BP T2s and deck colour

[Mike Weller]

Good Evening all, just joined up with BMN lfof and fascinated by all I see.

I made attempts to find out, via "search" something about the BP T2s and the colour their decks were painted but couldn't locate anything. I was with BP from '52 to '56 as apprentice, saw plenty of the T2s but never served on one. Now, over half a century later I can't remember anything about the deck colour. I make model ships and am
currently on with a T2.

In '56 I joined Esso and was on and off their T2s for a few years.

Perhaps someone could help on this one, many thanks.

Alex Crosthwaitel

Hi, I joined the British Tanker Company in 1949 and served in the Smoky Hill and later the Red Bank. BTC later became the BP Tanker Co. I finally came ashore in 1973. All the ships that I sailed in had black decks (or rust red!) My recollection is that it was a mixture of fish oil and bitumastic.
Mike Welkler

[Richard Cotton]

I think the decks on BP Tankers in days of yore were a sort of Cardinal Red, or Red Oxide colour. Before my time, but I have seen a photo of a Birdie Boat with red decks. When I joined BP in 1967, it was 40 shades of grey on them, except for the funnel, which in those days was the multi banded one. You could have take a black and white photo of them and it wouldn't have looked much different from a coloured one.
A great day when the green paint came aboard, and it was all hands to the brushes and rollers to change the colour scheme virtually over night

[cappy]

in 57 im sure we had btc on the stack ....before BP.......of course for british tanker co.......des would know that aas he sailed ealier....regards cappy

[John Arton]

Nothing to do with T2's or BP but.
Green is the most common colour used on ships decks as green is the colour that is easiest on the eye sight for watch keepers staring out to sea for long periods, the green colour puts less strain on the eyes.
Ships that regularly trade into the high latitudes amongst ice and bergs are usually painted a colour in a shade similar to international orange as this is the most stand out colour against the greys, blues and whites of ice fields. It is also the most stand out colour against sea water, hence all lifeboats being international orange.
Its all something to do with how the human eye differentiates colours.
rgds
JA

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Cappy.
The British tankers I was on just had, a black top, white band, thin black band, wide green band, thin black band wide white band then the base, all of them had a BP shield either side of the funnel, not the sort of job for a job and finish
Cheers Des

[Richard Cotton]

001 (2).jpg This the funnel you mean?

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Richard.
Yep that's the one mate, painted so many of them could have done it in my sleep, only wish I could do it all again,
Cheers Des

[Richard Cotton]

Yeah, so do I. Big mistake going ashore in many ways. I can remember standing on the bridge wing at some un earthly hour thinking "I'm bored with this life"

Hi Richard.
Yep that's the one mate, painted so many of them could have done it in my sleep, only wish I could do it all again,
Cheers Des

[John Arton]

In this day and age of Inspections and Vettings in the tanker trade, some bright spark of a naval architect has come up with the perfect colour for tankers decks etc., which is....
WHITE
This so that any leaks etc can be spotted quickly.
Instead of spending his time studying DULUX paint charts, perhaps he could of spent on designing better sea keeping qualities and deck design of tankers so that you don't get washed away by seas breaking over non existent focsle heads and deck fittings that are designed to deliberately trip you up as you go about your work or almost decapitate you if you want to go from port to stbd under the flying bridge. All of that combined with the myriad of nooks and crannies created by such fittings, that trap water, leading to rust spots which are a bugger to access in order to remove the rust and touch up the paint work.
rgds
JA

[Mike Weller]

IN the days of B.T.C. the funnels had no badges or letters, just the stripes which were the colours of the Persian (Iranian) flag.
All cargo decks were black (and rust), including the T2 types.
I was an Indentured App. and joined the British Resolution at Falmouth in August 1949.