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How Many days to Cross the Pacific

30K views 66 replies 47 participants last post by  graeme murray 
#1 ·
I was on the Port Nelson went through Suez to Cairns and then across from Sydney to The Panama Canal, we were Faily empty on way out, what would be the Approx passage time for both Directions I think it was about 17 days to Panama would that have been right?
ecb
 
#37 ·
Used to take us a month from Panama to Japan.
I remember it well as on departure Panama I gave up smoking.
On arrival Yokohama I was informed that I had been promoted to Master and that night ashore celebrating I took up smoking again.
 
#42 ·
On M.V. Heythrop bulk carrier, we were 42 days from Dampier NW Aussie to Dunkirk France at maximum economical speed of 10 knots, water rationing when we left Dampier as most of the fresh water was pumped over the side to get an extra 100 tons of iron ore cargo. Two days in Dunkirk the away again.
Bill
 
#43 ·
Bahia Blanca (Argentina) to Yokohama on BF bulker 'Hector' on reduced speed fuel saving.
Master asked for distance via either Cape. Was only 25 miles different. Went by Cape of Good Hope. 38 days.
Later Vancouver to Rio via Cape Horn on same vessel. 36 days plus three weeks at anchor.
Decision made to come ashore.
 
#46 ·
mv Redbrook/MARX, single ship company, D L Street of Cardiff.

30 days exactly from Vancouver to Kobe. Numerous breakdowns and loss of electric power, oil steaming lights aloft and ships radio on batteries at times.

No ships sighted but some very large birds, albatross I guess. Radio 500 k/cs silent most of the time. Bunkers empty on arrival in Japan, perfect timing!
 
#49 ·
On a transpacific Mariner Class ship in the 60's with a cruising speed of 20+ knots, I recall about 10 days from San Francisco to Yokohama. Westbound during the winter we'd often rhumb line straight across or even drop down to 35 degrees North or further south depending on weather, whereas Eastbound we'd normally Great Circle. If we hit bad weather home bound the seas were normally from astern and we'd usually be OK. Eastbound passage was a little faster on the way home on a GC, but it's been too many years ago to recall the passage time. I recall that we used a firm called Ocean Routes that would recommend the passage route based upon weather forecasts.
 
#54 ·
how many days to cross the pacific

Did it 4 times in two years on the Ulysees,21 days from Nagoya to Panama,but always remember the 1st crossing,took a little longer when losing a blade off the propellor half way across north of Hawaii.Slow steam to Pearl Harbour drydock them 12 days of heaven while the yanks replaced the damaged prop with the spare!![=P]
 
#56 · (Edited)
I remember crossing the Pacific from Panama to Auckland on a Bank Line Ship in the early 70's and it took us about three weeks. What I remember mostly about it is taking nav warnings about French Nuclear tests at the time, although I don't think they affected our track.
The other thing I remember is going onto the bridge each day and looking at our plot on the chart, which seemed to be moving with some sort of Einsteinien time dilation effect.
Queer the things that stay in your memory ....

(EEK)
 
#58 · (Edited)
Oooops sorry, should have given more info. The ship was the Weybank, the year 1971.
We coasted around Kiwi discharging cargo ending up in Bluff. Then we went up to Fiji to load brown sugar for Liverpool. The trip from Fiji to Liverpool, (again via Panama) was about a month as I remember it, a bloody long month when you know you're going to pay off a Bank Boat (long trips were the norm in those days.)
You have to love General Cargo Ships, they carried just about anything that existed (except maybe for Dark Matter, and I've always figured Bank Line would have quoted for that one way or another) and went to all kinds of places.
Maybe it's me, but box boats just don't have the same appeal.
 
#63 ·
This is not about the pacific ocean which I had crossed many times in Shaw Savill vessels, I remember the fastest would have been the Megantic at about 16 days and the slowest was the Waiwera. (one engine at a time, many times.)
I had been standing by the building of the MSV THAROS in Hiroshima. JAPAN.
Upon completion I went on leave, and rejoined her in Singapore. She was registered in London as a ship. but was actually an oil rig without the drilling
equipment. Being too wide for the canals we had to go from Singapore to Tenereriffe via Indian and Atlantic oceans, with a short stop at Cape Town, for a crew change, we were self propelled with four 3000 hp azimuth propellers and 7 x 2000 hp diesel generators.the only two people who were not relieved was the Chief Engineer and myself 2nd eng. we then proceded to Tenerieffe. That part of the tow took 61 days. We also had tug assist, when we got 5 knots we would celebrate. the ships (rig ) main purpose was a floating hotel,350 people and well equipped work shops and heavy lift crane. a fire fighting capacity of two 3000 hp fire pumps. These were only used in anger once when the PIPER ALPHA was destroyed by fire with great loss of life in the north sea. I also did another tug assisted tow as Chief Engineer on an oil rig. she was Liberian registered. that tow was from Korea . via Capetown, this time I never got relieved till we arrived in English channel. I don't have the actual dates on this one close to 90 days. They gave me 3 weeks off before starting two on two off for the next twenty years, said a big NO to any more tows.She was also self propelled
regards George Mitchell
 
#64 ·
This is not about the pacific ocean which I had crossed many times in Shaw Savill vessels, I remember the fastest would have been the Megantic at about 16 days and the slowest was the Waiwera. (one engine at a time, many times.)
I had been standing by the building of the MSV THAROS in Hiroshima. JAPAN.
Upon completion I went on leave, and rejoined her in Singapore. She was registered in London as a ship. but was actually an oil rig without the drilling
equipment. Being too wide for the canals we had to go from Singapore to Tenereriffe via Indian and Atlantic oceans, with a short stop at Cape Town, for a crew change, we were self propelled with four 3000 hp azimuth propellers and 7 x 2000 hp diesel generators.the only two people who were not relieved was the Chief Engineer and myself 2nd eng. we then proceded to Tenerieffe. That part of the tow took 61 days. We also had tug assist, when we got 5 knots we would celebrate. the ships (rig ) main purpose was a floating hotel,350 people and well equipped work shops and heavy lift crane. a fire fighting capacity of two 3000 hp fire pumps. These were only used in anger once when the PIPER ALPHA was destroyed by fire with great loss of life in the north sea. I also did another tug assisted tow as Chief Engineer on an oil rig. she was Liberian registered. that tow was from Korea . via Capetown, this time I never got relieved till we arrived in English channel. I don't have the actual dates on this one close to 90 days. They gave me 3 weeks off before starting two on two off for the next twenty years, said a big NO to any more tows.She was also self propelled
regards George Mitchell
 
#66 ·
to John Dryden. I did get very well paid for that as I was being paid in American
Dollars, The exchange rate at that time was one dollar to the pound, Downside the top rate of income tax was 95 % in the 1970s The end of the voyage was late February and they paid my normal salary plus leave due in the month of march, I asked if it could be held over till the APRIL paycheck. They told me that was not possible I would have taken time off and get a tax rebate.
Irefused any more tows.
landing me with a tax bill of over £50OO for that month It also Ii included leave time while in shipyard. I challenged it. Was told because its registered as a British ship I had to pay the tax as I had not been out af the country for a year,
 
#67 ·
Panama to Cairns.

Sailed Panama Canal after hitting Pacific side Lock Gate Chain on 23rd. September 1966. Sailed to and through (no stopping) Galapagos Islands. Arrived Cairns 20th October 1966. You do the math.

Ship ran aground entering Cairns (with Pilot Mr. Reed) Partially discharged Cargo of Phosphate. Berthed four days later. Arbitrarily, you can add this to the total number of days.

Ship: Baron Jedburgh. Budump, Budump (Doxford).

Graeme.
 
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