Anyone Interested in Ships

[KeithMacdonald]

An interesting amateur documentary on the The Byzantine Navy ca. 500–1204, along with some back garden DIY experiments on the possible ingredients of "Greek Fire". Perhaps best not done with any of your spouse's favourite kitchen implements?

 

 

[WessexEclectic]

On 04/12/2022 at 20:08, KeithMacdonald said:

An interesting amateur documentary on the The Byzantine Navy ca. 500–1204, along with some back garden DIY experiments on the possible ingredients of "Greek Fire". Perhaps best not done with any of your spouse's favourite kitchen implements?

 

I wouldn't call Drachinifel 'amateur', just sayin'...

[KeithMacdonald]

17 minutes ago, WessexEclectic said:

I wouldn't call Drachinifel 'amateur', just sayin'...

 

I'm happy to apologise. I agreee he is indeed a very good and entertaining historian.

 

I reckon was somewhat distracted by his back garden DIY experiments. Because fifty years ago we had a Chemistry teacher who taught us many of those things. Plus "recipes" for quite a few more ingredients that one could easily get at the time, but are no longer safe to mention online. Suffice to say they would have produced a considerably more "exciting" bonfire, and also a sizeable hole in his garden. Hence my use of the word 'amateur', which I should have put in context the first time round. 🙂

 

At the risk of thread drift, in the context of good and entertaining miltary historians, I would also recommend Lindebeige. Land-base stuff, not naval, but there you go.

[jjb1970]

Some nice models of container ships. The model of Hyundai Algeciras is huge, a 1/150 scale 24,000TEU ship.

 

[jjb1970]

Some gas and oil tankers, including a lovely model of one of the LNG fuelled Sovcomflot oil tankers.

 

 

[jjb1970]

A couple of the big Russian nuclear ice breakers.

 

[jjb1970]

Various other models.

 

[jjb1970]

One of the Valemax ships, a 400,000DWT bulk carrier. These are the ships built by China which China banned from their ports for a while, I found that quite amusing. Obviously they came to some arrangement with Brazil and Vale as they were allowed into China quite quickly after being banned.

 

[New Haven Neil]

Cripes 400k DWT!  The Bridge boats were big enough, never mind that size!  At least it's not an OBO.

[KeithMacdonald]

34 minutes ago, jjb1970 said:

One of the Valemax ships, a 400,000DWT bulk carrier. These are the ships built by China which China banned from their ports for a while, I found that quite amusing.

 

Blimey, they're big aren't they? I looked them up.

 

Quote

The first Valemax vessels were ordered on 3 August 2008 when Vale signed a contract with the Chinese shipbuilder Jiangsu Rongsheng Heavy Industries (RSHI) for the construction of twelve 400,000-ton ore carriers. The development had reportedly started in 2007. The contract, worth $1.6 billion, was the world's biggest single shipbuilding contract by deadweight tonnage.

 

$1.6 billion divided by 12 = $133 million each.

That almost sounds cheap.

Fancy one as an aircraft carrier?

[New Haven Neil]

I looked them up too - interested to note the fuel consumption was slightly less than I used to see on a ship just less than half the size - things move on!

[Schooner]

4 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

...fuel consumption was slightly less...

Knock another 10% off for her rotor-sail Vale sister...

...although she's a mere slip of a thing at a mere 325,000dwt. That's about 3000 tons of carbon a year saved from the earth's atmosphere and, crucially, the company expenses.

 

WASP options also available in VLCC flavour:

New Aden, 307,000dwt. Cutty Sark she ain't, but times they are a'changin'...

[Pacific231G]

20 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

One of the Valemax ships, a 400,000DWT bulk carrier. These are the ships built by China which China banned from their ports for a while, I found that quite amusing. Obviously they came to some arrangement with Brazil and Vale as they were allowed into China quite quickly after being banned.

 

An interesting set of models but where are they?  I recognise the location as being somewhere around London Bridge on the north bank of the Thames but not which building it is.

[SHMD]

Two weekends ago I found myself in a train museum in Odense and look what I found...

 

These are all in the "Danmarks Jernbanemuseum" which, (I think), is Denmark's national Railway Museum.

Website here: -

 

https://www.jernbanemuseet.dk/

 

This is what greeted me when I walked in!

 

"Modern" stuff here.

 

..and looking the other way - WOW!

 

The models are fabulous!

 

Just look at the detail.

 

Really worth a visit with the only (slightly) down side being that the room was a little too dark.

 

 

Kev.

[jjb1970]

10 hours ago, Pacific231G said:

An interesting set of models but where are they?  I recognise the location as being somewhere around London Bridge on the north bank of the Thames but not which building it is.

 

It's the International Maritime Organization, on the South Bank just to the West of Lambeth Bridge.

 

[Pacific231G]

That makes sense. I should have remembered it though as I filmed an interview there once with the IMO's Secretary-General (Dr. C. P. Srivastava) for a programme I was making about maritime safety. It was forty years ago. I don't remember all the models but I'm certain they didn't have a ship ploughing onto the pavement of the Albert Embankment! Ships were a lot smaller then though! 

Edited December 8, 2022 by Pacific231G

[jjb1970]

London appears to have been invaded by the Dutch!The Royal Netherlands Navy Ships 'De Zeven Provincien' and 'Karel Doorman' on the River Thames🤣.

Two interesting things are to compare the size of a modern frigate with the WW2 cruiser HMS Belfast, and that the amphibious assault ship Karel Doorman has been fitted with RAS gear to also act as a fleet oiler.

 

[62613]

On 03/12/2022 at 00:00, Bon Accord said:

2022, nearly 2023 and still messing around in boats, or at least three of my ABs are.

This aboard one of four ships I currently regularly relieve between, two of which are still old enough to have open lifeboats.
If nothing else they are at least reasonably foolproof, in stark comparison to the more modern versions.

Surprised to see that! What engine is it?

[Bon Accord]

3 hours ago, 62613 said:

Surprised to see that! What engine is it?

 

The usual 2 cylinder Lister. This does at least have an electric start in addition to the crank handle!

[45568]

This started the new cruise/Covid season in Fremantle! Docked with 170 Covid+ passengers aboard!

 

Some of the paintwork looked a bit shabby close up, not as elegant as the original Queens or QEII.

Cheers from Oz,

Peter C.

[jjb1970]

9 hours ago, Bon Accord said:

 

The usual 2 cylinder Lister. This does at least have an electric start in addition to the crank handle!

 

I used to hate starting lifeboat engines (and emergency air compressor engines) with the starting handle. Fitting electric starters was great. I must admit I much prefer modern boat systems, I remember bowsing the boats in at embarkation level then lowering and letting go, with falls ready to decapitate the unwary when letting go. And even worse recovering the boat. 

[KeithMacdonald]

@jjb1970 - that reminds me of the mandatory liferaft training. Done once a year in a nice indoor heated swimming pool in Plymouth. Even so, fully clothed, it was a complete and utter PITA to get into the liferaft. We had the temerity to ask the Training Instructor - how are we supposed to do this in open water, with waves, or in the dark? His reply - "Fear and adrenalin, lads, fear and adrenalin"

[62613]

10 minutes ago, KeithMacdonald said:

@jjb1970 - that reminds me of the mandatory liferaft training. Done once a year in a nice indoor heated swimming pool in Plymouth. Even so, fully clothed, it was a complete and utter PITA to get into the liferaft. We had the temerity to ask the Training Instructor - how are we supposed to do this in open water, with waves, or in the dark? His reply - "Fear and adrenalin, lads, fear and adrenalin"

I never did any of that! I was on several ships where the lifeboat was used (never for the purpose it was installed for, thank the lord!)

[johnofwessex]

I was in the engine room - as a passenger on the 1965 Ben My Cree when someone went over the side on the way to Ardrossan, but we got him back

[New Haven Neil]

Ah, the real Ben!

 

I still have the odd mark from starting those Listers in lifeboats, and the worse and harder to start Petter emergency fire pumps.

 

I also recall a 6 leg truck engine (may have been a Ford) as emergency generator on one ship, with a hopeful looking starting handle on the bulkhead.  As it had a hydraulic ram start and electric, thankfully we never had to try hand cranking it.

 

We used to use the lifeboats as jolly-boats when needed, Cadet job!