[Varley]

Stephen, I doubt one could have been tooling along at 5.9 with the demisters 'open' and not have had I C Graham go with the torch (The walnuts, I guess, must have been done with the GG running but water washing was done turning it on the hydraulic starter).

That detail escapes my Im. A number of permissives/trips worked around the change to BFO but I am fairly sure that once tripped back to MGT7 changing back to sh1t had to be manually switched.

 

[Stephen J. Card]

Stephen, I doubt one could have been tooling along at 5.9 with the demisters 'open' and not have had I C Graham go with the torch (The walnuts, I guess, must have been done with the GG running but water washing was done turning it on the hydraulic starter).

QUOTE]


At sea?

 

[Varley]

I can't remember, Stephen. No reason why not except for palaver unclutching spinning back up and then reversing the process.

The only time I remember for sure the plenum chamber door open at sea was after we had a GG trip when burning sh1t. Considerable amount carried over and must have pooled in the hot section. On trying to light-off again half the TT7s climbed towards full scale and the others remained too cold to make tea. The light off was aborted but the GG continued to turn 'slowly' but still 'lit'. Both emergency fuel shut offs were activated (the first time I saw either of them operated) to no effect. In the end it was 'unlit' by allowing the protective 'blank' for the spare GG to be sucked onto the nose cone and then fire extinguishers used into the gap. Can't remember if Asialiner or Eurofreighter but John Benn was Chief. On this occasion he was wrong and took some more than gentle persuading from New York for him to consider trying to light it off again. A boroscoping showed it to be as clean as a whistle and it ran as far as Greenock where the oil seals (presumably weakened by the 'fire') failed and we had LubOil gushing out of the precipitators.

I guess we must also have changed out at sea (so obviously plenum open). I don't remember doing so, for obvious reasons that would not have been done if it could have been put off until alongside.

 

[John Gowers]

Water washing was done in port, if I remember usually in New York and LeHavre. Unless we were slow steaming with one engine and it could be done at sea.

There was a nice incident that happened on either the Euroliner or Eurofrieghter can't remember which one I was on at the time. In Germany a container jammed in the cell guides and was literally ripped out by the crane. This ripped opened the container and damaged the cell guides so some of the cargo fell out into the hold. The container was full of Lowenbrau beer. There was no time to clean out the hold so this was done by the crew on the way to New York. It was a case of all hands turned to and we salvaged enough beer to last all the crew and officers for about 6 weeks.

On a different incident the photos below show a crane, in Norfolk I think, which fell across the Euroliner. I think a container jammed again and the crane was pulled down on to the ship.

 

[duncs]

I didn't sail on the gas boats, and can't make head nor tail of the mumbo jumbo re the jet engines!
I sailed for a spell on the 'Seatrain Saratoga' and heard plenty stories regarding the GTVs.

 

[John Cassels]

Missed the Seatrain posts above - was away all day yesterday.
Torch incident was as Stephen has descibed it. Superman ( ICG ) did not like
being reminded of the incident.
Container in cell guide / Lowenbrau incident was the Euroliner . Mate was
Lenny Bell whom I relieved a few weeks after. I remember there was nowhere
to stow my gear as all wardrobe/locker space in his bedroom was full of cases of beer.

 

[Irvingman]

That detail escapes my Im. A number of permissives/trips worked around the change to BFO but I am fairly sure that once tripped back to MGT7 changing back to sh1t had to be manually switched.

A long time ago, as I remember it was a ported valve, it may not have swung full open/full closed therefor avoiding trips but may have just oscillated in its travel. Ronnie was 2/E.
John

 

[Varley]

As you say John (Im) a long time ago.
John (C). Astonishing. It could just as easily have been a riding squad shifter (or its owner).

Ryan O'Hare liked telling the story that he witnessed a bird test with a frozen chicken with results along the same lines but more spectacular. I am not 1000% sure I believed he had seen it done.

What I did believe was his story of boarding a Tristar (or similar with engines, aft). He and his travelling companion (Jimmy Holburn?) remarked to one another that it was amazing how resilient the jet engine was to be flying with the compressor blades so obviously distorted.

Of course it couldn't and after the emergency landing he was unwise enough to let on that they had seen the damage at which the pilot asked them why "..the F...." they hadn't said anything before take off.

 

[duncs]

Re 'bird test'. We'd sailed from Liverpool, on a 'City' boat, the VHF was inop, antenna Knacked. I jury rigged a wire antenna for it and managed some limited transmission. I sent a telegram, approved by the master, to MIMCO asking for a replacement antenna to be sent to Gibraltar, our next port of call. I got one back saying that the VHF had a 'bird test', the day before sailing, by one of their techs. Please explain.
I showed the telegram to the OM, to whom it was addressed, I said I hadn't a clue what a 'bird test' was. Maybe something to do with sh1tehawks and antennas.
I duly replied to them, that I had removed the antenna, turned it upside down, and water came out of it.
We got our new antenna in Gib.

It was years later before I found out what a 'bird' meter was.

 

[John Gowers]

Missed the Seatrain posts above - was away all day yesterday.
Torch incident was as Stephen has descibed it. Superman ( ICG ) did not like
being reminded of the incident.
Container in cell guide / Lowenbrau incident was the Euroliner . Mate was
Lenny Bell whom I relieved a few weeks after. I remember there was nowhere
to stow my gear as all wardrobe/locker space in his bedroom was full of cases of beer.

Your right it was the Euroliner I remember now Rupert Williamson was the old man and Sandy Grey was chief later Ron Paxton was chief, John Benn was 2/E at that time I think. Every locker in the accommodation had plastic bags full of beer. It was my second trip at sea as a J/E

 

[Stephen J. Card]

Missed the Seatrain posts above - was away all day yesterday.
Torch incident was as Stephen has descibed it. Superman ( ICG ) did not like
being reminded of the incident.
Container in cell guide / Lowenbrau incident was the Euroliner . Mate was
Lenny Bell whom I relieved a few weeks after. I remember there was nowhere
to stow my gear as all wardrobe/locker space in his bedroom was full of cases of beer.

Superman? Heard him called 'Action Man'.

Lenny Bell was 2nd Mate in EUROLINER when I was there in '72. Would come up to the bridge more like a destroyer going on the Murmansk. Heavy biker boots, scarf, duffle jacket... on the warm wheelhouse on a GTV!
Stewart Bearne, 2nd Mate same period. Got shot on the bridge! RS Sharpe had a revolver. He was taking pot shots at something in the water. He turned around and the gun went off. Missed Stewart by inches.
Roddy McKenzie was Mate.

 

[duncs]

Gee whiz, Stephen, I'm glad the J&J boats I sailed on were quiet.

 

[Varley]

Re 'bird test'....
It was years later before I found out what a 'bird' meter was.

And now I know too.

 

[John Gowers]

Superman? Heard him called 'Action Man'.

Lenny Bell was 2nd Mate in EUROLINER when I was there in '72. Would come up to the bridge more like a destroyer going on the Murmansk. Heavy biker boots, scarf, duffle jacket... on the warm wheelhouse on a GTV!
Stewart Bearne, 2nd Mate same period. Got shot on the bridge! RS Sharpe had a revolver. He was taking pot shots at something in the water. He turned around and the gun went off. Missed Stewart by inches.
Roddy McKenzie was Mate.

Roddy was old man on the Dalma in 1981 when I was there (what a wonderful ship that was!) We were coming back to the gulf after discharging in Japan when an anchor along with all the chain disappeared over the wall. It was at night and the 3/M could not understand where all the fishing boat lights had come from and when he changed course they did as well, turned out not to be fishing boat lights but the sparks flying off the windlass as the chain flew out.
A few days later it was Roddy's birthday and guess what beer we had onboard after taking on supplies in Singapore you guessed it Anchor.
I think every person who came in the bar that night asked Roddy if he wanted an Anchor, he took it all in good part though.
It was the only ship I every pulled a unit on Xmas day while at sea, I still have nightmares about the Dalma I was on it twice

 

[R904444]

Blended Fuel Oil

Basically it was the homogenising of fuel and water before squirting the combination into the turbines.

To get to that point there were numerous ‘washing’, De emulsifying, vanadium inhibitors, settling tanks, etc etc. At that time in Falmouth, I believe it wasn’t perceived to be the most popular system.

Come on ‘engineers’ help me out here.

PS, this was possibly a rare occasion when oil & water mixed, if you get my drift.

I remember this system vaguely. The BFO was transferred to one of two? settling tanks that had a wash water buffer level below the high suction. The water, fuel and de-emulsifyer was then circulated for a period and the tank left for the water and BFO to separate. It was then purified in two stages with the water extracted discharged into a small sump and pumped back to the settling tanks -much fun and games with the 4 Alfa Laval purifiers.

The BFO from the service talks was then circulated and heated to about 120 degC the combustion water and vanadium inhibitor were added before the homogeniser and then the BFO was fed to the turbines via the infamous "last chance" filters which would last about 20 mins before having to be changed over and cleaned - you spent most of the watch leaning the filter baskets!.

Despite all this most hot section inspections usually ended up as change outs and did about 8 on one trip on Eurofreighter April - June 1978 as 4th Eng.

Any corrections etc to above welcome.

Andy McArthur

 

[John Gowers]

Hi Andy, looks like a good description to me and brings back horrible memories of my one and only trip on the Asialiner with BFO my previous 8 trips on the Euroliner , Eurofeighter and Asialiner ( had to check my discharge book for this info) was on MGT 7 fuel.

Found a couple of nice pics of the Euroliner in New York.

 

[marconiman]

I joined the Euroliner August 1972 as a Marconi ECO and assisted by 2nd RO for communications, the job went with three hats radio/lecky/admin for a small increase in salary and included radio communication, automation, Bridge electronics, radar, shaft alternators, main board, galley electrics etc. Do***entation for port and crew lists.

Crew numbers were sparse 3 deck officers and 3 engineers all with Chief's Tickets, general purpose crew, Old Man was N Macdonald a kindly man.

The ship went UMS until something went wrong, as on my first voyage, mainframe monitoring computer voltage to frequency module overheated and mimic board all went red, problem solved by fixing heat sinks on to hot parts and directing louvres at it.

Engineers happy back to night cabin alarms and day work. A new module was flown to NY.

Incidentally I heard the tale of the wayward torch, it was the Euroliner and would have been prior to 1972.

Very impressed by GT engines and the fact that a Pratt and Witney unit could be changed in under a day this alternated with the two engines in New York.

Stayed with container vessels and afterwards with BCL's Dart Altantic/Dart America. After the luxury of 'silent' engines of the Euroliner those two were rattle and roll.

 

[Stephen J. Card]

I joined the Euroliner August 1972 as a Marconi ECO and assisted by 2nd RO for communications, the job went with three hats radio/lecky/admin for a small increase in salary and included radio communication, automation, numbers were sparse 3 deck officers and 3 engineers all with Chief's Tickets, general purpose crew, Old Man was N Macdonald a kindly man.


Incidentally I heard the tale of the wayward torch, it was the Euroliner and would have been prior to 1972.

.

I must have been on board at the same period. I joined at New York on 7 Sept 1972. Paid off 'Clyde Ports' on 25th Nov, 1072.

Roddy Mackenzie was Mate. Williamson was Master (I think. He left about three weeks later and RS Sharp took over.

The 'torch' was definitely not EUROLINER, the pieces were on the dock at Weehawken when arrived... probably October or November.

Mike Pride was Eng Cadet. The Deck Cadet, can't remember his name, but he was known as 'Captain Kettle'. When he left I became the 'Senior' Deck Cadet. (After Kettle left I was the only one!)

The torch incident was EUROFREIGHTER (I believe) and the master was IC Grahame.

On 22nd Nov we departing Le Havre. The port rotation was different. Had come from New York, missed Le Havre, missed Zeebrugge and went straight to Rotterdam, Bremerhaven and then came down to Le Havre to head for Greenock. On departure we were in a 'hurry' to get off the berth and out of the port as a VLCC was coming on and we would be delayed. Went to station immediately and left the berth. As soon as we were clear she picked speed. Making one of the turns, she was probably going to fast, but the ship heeled and the port propeller struck the bottom. Went out on the starboard propeller. Once clear of the port the engine started again and seemed to work, but the CP would not give any ahead or astern. Headed straight to Greenock. Got there on the 23rd Nov. At that point the ship was put into Scott Lithgow for repairs. I left the ship before going into the dock.

My dad passed on 5 November. I was going to be able to get home for the funeral. As we were going to go into dock I was paid off and flew back to Bermuda. Remained home until 13 Dec and flew up to New York to rejoin. Promoted to Uncert 3rd Mate at NY. Did two 'tours' and paid off on 28th Jan 1973. On the morning of 29th I was in the classroom at GCNS!

Stephen

 

[John Gowers]

Hi Marconiman you would not happen to be Nick Dunbar, he was ECO when I joined the Euroliner in September 1074

 

[John Gowers]

That's 1974 don't think the GTV was invented during the Norman comquest