currently building in Korea is any better. The fast craft thing is our government here wanting quicker access to Liverpool, so it is tied in to the user agreement for the harbours. I'd rather they didn't bother! Uncomfortable, unreliable, and I don't think ships should be made of aluminium. Having sailed on the Derbyshire, I have a thing about cracks...... 2 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium St Enodoc Posted November 3, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 3, 2021 1 hour ago, MarkC said: FWIW, I actually hate taking passage on conventional ships that are fitted with stabilisers. To me it's an unnatural sensation, as I'm expecting the roll to continue a few more degrees, but of course it doesn't... These fast cats are fine in calm conditions, but, let's face it, they're never going to ride well in any sort of seaway. I once had a vacation job at Brown Brothers in Edinburgh, who made stabilisers (and aircraft-carrier steam catapults), among other things. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium St Enodoc Posted November 3, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 3, 2021 31 minutes ago, Mol_PMB said: the original 'Royal Iris' (which is in a very sad state on the Thames) That's the one I remember. Thanks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkC Posted November 3, 2021 Share Posted November 3, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, New Haven Neil said: When I'm on the Ben in rough weather, I can feel the stabilisers at work, it rolls once, twice, and....stops in the 'wrong' place - so I agree with you totally, Mark. Its also not great in the forrard lounge, as she pitches rather and it gets to be a bit of a roller coaster. It remains to be seen if our new Ro-pax currently building in Korea is any better. The fast craft thing is our government here wanting quicker access to Liverpool, so it is tied in to the user agreement for the harbours. I'd rather they didn't bother! Uncomfortable, unreliable, and I don't think ships should be made of aluminium. Having sailed on the Derbyshire, I have a thing about cracks...... Gibsons' gas carriers Ettrick & Lanrick (still in service, at 30 & 29 years old) have their wheelhouses made of aluminium. (In an effort to keep top weight down). The joins between the wheelhouse & the rest of the accommodation block worked remarkably well, which was nice. I don't recall issues with the structure, but a whole hull of aluminium is a different game, of course... Edited November 3, 2021 by MarkC 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kickstart Posted November 3, 2021 Share Posted November 3, 2021 19 hours ago, Fat Controller said: Sounds like the Seacat, aka 'The Vomit Comet', which used to run from Folkestone to Boulogne. I worked at Eurotunnel alongside a lot of ex-Hoverspeed crew, who hated the beast. Used that service quite a lot. I didn't mind it, but certainly did make a lot of people ill. However sailings tended to be cancelled whenever it was too rough. It was always freezing cold though! Worst crossing was one where I got on early, found a seat under a heater vent to get a tiny bit of warm air and waited. A large family got on and sat close by, with grandma putting her head in a sick bag immediatly waiting to need it! Ooh, gee, thanks! All the best Katy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kickstart Posted November 3, 2021 Share Posted November 3, 2021 19 hours ago, Fat Controller said: Sounds like the Seacat, aka 'The Vomit Comet', which used to run from Folkestone to Boulogne. I worked at Eurotunnel alongside a lot of ex-Hoverspeed crew, who hated the beast. Used that service quite a lot. I didn't mind it, but certainly did make a lot of people ill. However sailings tended to be cancelled whenever it was too rough. It was always freezing cold though! Worst crossing was one where I got on early, found a seat under a heater vent to get a tiny bit of warm air and waited. A large family got on and sat close by, with grandma putting her head in a sick bag immediatly waiting to need it! Ooh, gee, thanks! All the best Katy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium New Haven Neil Posted November 3, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 3, 2021 2 hours ago, MarkC said: Gibsons' gas carriers Ettrick & Lanrick (still in service, at 30 & 29 years old) have their wheelhouses made of aluminium. (In an effort to keep top weight down). The joins between the wheelhouse & the rest of the accommodation block worked remarkably well, which was nice. I don't recall issues with the structure, but a whole hull of aluminium is a different game, of course... Interesting. Good age for them still to be trading too. Just popped in to my mind that mention of Gibsons and, yes, the &^%$£" Wiltshire, reminds me it was that very vessel the propeller blade fell off.....they really dodged one getting shot of her to Bibby's! Lord how my father hated that ship..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkC Posted November 3, 2021 Share Posted November 3, 2021 3 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said: Interesting. Good age for them still to be trading too. Just popped in to my mind that mention of Gibsons and, yes, the &^%$£" Wiltshire, reminds me it was that very vessel the propeller blade fell off.....they really dodged one getting shot of her to Bibby's! Lord how my father hated that ship..... Sold on the stocks - you can actually blame Runcimans, who had just bought Gibsons, for the Wiltshire. Old man Runciman didn't want to get involved with bigger sized gas boats, so she was sold before she even went down the slips, IIRC. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
peach james Posted November 3, 2021 Share Posted November 3, 2021 We hear the "Boom" as they do explosive welding of Aluminum to Steel over across the water on Thursday Mornings :). (it's about 12 nm away...) Aluminum on a ship- well, given that once on a time, we were paid in days off for removing top weight, I'm all for things that reduce it. (HMCS Algonquin, where it was 100 lb of topweight= a day off). There was a LOT of unused structure above 1 deck !, things like pipe hangers & similar that didn't connect to anything). She rolled- the 280's were infamous for it, even with the Water Displaced Fuel System. I saw 42-3%, but I've heard tell of 45% plus. "lively" doesn't quite describe it, when you are out doing rounds in that. James 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Train Posted November 3, 2021 Share Posted November 3, 2021 On 02/11/2021 at 10:19, MarkC said: Seen this elsewhere - another shot of the todger - sorry, the bulbous bow - of the Ever Given after her attempt to dredge a new channel in the Marlboro Canal... A few tubs of P38 and no one will ever know. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
62613 Posted November 5, 2021 Share Posted November 5, 2021 On 29/10/2021 at 11:27, MarkC said: Had to go tank diving this morning, after reports of water ingress into a hold space. This is what I found... Oh, bother! Anyone good at Thistlebond? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium New Haven Neil Posted November 5, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 5, 2021 On 03/11/2021 at 12:13, MarkC said: Sold on the stocks - you can actually blame Runcimans, who had just bought Gibsons, for the Wiltshire. Old man Runciman didn't want to get involved with bigger sized gas boats, so she was sold before she even went down the slips, IIRC. Yes Mark, I agree with all that - I think, but I'm not sure, dad stood by as 2EO as she fitted out - I was only 9 - the beginning of a hate/hate relationship! I didn't ever get on her, but as he later stood by on the car carriers Berkshire & Cheshire and the dear old LPG Lincolnshire as they built I certainly recall them well. The Linky went to the graveyard as still Bibby's at 31, quite a career and the Wiltshire did 29 years too, *&^% knows how..... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkC Posted November 6, 2021 Share Posted November 6, 2021 11 hours ago, 62613 said: Oh, bother! Anyone good at Thistlebond? Devcon UW - job done And the job spec for next docking written up - crop out, dress up, weld in new insert, paint. Sorted 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkC Posted November 6, 2021 Share Posted November 6, 2021 9 hours ago, New Haven Neil said: Yes Mark, I agree with all that - I think, but I'm not sure, dad stood by as 2EO as she fitted out - I was only 9 - the beginning of a hate/hate relationship! I didn't ever get on her, but as he later stood by on the car carriers Berkshire & Cheshire and the dear old LPG Lincolnshire as they built I certainly recall them well. The Linky went to the graveyard as still Bibby's at 31, quite a career and the Wiltshire did 29 years too, *&^% knows how..... Gas ships can actually last longer than other tankers - especially away from Europe. It's the oil majors who don't want older tonnage. Regarding Wiltshire's sale before completion - as I said, old man Runciman didn't want to be involved with bigger gas ships, but seemed to be stuck with this one, as contracts had been signed etc. However, the proposed long term charter that she was being built for fell through, and the sums suddenly didn't add up. (A single ship is never as easy to trade as one in a pool). Then, along came Bibbys... PT Barnum, eat your heart out! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkC Posted November 6, 2021 Share Posted November 6, 2021 More joy - we heaved up the anchor earlier, to be greeted by this! Just made our Superintendent's weekend 1 1 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
380John Posted November 6, 2021 Share Posted November 6, 2021 46 minutes ago, MarkC said: More joy - we heaved up the anchor earlier, to be greeted by this! Just made our Superintendent's weekend Oooo lovely? Over zealous windlass operator? Looks like she's home but kept heaving? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bon Accord Posted November 6, 2021 Share Posted November 6, 2021 45 minutes ago, MarkC said: More joy - we heaved up the anchor earlier, to be greeted by this! Just made our Superintendent's weekend Not often you see that! Is it the ring shackle that's gone or do you have a shackle above the swivel as well? So many different designs these days. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkC Posted November 6, 2021 Share Posted November 6, 2021 24 minutes ago, 380John said: Oooo lovely? Over zealous windlass operator? Looks like she's home but kept heaving? Nope. It fell off as it came off the sea bed 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkC Posted November 6, 2021 Share Posted November 6, 2021 16 minutes ago, Bon Accord said: Not often you see that! Is it the ring shackle that's gone or do you have a shackle above the swivel as well? So many different designs these days. It looks like the shackle pin has failed, allowing the D shackle to open out. Fortunately this makes the job simple, as all the cable is still there. There was a swivel between the D-shackle and the anchor stock. New anchor & swivel being delivered first thing Monday morning, but it will delay our departure from Antwerp by some 12-16 hours. 2 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bon Accord Posted November 6, 2021 Share Posted November 6, 2021 2 hours ago, MarkC said: It looks like the shackle pin has failed, allowing the D shackle to open out. Fortunately this makes the job simple, as all the cable is still there. There was a swivel between the D-shackle and the anchor stock. New anchor & swivel being delivered first thing Monday morning, but it will delay our departure from Antwerp by some 12-16 hours. Only once did I ever have to break out our spare anchor after losing one, this in Singapore on a 120,000dwt tanker with the spare (like the other two) weighing in at 15 tonnes. The office was adamant we rig the spare despite knowing our otherwise lost anchor would be recovered in a day or two and we had to use our ship's own gear - thankfully the amidships derricks were rated to 15 tonnes. What a work up, even with a barge alongside. Unsurprisingly the spare took some serious persuasion and the best part of a day to shift, a combination of nearly 20 years worth of paint and rust holding it to the deck but we eventually managed to get it over the side and connected up to the port cable, then hauled home. Once our erstwhile port anchor had been recovered from the seabed we then received another message from HQ that we should swap them over again and return the spare to the deck. Bearing in mind the previous performance, the rather baffling order to change them over (the anchors were identical) and that London was a very long way away, we sent something of a fib via Telex that we'd actually done it, with a couple of cases of whisky written off the company accounts to the appropriate people ashore to buy their silence, e.g. agents, riggers etc. Where did you lose the anchor, out at Wandelaar? 5 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkC Posted November 6, 2021 Share Posted November 6, 2021 4 minutes ago, Bon Accord said: Only once did I ever have to break out our spare anchor after losing one, this in Singapore on a 120,000dwt tanker with the spare (like the other two) weighing in at 15 tonnes. The office was adamant we rig the spare despite knowing our otherwise lost anchor would be recovered in a day or two and we had to use our ship's own gear - thankfully the amidships derricks were rated to 15 tonnes. What a work up, even with a barge alongside. Unsurprisingly the spare took some serious persuasion and the best part of a day to shift, a combination of nearly 20 years worth of paint and rust holding it to the deck but we eventually managed to get it over the side and connected up to the port cable, then hauled home. Once our erstwhile port anchor had been recovered from the seabed we then received another message from HQ that we should swap them over again and return the spare to the deck. Bearing in mind the previous performance, the rather baffling order to change them over (the anchors were identical) and that London was a very long way away, we sent something of a fib via Telex that we'd actually done it, with a couple of cases of whisky written off the company accounts to the appropriate people ashore to buy their silence, e.g. agents, riggers etc. Where did you lose the anchor, out at Wandelaar? Hi Jim. Actually Steenbank - just as notorious though. I've had to use a spare anchor once - the original was attached to 9 shackles of cable - PLUS the bitter end cheek plates - somewhere in the Jammerbugt off Denmark... Mark 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium New Haven Neil Posted November 6, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 6, 2021 I never experienced a similar issue, but I recall a tale in Bibby's of a certain Old Man saying to let X shackles out, but there was only X -1 in the chain locker....made quite a bang by all accounts. It's probably still on the bottom of Loch Striven if you want to go get it! 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
drmditch Posted November 6, 2021 Share Posted November 6, 2021 On a smaller scale, I did once lose an anchor (a grapnel of about 2kg or so) presumed eaten by a crocodile. At least that's my story, and I'm sticking to it. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
peach james Posted November 7, 2021 Share Posted November 7, 2021 20 hours ago, MarkC said: And the job spec for next docking written up - crop out, dress up, weld in new insert, paint. Sorted They forgot about ours...we were in the drydock, and someone asked when they were going to weld the hole up....consternation, it was growth work ! No-one had spec'd that the hole needed a proper weld job on it. My last day before the fire onboard (well, op tow-ex) was trying to get the anchor unstuck-some numpty boz'n (bos'n) had pulled it into the hawse pipe, solid like. The dockyard had about 90 tons hanging off it trying to drag it downwards, including one of the big cranes through a tackle. I was all kinds of busy trying to get paperwork sorted to go to school in the US, couldn't afford to waste that much time watching the dockyard maties play at how to get it unstuck. I had advised that they didn't have enough weight because that wasn't the first time it had gotten stuck. We'd already had one go to the bitter end, and what a "Bang" that made ! I'm sure you've seen the Youtube videos of the foc'sle team making a rather rapid departure, with new underwear on order? Yep...it turns out that if you are sitting over 600' of water, and let out say, 3 shackles, with a brake rated for 3 shackles, that it may pay out all 6 shackles, and the bitter end. That one ended up with the cheekplate bent like a prezel in the hawse pipe, a rather thin Hull Tech climbing in from underneath with a cutting torch to remove said plate once anchor was on the blake & brake, and several embarrassed individuals. Worst was, we as engineers knew the limits of the gear better than the bosn's who are responsible for operating it, and had words with them & then were overruled. Idiots everywhere ! James 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now