Schiestroom

This is the Schiestroom, my first ship as a summer job in 1972. She sailed from Bangor, Northern Ireland to Castletown, Isle of Mann, with a general cargo which often did include a kitchen sink! Then Dundalk to load Harp Lager in large (500gal?) tanks which were stowed on deck, back to the Isle of Mann to discharge, then up to Portpatrick to part load back to Bangor. A round trip of variable length!!

At the time I didn’t realise that what I experienced that summer was more akin to a Para Handy novel than life deep sea.

I sharpened brush shafts to hammer into rivet holes as they sheared, I was part of a bucket chain “pumping” the E.R. bilges, I stood watch in fog standing atop the wheelhouse listening for fog horns, and I hauled the anchor in by hand turned winch.
I seem to remember that starting the Main Engine involved rolling up bits of blotting paper inserting them into a threaded pin, lighting them and screwing them into the cylinder head before blowing over on air. Instrumentation consisted of a copper pipe in the wheel house with an sight glass through which you could see the flow of Main Engine cooling water!
The single toilet was flushed by throwing a bucket of seawater down it, the bucket, on a length of rope, stayed in the closet. After dislocating a shoulder or two you very quickly learnt not to refill the bucket when full ahead!! - Mind you I'm sure Full Ahead wasn't that impressive!

Catering? Well…………….

A number of other incidents are better not being committed to print!

All good preparation for my Chief’s Ticket!!

I know she first came to Bangor N.I. in July 1969 and she may have been carrying Milford Haven fishing numbers (not sure why). She then went to Newhaven in Sussex on a charter doing offshore work or surveying and on returning to Bangor a few months later she discharged a cargo of dinghies loaded in Cowes. After that she went to Harlands and had her bow plating raised and the big saloon windows plated over before taking up the IOM run.
I would be grateful for any information on the vessel’s history, or type of vessel, or sites where I can research the type of vessel.

Where can I find out more about the main engine? (Does this make me an anorak!)

Many thanks