'Ottawa' battling the Atlantic

Emmanuel Makarios · Mar 29, 2007

For forty days and forty nights we braved the broad Atlantic there wasn't a feed of %*# in sight and the boys were going frantic LOL.
A little ditty we used to recite in my days at sea.
Regards
Emmanuel

Tony Selman · Mar 29, 2007

If I remember rightly Derek, Ottawa was not the pride of the Trident fleet at that time. I didn't serve on the class so can't comment first hand.

Buoy · Mar 29, 2007

She was more 'shake rattle & roll' than pride of anything. An average service speed of around 8 knots - 16 kts for a day and the following day stopped for repairs! I believe she had the same (steam) engine as the big Ard's which were 210,000 dwt and Ottawa was just a shade over 90,000 dwt so when fully fit she could really motor. Had a great dry dock in Falmouth in November 1972...

She was a lot nicer to be in than the other three in the 'O' class - Orama, Orissa & Opawa as they were motor ships and really did shake themselves to bits.

Landour · Apr 2, 2007

She was 26500 shp compared with the Ard's at 28000 shp. It didn't shake rattle or roll when I was on it - 3 months tied up to the detached mole in Gibraltar. Then they went and spoit things by reactivating her and it was a month of chaos as we tried to get her up and running prior to sailing to the far east and a new life as a storage vessel. I made my escape before she left!!

Brian Leaf · Aug 18, 2007

All the lagging off in the engine room. Steam a day stop and repair a day. Oh happy times. If we complained we were threatened with the other "O,s". Once got her motoring and she could motor. Hottest engine room I was ever in.

'Ottawa' battling the Atlantic

Emmanuel Makarios

Tony Selman

Buoy

Landour

Brian Leaf

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