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30th December 2016, 09:26 AM
#11
Re: Rms queen mary
It was a good show last night.
What happened to all that ship building, up to 40 ship building yards on the Clyde in the 30s, All Gone. Gemans build them now.
saw a friend on there, Geoffery Le Marquand of Southampton and the Vindicatrix Association spoke about her at one of the Re Unions.
22,000 British girls were taken on her to the States after the war ended for the American Soldiers., no wonder I couldn't get a bit, there were none left for us.
Over Here, Over Paid and Over Sexed.
Cheers
Brian
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30th December 2016, 09:31 PM
#12
Re: Rms queen mary
Hmmm! 'Britain's Navy's biggest ship!' you live and learn
20 miles to stop! bit of poetic licence there methinks
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30th December 2016, 10:09 PM
#13
Re: Rms queen mary
In January 1947, my first trip, The 24 passenger/cargo Port Line ship MV Lowlander sailed out of Newcastle, New South Wales for New York. On Board were 24 Aussie war brides. Got our own back, Brian. My son Rick's gal in S.C. USA is all American and a real sweetie pie. They were on our Skype video last Sunday for an hour.
Here are some photos of the Crossing the Line Ceremony and the Lowlander later in Nova Scotia before the paint job. She got quite a thrashing off Cape Hatteras.
Best wishes to you, Anne and clan for 2017 and beyond.
Richard
Our Ship was our Home
Our Shipmates our Family

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30th December 2016, 11:39 PM
#14
Re: Rms queen mary
and all the very Best wishes for the New Year to you and yours. Richard. we may meet again one day.
Cheers
Brian
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31st December 2016, 06:44 AM
#15
Re: Rms queen mary
#12,,,,20 miles to stop sounds a bit sus. Maybe could be from full ahead to stop, might carry that headway, still a bit sus. Quickest way to bring a big ship to stop without going astern. Is from Full ahead, to Half ahead for a timed limit, then to Slow ahead, and dead Slow ahead, could usually bring most big ships up within 7 miles. For those who remember that first engine movement was EOP ( end of passage ) everything after was HST ( harbour Steaming Time ) which could start a long way from the shore. JS
Last edited by j.sabourn; 31st December 2016 at 08:11 AM.
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31st December 2016, 09:31 AM
#16
Re: Rms queen mary
I could stop a 300,000 ton VLCC in six tenths of One Mile. 6 cables. and NOT touch the engines going at Full Ahead.
Hard a starboard, alter course by 90 degrees, the ship will still carry on its course due to the momentum for 6 cables. then stop in the water before it actually moves onto the new course. Then just pull the lever back and the ship has stopped dead in the water, simple.
The ship would be beam onto its course, 1200 feet in length and a 90 foot draft so a BIG cushion against the sea.
We practiced this several times also when doing the Williamson Turn. A man overboard position in 20 minutes.
Cheers
Brian
Last edited by Captain Kong; 31st December 2016 at 09:43 AM.
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31st December 2016, 10:45 AM
#17
Re: Rms queen mary
You spilt the Chiefs tea Brian, and he cant find his piece of cake. Would try in the Manchester ship canal if still at sea. Cheers Happy new year JS
Last edited by j.sabourn; 31st December 2016 at 10:48 AM.
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31st December 2016, 12:12 PM
#18
Re: Rms queen mary
Brian
Guess your VLCC's were motor ships.
With the Queen Mary being steam turbine it is almost impossible to use the astern turbine (its usually only 50% of the ahead turbine power) unless you are doing a crash stop and to hell with any damage to the turbines.
I could quite imagine a fine lined turbine driven vessel such as the Queen Mary taking up to 7 miles to come to a complete halt if reducing speed in normal circumstances. As a junior watch keeper on the Empress it was drummed into us to avoid having to use the telegraphs at sea and rely on course alterations to avoid other vessels. Sudden reductions of turbine R.P.M. can put heavy loads on the steam plant as all of a sudden the need for steam is drastically reduced and the steam has to go somewhere, you just cannot turn those huge boilers off by flicking a switch.
One of the most effective ways of reducing speed is by rudder cycling where putting the rudder hard over each way continuously you reduce speed rapidly but maintain an approximate heading over the ground.
rgds
JA
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31st December 2016, 12:27 PM
#19
Re: Rms queen mary
as a matter of interest would a large tanker at say 10 knots and a small coaster at 10 knots in the same calm sea ...both stop in a similar distance once stop engines was called for.......ps i am thinking of a ton of steel and a ton of feather situation.....cappy
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31st December 2016, 01:02 PM
#20
Re: Rms queen mary
Hi John
In that particular emergency stop, no engine movements are made, the engine was still running full ahead, but because it turns beam on to the sea the underwater "sail" area would stop the vessel in the six cables distance, then before it starts to move on the new course, just stop engine. so no astern movements are required. The engines were Steam Turbine
BUT one should not be in that position anyway to have to do an emergency stop.
When altering course at the charted position we always altered course six cables before it and the ship would slide down to the charted position and then carry on, on the charted course line.
I guess if just slowing down on the engine movements then the ship would carry on for a few miles.
Cheers
Brian.
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