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PWSTS Society · Prince of Wales Sea Training School

BP and Shell

sandy · PWSTS Forum Member

Did one trip on the "British Hussar"Had to to as I had just been sacked off K.G.5 pool, and sent to Glasgow pool to take the first ship on the board or I was out of the game!! Left Holy Loch for Mina Ala Mahdi, picked up our cargo and was heading back to somewhere in England where tankers go,!!! when we had a change of orders, to offload in Genoa and then down to Palermo for dry docking. What was meant to be a short trip ended up being all up nearly 6 months. Never, never, never, again was I going to go on a tanker. Mental crew and rubbish run.

stuhogg · PWSTS Forum Member

Sandy, an interesting story. As you went into dry dock did that mean you had to de-gas the tanks first then tank dive every one of them? Stu

Bob Pounder · PWSTS Senior Master

You Big Softie Sandy!, never wanting to go back on a BP Tanker, shame upon you!.
Mental crew eh?. Not to mention rubbish runs.

Yes, I have met people like yourselves in the past.
We used to call you lot "the sane ones" as we had all crossed the thin red line.
If you check out the list of names on the 'ships' section of BP...you may have some pity for me!.

Bob0....or signed 'the mad ones'. (cheers for the address, trying to get some free time to contunue)

Tony Randerson · PWSTS Forum Member

Shipped out on nothing but BP Tankers, loved every minute of it, well most of the time anyway !

Remember carrying aviation fuel for the American Bombers during the Vietnam Conflict, to Satahip in Thailand, did that run for nearly 18 months, with breaks inbetween to Aus, South Africa Gulf and Kenya. This was a 19,000 "Tree" Tanker British Hazel---Happy Day's.

Bob Pounder · PWSTS Senior Master

Hi Tony,

I see that you also had the 'honour' of serving on the Br Bombardier, and like myself must of been bad in one's past life?.
Did a few 'tree boats'...Beach & Poplar, they were ok(ish), but as for the Bombardier...no!.

Bob0

Tony Randerson · PWSTS Forum Member

Bob,

Bombardier bad, but Signal far far far worse, built in Italy what a bag of crap.

Tony.

Bob Pounder · PWSTS Senior Master

Quite right Tony, I had the 'pleasure' of the Br. Star, not nice.

Bob

stuhogg · PWSTS Forum Member

I don't think you engineering guys realise it but for us Deckies you are almost talking in code. When you say a ship is bad, what exactly do you mean?

I guess its possible that one type of ship could be good on Deck but lousy in the Engineroom. Any comments?

Any chance of getting some figures, like Horse power, fuel consumption, and all that sort of thing. But any other information would also be interesting, (at least to start off with) so why not give us the "good oil"on tanker life. Stu

Bob Pounder · PWSTS Senior Master

Fair comment Stu, hence I 'fished' for youin some very old and yellow paper work)

Br. Bombardier...Tony also had the pleasure...

Double Reduction, Geared Turbine, Single Screw, B&W Water Tube Selectable Superheat.
N.R.T 18726.94
S.H.P 16000
Fuel consumption...do not know.
In other words a horrid steam ship

But regarding fuel, one of my (mv)'Al' boats of:-
G.R.T 15919
N.R.T 9377
BHP 11400
Fuel consuption about 30-35 tons per day.

Here is an interesting question & please no using the net for the answer...

Consider the 'tie bolts' holding down the main engine of a motor ship.
Consider the height of the main engine.
Consider the distance from the top of the main engine to the 'skylight'.

Now imagine that one or more of the ships tie bolts breaks..at sea.
How do you get it out?.
Hint:-'You do not cut a hole in the skylight!'.
Hint:-'You do not pull the tie bolt up so far and then hack saw it!'.

At sea I did not know the answer, hence asked someone.(because I am 'lazy Bob')

I do not think the engine room rats are talking code Stu, there are some rather smart deck chaps out there & of whom have done rather well for themselves.
Sometime ago we had a person with 'no name' who liked to give input having poke at 'Deck' and perhaps E.R.
He or she...was not a sailor.

It is difficult to say 'who had it harder at sea?'.
The deckside did not wish to work in the ER.
The ER side did not wish to work on deck.
The catering did not wish to work in either deck or ER.
To me...that was a damn good system.
ie:-"Be good at what you are good at".
If I was to say:-"What was the best job at sea?".
'Radio Officer'.
Have a think on that one chaps.(?).

For Tony...
The 'Light' ships...Star & Signal. I had heard that the Signal was worse than the Star. After the Star (1st trip) BP wanted to put me on the Signal, I refused.(pulled a sickie)

The Star:-Three PWSTS 'lads' joined it, New Years Day 1970 in Sweden. The 'lads' wereayne, Pounder & Williams, all 1st trip.(& a six month trip)
Williams..Ian after that trip transfered to the deckside, he hated the ER side. Too hot & yes it was hot.
Payne..Jim or James did perhaps a couple of trips after the Star & then (I think) left.
As for Pounder, 'The Reluctant Sailor' he simply stayed too long.

Bob0

stuhogg · PWSTS Forum Member

Well, thats a start Bobo.

But why is a steam ship "horrid" ?

Also why do some ships have steam turbines, some turbo electric, and others Diesels ? Why do cargo ships nearly always have Diesels, and passenger ships are steam driven? There are always exceptions of course, and I believe the old Cunard-White Star liners Georgic and Brittanic were Diesel driven and had short squat funnels. Maybe there should be a separate slot for this sort of discussion as its not just about these particular companies. Stu

Tony Randerson · PWSTS Forum Member

I for one wouldn't have wanted to work as a "decky", I loved being " down-below". Yes it was hot too hot at times, but the diversity of jobs was great, never knew what you were going to do from one day to next.
I shipped out in my later day's at sea as a Junior Engineer on watch, loved it.
Bob, best job at sea, certainly on Tankers must have been the Electrician, just how many times can you change the lightbulbs during one trip ?

I personally prefered motor jobs to steam, you could get into them, so to speak, if anything went wrond with the turbine, it usually had to wait for the "shore gang" specialists, normally wouldn't let us near it, or did my engine room rat colleagues have a different view ?

Cheers,

Tony.

Bob Pounder · PWSTS Senior Master

Steam Tony?...hot and damn hot, far too hot for humans!. Best(?) temp I ever worked in, but only for 5 mins at a time...

This for the memories of ER Steam Queens...

Br.Captain up the Gulf, top of the ER, forced draught fan..the temp was 170 deg F.
I think I saw the devil.
Also (Tony) & not making this up, I was working with an electrician....

At that temp your lips dry out and so do your eye balls. You can only gesture...weakly. Everything you touch is hot, very hot. You do not speak as your throat is too dry. Teeth..yes teeth are black with soot. Your hair is dry and bedraggled, eye balls glow red. The soot is ingrained into your skin.
The pack of cigs in the top left hand pocket of your boiler suit is water logged..as for the matches?.
Nobody goes for a 'pee' but drinks much 'iced' water. Your 'tatty' boiler suit goes from wet to dry as your strength weakens. Not sure what your heart pulse rate goes to.(?).

Ole' Steam Queens please add anything that I may of left out & not regarding your underwear!.

Stu...very simple regarding why most passenger ships were steam...quiet, nothing more. After all why would someone pay to hear the thunder of the mighty piston?.

As I said:-"All sides, deck & rats got a good kicking".
Tony, regarding 'lecky's'...a ship vibrates, lamps/tubes do not take kindly to this, hence alot of lamps to replace.

'Best job on a ship?'....Well it appears that we have no real answer eh?.
I said:-"Radio Officer" & think about it...

1)...Deckside are required to work cargo in port.
2)...The Rats have work on the engine in port.
3)...The catering still have to feed...etc.
4)...The Captain has to administer.
5)...The C/E has to administer.

So why is the Radio Officer free in port?.
Think with care!.

Stayed too long...Bob0

geordie · PWSTS Forum Member

only bp job was british comerce,short trip joined in belfast handy for me as its home.hamberg rotterdam isle of grain.i paid off falmouth as ship was in for repairs.quite good food as i remember. deck crowd all jocks,the beast mcneil from barra as they called him was bosun,myself and donkey man an old cornishman cant remember his name only two whites among rats all the rest cape verde.

teapot · PWSTS Forum Member

did a stint with b.p,british judge,poplar,vine,workman,grenadier,two trips lantern.