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23rd October 2016, 11:02 AM
#21
Re: Royal Christening For New ACL Ship.
Brian
The C.P. Ambassador, ex. Dart America, had some of the finest accommodation I ever sailed with. Across the front of the accommodation was a massive lounge and bar (with a view fwd of a stack of containers 6 ft. away). Leading off from the bar and separated by a fancy glass screen, on the port side was a separate lounge area.
On the main deck there was a massive games room and crew bar.
All cabins single berth and en suite if I recall. Galley and Bakery would have put some passenger ships to shame.
The biggest problem with all three of the ships was down to lack of maintenance. The anchors could be let go from the bridge but the gear for that had never been maintained so it was inoperable. Damage to hatch covers had never been repaired allowing water ingress into the holds, ruining the trace heating for ballast lines. In two calls in Montreal I got shore welders down to patch up the hatch covers and that cost C.P. some $40,000 dollars but at least the containers below deck were staying dry.
They were very advanced designed ships when new with safe access for crew to all parts of the ship with under deck tunnels etc., excellent ventilation fans for all holds and access tunnels, etc. etc. Professional seamen had obviously had a large input to them at the design stage.
rgds
JA
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23rd October 2016, 12:10 PM
#22
Re: Royal Christening For New ACL Ship.
Originally Posted by
John Arton
Brian
The C.P. Ambassador, ex. Dart America, had some of the finest accommodation I ever sailed with. Across the front of the accommodation was a massive lounge and bar (with a view fwd of a stack of containers 6 ft. away). Leading off from the bar and separated by a fancy glass screen, on the port side was a separate lounge area.
On the main deck there was a massive games room and crew bar.
All cabins single berth and en suite if I recall. Galley and Bakery would have put some passenger ships to shame.
The biggest problem with all three of the ships was down to lack of maintenance. The anchors could be let go from the bridge but the gear for that had never been maintained so it was inoperable. Damage to hatch covers had never been repaired allowing water ingress into the holds, ruining the trace heating for ballast lines. In two calls in Montreal I got shore welders down to patch up the hatch covers and that cost C.P. some $40,000 dollars but at least the containers below deck were staying dry.
They were very advanced designed ships when new with safe access for crew to all parts of the ship with under deck tunnels etc., excellent ventilation fans for all holds and access tunnels, etc. etc. Professional seamen had obviously had a large input to them at the design stage.
rgds
JA
The DART AMERICA was indeed a true-revelation to me, a third trip cadet who sailed on her when she was almost new,about 12 months old,and who had only previously tramped with Bibby's on their twenty year old 14 knot general cargo ships. The accommodation indeed for all thirty officers and crew was en-suite,with well-appointed bars/lounges for officers and crew.The owners suites were truly luxurious,there were lifts which of course I'd never seen before on a ship and underdeck walkways. Really rather like a passenger ship.They were impressive in their orange hulls as they powered past other vessels at 23 knots. I was always on watch with the C/O so was able to really hone my watchkeeping ,radar and navigation skills.I was the only cadet and felt really priveleged to have that experience. Dart America and her sister were both built by Swan Hunter at High Walker,Tyneside. Dart America was sold in 81,becoming MANCHESTER CHALLENGE ,then in 88 became OOCL CHALLENGE.
John,I think you you meant to say were on the DART ATLANTIC,which became the CP AMBASSADOR in 81,then CANMAR AMBASSADOR in 86.,so in 10 years or so after an arduous North Atlantic career and limited maintenance time I can understand why they wouldn't be at their best when you went on them.
The Belgian one,DART EUROPE was built in Cockerill's,Hoboken Belgian yard.She became the CMB EUROPE,then CANMAR EUROPE in 85. Then in 95 she was briefly named FOLLY (did the new owners know something (heh heh !) before finally becoming ZIM COLOMBO.
Even so,all three Dart vessels went on to between 1995 and 1998 before finally expiring exhaustedly(one can imagine) on breakers' beaches- 25 to 28 years !
RIP DART AMERICA 1970-1996
Dart_America2-1970.jpg
Last edited by Gulliver; 23rd October 2016 at 12:14 PM.
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23rd October 2016, 12:20 PM
#23
Re: Royal Christening For New ACL Ship.
It is interesting to note that Dart America and her sister were both built by Swan Hunter at High Walker,Tyneside.
Esso Northumbria and Esso Hibernia were both built at San Hunters, and both had serious cracking faults.
Indeed the HIBERNIA was outward bound on her maiden voyage in ballast when she cracked along the deck and down the sides to the keel.
She was towed stern first into Lisbon dry dock. Almost broke in half.
The welds were stuffed with welding rods and then welded over.
Cheers
Brian
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24th October 2016, 06:54 AM
#24
Re: Royal Christening For New ACL Ship.
Originally Posted by
Captain Kong
It is interesting to note that Dart America and her sister were both built by Swan Hunter at High Walker,Tyneside.
Esso Northumbria and Esso Hibernia were both built at San Hunters, and both had serious cracking faults.
Indeed the HIBERNIA was outward bound on her maiden voyage in ballast when she cracked along the deck and down the sides to the keel.
She was towed stern first into Lisbon dry dock. Almost broke in half.
The welds were stuffed with welding rods and then welded over.
Cheers
Brian
And Brian,don't forget the Derbyshire and her sisters were built by Swan Hunter,although at Haverton Hill,Teesside rather than Tyneside.
Mind you perhaps it's unfair of us to tarnish such an esteemed shipbuilding company that constructed so many fine ships,employed so many workers and enhanced Britain's reputation worldwide for many decades.
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24th October 2016, 10:44 AM
#25
Re: Royal Christening For New ACL Ship.
Gulliver
Yes, correct, I keep mixing up the Dart America with the Dart Atlantic, later C.P. Ambassador.
By a strange coincidence the original C.P. Ambassador, ex. Beaveroak, was also built by Swan Hunters.
Beaveroak-1965.jpg
I was cadet on the Beaveroak when she was converted to a fully cellular container ship (a story in itself) and later did a number of trips as 3rd Mate on her including the voyage when we had to abandon her in a gale in the N. Atlantic when the engine room flooded. As the Beaveroak she was the white Beaver we all wanted to sail on as she was quite advanced design for her age with the Thompson cranes, hydraulic hatches, engine control room, bridge control etc., but as the Ambassador she suffered badly as there was very little port time as a container ship for correct engine and auxiliary maintenance.
Regarding the build quality of both the Dart ships and the Beaveroak was first class. The Dart boats were built using extra high tensile steel in the major structural stress areas and the only bit that gave problems was the attachment to the accommodation to the deck in one area around an access hatch.
The hull crack problems came much later when during the winter calls in Montreal due to lack of maintenance of the hatch covers, water had got into the holds through damaged areas in the hatch covers and this water had knocked out the trace heating on the ballast lines running through the cargo holds for the fwd. ballast tanks. This meant that during the lay over between completing discharge and before loading she was sitting in ice bound water without the correct ballast on board, meaning that not only was she stressed to the max. still water bending moments but the hull steel was being subjected to temperatures at the very low end of its tolerance's. The fact that we only suffered cracking and not disastrous hull failures was down to the skill of the welders etc. during her construction.
The fact that she was a 20 year old ship that still went like stink and still could make Montreal throughout the winter season without the need for ice breaker assistance speaks volumes for her builders, unfortunately the problems I had with in-repaired damage to hatch covers etc. speaks volumes about the standards of the staff on board at that time.
rgds
JA
Beaveroak 1965
Last edited by John Arton; 24th October 2016 at 10:47 AM.
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