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Clerk-Maxwell

28K views 90 replies 36 participants last post by  NINJA 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
LPG tanker - Clerk Maxwell
 

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#5 · (Edited)
Hi Fred

Not an expert. I spent most of my Deck Cadetship on gas tankers in the late 70's / early 80's. I certainly have some good memories, hence my interest.

Arctic D made me smile. Its 20 odd years since I heard of it. Quite amazing stuff.

Never sailed on the Maxwell though. Was she a pressure ship? The Lord Kelvin / Faraday and Cavendish carried the gas at atmospheric pressure, which was constantly pumped through compressors which "fridged" the stuff, keeping the gas liquid. The compressor room can be seen just forward of the superstructure in the photo of the Maxwell. The Joule and the Humboldt were pressure ships but I am not too sure about the Maxwell? In pressure ships you quite often see the cargo tanks standing proud of the deck, not so in the Maxwell.

Kev
 
#8 ·
Hawthorn Leslie Gas Tankers

Hi Kev

Prior to the formation of Swan Hunter & Tyne Shipbuilders (SHATS) on 1 January 1968, we built the following: -

Ship 759: Clark Maxwell; Houlder Bros; 8,298 grt; 1966.
Ship 763: Mariano Escabedo; PEMEX; 7,992 grt; 1967.
Ship 764: Petroquimico 1; PEMEX; 1,827 grt barge; 1966.
Ship 766: Wiltshire; Bibby; 10,036 grt; 1968.

Wiltshire was a Hawthorn Leslie contract, completed as agents by SHATS.

Best regards

Fred
 
#11 · (Edited)
Mr James Clerk-Maxwell was an interesting person, a Scot, which name tended to upset the French elements of Gaz Ocean - his biography is here

I doubt that he would have ever imagined his name being used for an atmospheric Gas Tanker. I never sailed on her, but the reference to "Artic D" brought back a few happy memories of dropping the odd cubic metre of propane at -32 on to the steel that was only at -2 to "cool it down"...Not a good idea but sadly a necessity, when the re-liquifaction plant was as useless as it was on the "Joule".

NB. I think there might have been two Joules.. The first was probably the small pressure ship, like the (excellent) Humboldt and the later one was an atmospheric ship -the ex HAVGAS - and frankly she was wholly incapable of keeping the cargo contained and was a liability to all. She had to dubious honour of not only leaking salt water into the containment space, but also leaking gas out of the cargo lines on deck.
 
#15 ·
Tonga said:
Absolutely Kev, but at least one never suffered from a cold.

Tonga


ps. Any chance someone who has the right access to these things, can correct the spelling on the thread name please?
Ahoy,
Done......name is changed.
 
#18 · (Edited)
Thought some of you may want to share an old C-M hand's memories.

I joined the C-M in March 74 in a grotty little port in Mexico called Minatitlan after a nightmare trip on numerous planes from the UK. I wasn't too fussed about joining a "gassie" but I was under a Company contract so had to go wherever etc.

Saw many interesting ports & some you could never call ports from Galveston to Santos. We covered many many miles on that ship with a brilliant crew. Down side was gas freeing but we soon got used to that. Could not get used to not being able to smoke anywhere, as a 40 a day man it was agony!

Left the ship in somewhat unusual circs at Curacao after being carted off ashore to the local hospital with what turned out to be a form of gas poisoning. Stayed in the hopsital for 10 days, bloody nurses/doctors couldn't or wouldn't speak any English before local Brit Consulate eventually managed to put in an appearance. Flew home via USA, but landed in NY on Independence day. Bad move, all movement at airport non-existent and had a hell of a job getting on a connecting BOAC flight back to London. An absolute pain at the time, but good fun thinking about it afterwards. The C-M was my last deep-sea ship so she holds a rather special place in my sea dog heart.
 
#19 · (Edited)
Memories of Clerk-Maxwell

kev said:
Fred

I have just posted what I think is a great photo of the Maxwell in the gallery.

Just press this link:

http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=7886

Kev
Kev, your right that is a great picture of the old C-M. I sailed on her around the early 70's, I have spent many a 'happy' hour in that compressor room, stripping down the goddam compressors. One trip we did down to BA lost 200 tonnes of cargo because the compressors threw their collective hand in...venting most of the way down. It was hell! but what a brilliant time we had overall on that ship. I haven't thought about her for a few years now but I will try and dredge up some names to share.

The mate was Mick...? My deck cadet buddy was Alan Barnes (Barney), Captain was...Pugh (I Think), sec was...can't recall, but good bloke anyway...as were all!

regards

DerekC
(Thumb)
 
#50 ·
Kev, your right that is a great picture of the old C-M. I sailed on her around the early 70's, I have spent many a 'happy' hour in that compressor room, stripping down the goddam compressors. One trip we did down to BA lost 200 tonnes of cargo because the compressors threw their collective hand in...venting most of the way down. It was hell! but what a brilliant time we had overall on that ship. I haven't thought about her for a few years now but I will try and dredge up some names to share.

The mate was Mick...? My deck cadet buddy was Alan Barnes (Barney), Captain was...Pugh (I Think), sec was...can't recall, but good bloke anyway...as were all!

regards

DerekC
(Thumb)
I Think you will find the mate was Mick Dale of "Out in the old west texas town of EL Paso " Fame I remember having some great nights in the bar
Regards Chris
 
#22 ·
Hi Stuart

Ex Wiltshire - yes. However, i was somewhat after the maiden voyage! I sailed on the Wilty in 1992. She had been on B/B charter to the Aussies 1985 - 1990 and her accommodation was altered from the original, particularly so with the addition of 'The Penthouse' aft. I specifically remember terrible A/C whilst crossing the Arabian Sea to Sikka, and also a leaking cargo tank after poking a chock into. Relatively easy to find at the time - we were carrying Ammonia!

Al Mac
 
#23 ·
Mick quinn said:
Derek

I joined the C-M in Minititlan on 5-3-74 and left on 26-6-74. According to my discharge book the Mate was Matthews and the Skipper scrawl is intelligible. Not sorry to leave a "Gassie" as a heavy smoker (then) it was pure agony.
Regards
Mick

Mick,

That would be Nigel Matthews, a very decent bloke (and no wonder you can make out his signature, as his hand-writing was always impecable copper-plate). He eventually made Master on the Humboldt, doing the Riga-Rouen run with propane. He later joined the shore-staff at Redhill and is now retired.
Regards
Mark
 
#24 ·
Skipper on Clerk-Maxwell

Tonga said:
Mick,

That would be Nigel Matthews, a very decent bloke (and no wonder you can make out his signature, as his hand-writing was always impecable copper-plate). He eventually made Master on the Humboldt, doing the Riga-Rouen run with propane. He later joined the shore-staff at Redhill and is now retired.
Regards
Mark
Was L. Cuttriss the skipper on the "Black Max", he was definitely on during the latter part of 74.

Regards

Ninja.
 
#26 ·
Hello
I have just come across this forum and recognised a few names from my deck cadetship with Houlder Bros in the early seventies.
I sailed on the Clerk-Maxwell joining her in Barcelona on 29.07.74 and leaving in Rio Grande del Sol on 30.11.74. My fellow deck cadet at this time was Derek Winning and I remember Mike Dale as the Ch.Off with Les Cuttress as Master. Gas tankers or any other tankers were definately not for me although I did enjoy my time on the Black Pig with raucous nights in the bar singing "Out in the west Texas town of El Paso". Ships like the Hardwicke Grange settled my career direction hence my move to Cunard as soon as I completed my cadetship.
During my voyage we took the first cargo of Butadienne (sorry about spelling) from Antwerp to Galveston. Spent most of the six hour compressor watches venting off. Then we were towed off the berth by fire wires when a rail tanker exploded. The effects of Butadiane coming into contact with air and the rail cars being shunted had not been explained.
 
#27 ·
Butadiene and the Fiery Kipper

I’m afraid to say that “venting off” was a major part of the cargo operation on many of the Fiery Kipper fleet – the reliquifaction plants on board these ships were seldom up to the task. Your marginal concern over exposure to butadiene was well founded; viz: at acute high exposure, damage to the central nervous system will start to occur. Symptoms such as distorted blurred vision, vertigo, general tiredness, decreased blood pressure, headache, nausea, decreased pulse rate, and fainting may be witnessed. As the exposure to butadiene occurs at a higher level and for a longer duration, the effects witnessed will become more serious.

So there we are... there’s a moral there somewhere.
 
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