MV Jamaica Producer

Re Jamacia Producer

Hey Chris

thank you so much for this info, what a buzz seeing this ship after 37 years,
many thanks china
All the very best
Hughesy(Thumb)

Its a pleasure Hughesy - glad I was able to help. (Thumb)

Chris.

As far as I am aware the Diesel Engine for the MV Jamaica Producer was a 6RD76 Sulzer Diesel built and installed by David Rowan & Co. The first of that design manufactured by Rowan's, the previous models being the SAD type.
Joe Freeman.

Joe Freeman said:

As far as I am aware the Diesel Engine for the MV Jamaica Producer was a 6RD76 Sulzer Diesel built and installed by David Rowan & Co. The first of that design manufactured by Rowan's, the previous models being the SAD type.
Joe Freeman.

Click to expand...

I should have mentioned previously that she had a sister ship SS Jamaica Planter 6159grt. also a very fine looking ship launched from Lothgow's 1959. Engined by David Rowan, 2 steam turbine and double reduction gearing, 6750shp. Scrapped in Kaohsiung 1976.
Joe.

I was Electrician on the "Jam Prod" from 30/10/74 to 2/8/76 . The crew were Jamaician , but the officers were "International" !! . Looking back I really don't know how we ever managed to keep going . One trip the main sea water inlet (?) detached itself from the hull and we had to turn back to go to drydock in Falmouth . Another time as we were about to leave Port Antonio,several tubes on the donkey boiler were discovered to be leaking and had to be plugged . We did manage to sail back to Barry Island for drydock (Easter 1975) . Always pulling liners etc etc . Had a good time though .......

M.V. Jamaica Producer

I was on the Producer from 1971 to 1974 as 4th Engr. My ears have never recovered from those screaming turbines!! Chief Engr was Gerry D'Souza and 2nd was Robin Fernandez. Captain was George Foulds.

I recall seeing the "Cattle Purcell Express" around the Longships but am sure it was in the 1990s, never did associate her as being the ex "Jamaica Producer" if my years are correct was there another "Cattle Purcell Express" or "Purcell Express". My grey cells are not what they used to be plus they are somewhat depleted as well.

Skin Boats

drivererer said:

I was on the Producer from 1971 to 1974 as 4th Engr. My ears have never recovered from those screaming turbines!! Chief Engr was Gerry D'Souza and 2nd was Robin Fernandez. Captain was George Foulds.

Click to expand...

Hi Driverer, Please elaborate, are you meaning the Main eng. blowers (most probably B.B. on Sulzer) very good as a rule ! Or are you alluding to the Turbo Blowers on the Gen-sets, If they were R-Royce sets , you needed ear muffs My hearing is still Top Line after many years !!

A.J.McMahon said:

Hi Driverer, Please elaborate, are you meaning the Main eng. blowers (most probably B.B. on Sulzer) very good as a rule ! Or are you alluding to the Turbo Blowers on the Gen-sets, If they were R-Royce sets , you needed ear muffs My hearing is still Top Line after many years !!

Click to expand...

Hi, Yes it was the main engine blowers - as far as I remember full ahead was around 93 rpm and at that setting the noise was so intense we did most of our communicating by sign language. I was never offered ear muffs and in fact never saw anyone with them.
The Rolls Royce generators were changed out just before I joined the ship and replaced with Allen - apparently the RR units were too thirsty and very noisy.
One of the things I remember is us having to change a liner mid atlantic in a heavy sea which took around 24 hours and then I had the misfortune to be on the first watch after we restarted when I was dying to sleep!!

IMRCoSparks said:

Sailed on the Producer as R/O during the 60's. During that time it seemed the ship had big problems with the Sulzer engine.
It would "surge" (is that the correct description?) i.e. run for about 30 seconds and then give a huge sort of gasp, stop for 5 seconds and then run again for 30 seconds. This went on sometimes for hours, trip after trip.
A lot of engineering shoreside personnel constantly visited. I used to regularly receive huge telegrams (500 words!) all engine related.
Did they ever fix the problem?
Some pics attached
Ken

Click to expand...

Thanks for the pics Ken - they bring back some good memories.

drivererer said:

Hi, Yes it was the main engine blowers - as far as I remember full ahead was around 93 rpm and at that setting the noise was so intense we did most of our communicating by sign language. I was never offered ear muffs and in fact never saw anyone with them.
The Rolls Royce generators were changed out just before I joined the ship and replaced with Allen - apparently the RR units were too thirsty and very noisy.
One of the things I remember is us having to change a liner mid atlantic in a heavy sea which took around 24 hours and then I had the misfortune to be on the first watch after we restarted when I was dying to sleep!!

Click to expand...

hi , Were you on board when they had the fire,
liamc

No I was not - that happened the year before I joined. I do know some details however. Apparently the fire started on the clarifier flat and was extinguished with the Hi-ex foam unit that was located at the base of the funnel. The watchkeeping engineer at the time was Bill Jackson. The ship was abandoned during the fire and I have seen a number of photos of the lifeboats milling around and of the ship with smoke billowing out. She was eventually reboarded and from then I cant remember what I was told regarding getting back to UK, maybe they managed to restart the main engine.

drivererer said:

No I was not - that happened the year before I joined. I do know some details however. Apparently the fire started on the clarifier flat and was extinguished with the Hi-ex foam unit that was located at the base of the funnel. The watchkeeping engineer at the time was Bill Jackson. The ship was abandoned during the fire and I have seen a number of photos of the lifeboats milling around and of the ship with smoke billowing out. She was eventually reboarded and from then I cant remember what I was told regarding getting back to UK, maybe they managed to restart the main engine.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info drivrerer,
I sailed as a junior engineer on that trip, first trip to sea, and was still a bit green, but as I recall, passengers & crew were picked up by american service vessell and transferred to Quantanimo, where a notweigien vessell, might be the north star delivered us to Kingston. Captain Tricky stayed aboard with chief mate, and later a few engineers returned, and the ship was towed back to Kinsgton for temporary repairs. Three months later it sailed back to Greenock and was refitted out. I then joined the sister ship planter. If you can lay your hands on any photos of the life boats, I would be very gratefull Regards,
liammc.

Wow, this is amazing, I worked for Jamaica Merchant Marine back then, more on the land side but I did a few voyages, one of them on the Jamaica Producer when we drifted for 24 hours. I watched the crew change that liner in awe! I remember a Jamaican crewman telling me:
"Yu know wha dem call dis ship? De Ganja Express man!" A whole army of Customs would board the vessel at Newport!

Customs

Island Boatman said:

Wow, this is amazing, I worked for Jamaica Merchant Marine back then, more on the land side but I did a few voyages, one of them on the Jamaica Producer when we drifted for 24 hours. I watched the crew change that liner in awe! I remember a Jamaican crewman telling me:
"Yu know wha dem call dis ship? De Ganja Express man!" A whole army of Customs would board the vessel at Newport!

Click to expand...

I served as a mate between the Jamaica Producer and the Jamaica Planter for about 5 years in the 1960's. I think it was when on the Producer we had a visit from the Customs asking if they could bring a 'drug sniffing' dog on board to test it. Apparently this was in the early days when they first started using dog and this one was the first to visit a ship. After that they used to return regularly when we docked in London. On one occasion they caught one of the AB's with a stash of ganja and he was hauled before the magistrates court. He was a good hand so I went along to speak for him and he was let off the hook when I told the court that he had 12 children back home in Jamaica.
I sailed with Captain's Kidd, Foulds, Trickey and Harper.

Haha, he probably did have 12 "pickney" back home! Do you know whatever became of the Producer? I've heard she was converted to a cattle carrier and had a horror voyage to the Gulf where thousands died, but I can't find details.

Captain Kidd

BosunsMate said:

I served as a mate between the Jamaica Producer and the Jamaica Planter for about 5 years in the 1960's. I think it was when on the Producer we had a visit from the Customs asking if they could bring a 'drug sniffing' dog on board to test it. Apparently this was in the early days when they first started using dog and this one was the first to visit a ship. After that they used to return regularly when we docked in London. On one occasion they caught one of the AB's with a stash of ganja and he was hauled before the magistrates court. He was a good hand so I went along to speak for him and he was let off the hook when I told the court that he had 12 children back home in Jamaica.
I sailed with Captain's Kidd, Foulds, Trickey and Harper.

Click to expand...

It is a pleasure to be reminded of Captain Kidd. I once worked as a cargo superintendent with the stevedoring company that loaded these Kaye’s ships in The Basin, the Royal Docks, London, when I had just come ashore in 1967. He was a shore superintendent for Jamaica Banana Producers at the time.

I recall a very pleasant man, easy to work with who always sported a flat cap.

Aberdonian