Insurance Wire

[Charlie Hannah]

Allways used it in the river berth calcutta.

[j.sabourn]

Charlie have often wondered, by the time you got this huge wire out and managed to get turns on the bitts, which in most cases would run before and if they ever tightened up, what the difference in holding power would have been if just put an anchor on the bottom, or even both anchors. Have done that in some ports which weren't 100 per cent safe. As regards the Insurance wire ( towing Wire) as said only ever used for making a lee for lighters. Cheers John Sabourn.

[Charlie Hannah]

John in the river in Calcutta you used every rope, eye and a bight, and every wire, also hang the anchors off break the offside chain Drag it aft to use.Then stand by every day for the bore.61/2 hour tieup.Also when having smoko on the hatch tea and tabnab, watch out for the hungry monky's,use to grab it out of your hand.Boy were they fast!

[Colin Hawken]

#19 Thanks Ivan.

[Lou Barron]

On one ship i was on i ask the bosun what was the insurance was for he said if we break down someone will give us a tow

[Lou Barron]

Sorry about missing out the wire on my last post thats only after two G&T

[happy daze john in oz]

The Homeward Bound Union Castle Mailship was in Capetown for four days. The Insurance wire was always used then for some reason. I never could figure out why. Anyone know why?

If I recall correctly it was almost wrapped around the bow of the ship. It appeared to come out of the starboard housing and go around the bow of the ship, hitched to a bollard on the port side of the quay.

[Ivan Cloherty]

I think we may need a diagram of that one John

[j.sabourn]

Must have been all p***ed when putting out. Or maybe the crowd coming back from the Del Monico got in to help. Or maybe John himself had slipped up the road and had a couple of ginger squares. Cheers John Sabourn.

[Ron Kendall]

Used the Insurance wire on the Table Bay each time in Rouen, France. normal wires snapped like carrots every tide time, due to the bore on the river Seine. it was the only wire that did not snap, but was very hard to handle, and had to be lashed onto the bitts!