Bowater Ships

[Barry Simpson]

Hi fellow ex Bowater seafarers. Time to get on and build the listing of Bowater ships for posterity.
I am Barry Simpson and I served in the Engine Room of the following ships:
Sarah Bowater
Nicolas Bowater
Liverpool Packet
During the period 1959 to 1961.
The Nicolas was the Company Flag Ship and was the most interesting as she was a single screw 2 stage Steam Tubine vessel capable of being ready to manoevre from dead ship in just 40 minutes and be full away in under 2 hours. This is only surpassed by the Royal Navy Frigates with Rolls Royce Gas Turbines to assist instant get aways. A throw back from the WW2 attack on Pearl Harbour when the American Fleet could not get under way to avoid the Japanese attack. Most other Steam turbine ships require upwards of 12 hours to prepare for sailing. Another feature of the Nicolas was that Standby's and manoevering were done single handed, rather like driving a high powered sports car.

[robpage]

A good site for information and crew lists for Bowaters is

http://www.bowatersteamshipcompany.no-ip.com/page3.html

[Charles Mintoff]

Hi Barry I find it amazing that a steam turbine vessel can be ready for sea in such a short time (40minutes) I severd on the Nina Bowater for period of 2 years as 3rd Engineer and the minumum time it took this vessel to be ready for sea was 6 hours engine was a Sulzer 6 cylinder diesel.
Charles

[trevorjgray]

Hi ex Bowaters crew members,

My names Trevor & sailed on the following
Constance Bowater Costal Trip - Ridham Dock 24th November 1970 – Cardiff Dry Dock - 8th December 1970

Phyllis Bowater Ridham Dock – 23rd December 1970- Liverpool 3rd June 1971

Constance Bowater Ridham Dock 22nd June 1971 – Grangemouth 11th November 1971.

Great crews, great food with a better per day rate than most companies. Who remembers the name of the local bar at Corner Brook ? Their site is well worth a look some familiar name & faces.

Happy days
Trevor

[Barry Simpson]

Hi Barry I find it amazing that a steam turbine vessel can be ready for sea in such a short time (40minutes) I severd on the Nina Bowater for period of 2 years as 3rd Engineer and the minumum time it took this vessel to be ready for sea was 6 hours engine was a Sulzer 6 cylinder diesel.
Charles

Hi Charles,
Good to converse with other Bowater seafarers. Most vessels require to be warmed up to prepare them for the off including motor vessels. However I do believe that the creation of the Nicolas Bowater was some sort of test bed for the design. The main secret of the creation was turbines were equipped with warming steam nozzles which allowed the first wispers of steam to be applied quickly followed by being kicked over by the first bit of pressure generated. I actually had the experience of going through from dead ship after we had returned from the States to be put on the buoys at Northfleet until there was an available berth. The next morning, out of the blue, with no prior notice the word came to get under way to go alongside. So from deadship we did the deed. One other feature which played a part was the air attemporated superheaters in the Boilers which allowed for maximum burner operation without burning out the superheaters. Steam was usually at the air cocks within 15 to 20 minutes and at the turbine heater nozzles in 30 minutes.
The turbines themselves, HP and LP, were amazing to operate it was possible to close the ahead steam valve at full ahead revs and before the shaft revs had dropped very much it was possible to open the astern steam valve effectively putting a braking force into the turbine. The revs would wind down very quickly followed soon after by the astern rotation. Most steam turbines would suffer serious blade damage were you to attempt this. Seeing is believing. As I say the Royal Navy were always anxious about rapid departures and I would not be surprised to find that they had a vested interest in the development behind the scenes. In later years I worked for John Thompson Water Tube Boilers Ltd as a commissioning testing and operating engineer. This led me to some commissioning work on the Tribal Calss Frigates of the day which were fitted with gas turbines for instant departures followed by the Main steam turbines asap. Best regards

[Geoff Bray]

Hi There,
I was Junior Engineer on the Nicolas from June 1962 until January 1963, then went out and re-joined the ship in Cornerbrook two months later for another four month stint on the American coast. The next trip after dry docking at Grayson Rollo Dry docks in Birkenhead I rejoined her as Fourth Engineer, this was when British and Commonwealth took over the fleet. this next trip they kept us out for eleven months twenty two days.... the buggars.
I must say I lit that plant off many times and although I don't know about the forty minute story, you could raise steam pretty quickly, two to four hours very easy. One of my dilemmas was after you opened the main steam vavles on the boilers you had very little time to warm through the turbo feed pump and get it running before the low level alarms went on the boilers.
It was a wonderful ship from an engineering point of view, very well equipped with all the latest gear.
I remember on a homeward trip from Charleston S.C. to Ellesmere Port with a cargo of wood pulp, we were loaded down to the gunnells. After we picked the pilot up at point lynas for Liverpool, the office radioed to make extra speed to get in on an early tide. Tommy Hilton the Chief Engineer (he was the Commodore Chief Eng and the Nicolas was concidered his ship) came down the engine room and we opened up two extra nozzles on the HP Turbine that had never been opened since the ships original sea trials. We cruised down the mersey doing about seventeen knots, and we made the berth in time to start cargo and saved a days delay
I had many happy days on that ship, it was probably one of the best ships that I ever sailed on.

[David M Ashton]

Hi ex Bowaters crew members,


Happy days
Trevor

[SIZE="3" Trevor
]The Royal Canadian Legion was up the road overlooking the dock area also the Westport Hotel & a small place that we called Ma's Place!,recall that the Mounties called in twice to tell us to return to the ship as she ready to sail,second time was escorted to the door, needless to say was got logged.This was while on the" Phyllis Bowater"7th April 65-Ellesmere Port-/-17th June 65- South Shields.Happy Days.Have visited Corner Brook many time since living in Canada.[/SIZE]
Cheers Dave Ashton

[Dennis McGuckin]

Remember Corner Brook well.
It was our home port for eight months while serving on the Sarah Bowater in the late 50ies.
Also the first time I ever saw or wore overboots. Thought they were cool!
Recall some wooden sidewalks and bat-wing doors on one bar.
Bit like the old west, but colder.
Could also drink after hours.Always knew where the Mounties were. They never gave us any trouble.
How about that Screech!!
Den.

[Ronald Corbett]

I was there in 63-64 on the Nicholas Bowater a ver nice picturesque place

[John McDermott]

was in most bowater ships from 1961 started in liverpool packet and then nina on her maiden and done 5 trips after that was in the constance . sarah .alice .phyllis .gladys .elizabeth .and margareth started as 2nd cook and finished as chief cook great ships 72 now but great memories