Securing for sea

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On the Clan line Steam ships there used to be three tarpaulins s to a hatch except no 4 hatch which had a fourth tarp that was spark resistant . I have a vague memory that made the bars and wedges harder to get into the correct position , because of soot landing on it when blowing tubes , I have not got a clue what it was made of , but it was a coated canvas , almost a Plastic look to it . As to the accidents with the McGregor's the mate was using a bar to move one of the wheels and the hatch dropped across his fingers severing at least one of the tips off . Because that was my first experience of a first day aboard a ship with the McGregor's . pulled by a single wire , I regarded them as something dangerous for the Mate to risk his limbs on , as Engineers we had enough of out own hazards

[Peter Trodden]

Still got the scar on the bridge of my nose from the McGregors on the "Rotherwick Castle",
I took the pin out while the bar was still in the wheel , stupid in know, the hatch came down swung the bar around hit me square on the conk, didn't half bloody hurt.

This was the most common accident when Deck crews first encounted McGregors, those bloody bars. I've seen cuts and bruises,bars flying up in the air like mortar shells,but like everything else we got use to them, and much preferred than Tarps and boards. I joined the new NEWFOUNDLAND, May '65 and She had Hydraulic Hatches,main and tween decks, press a button and walk away. Now that was a Doddle but She only carried 6 ABs and a Bosun on a 6905.50grt,North Atlantic Run.
ttfnPeter.

[Ivan Cloherty]

McGregors were a joy to work on when you came back from shore worst for wear very easy job, but no skill needed after you done one as they all the same , saw onlly one accident minor, it was his fault.[ dont understand ] sea water in bad weather can go anywhere? the gaps on steel hatches would only let in small amounts of sea water unless the ship was like a sub fully loaded? Used a chain block to put one back on once, Do what they pay me for at sea[/I].

As a mate or deck officer of the day, anyone who came back on board 'worse for wear' was not allowed anywhere near the McGregors, that's when the accidents happened when things were an apparent doddle through pizzed glasses.

'All Mcgregors the same and no skill needed' Sailed with and was superintendent with ships who had various designs, some straightforward and some not, some lids weighing a tonne others 5 to 8 tonnes, some multiple small lids some twin clams, some side rollers. All needed care and attention when operating, especially if having to be closed quickly because of rain or cargo committments and the ship had a list and/or a for'd or aft trim. I certainly wouldn't let anyone who was the worse for wear near them. An 8 tonne lid coming off the tracks and catapulting down the hold would have a detrimental effect on the tank top, that is if it didn't go straight through to the dock bottom.

Never sailed with any that leaked, even in submarine conditions, one aft accommodation ship I was on used to bury the first three hatches under water when traversing the North Pacific on grain runs to China and then shake herself like a dog, any water that did get through the hatch joins was captured by the internal channels/scuppers then ran off as it was designed to do.

Agree with the vast majority of your posts Louis, but not this one, cavalier attitudes with machinery on deck (or below) invites accidents, some are lucky throughout their seatime in never having one, mostly by luck than by being careful. Why is it when a drunk falls off the gangway between the ship and the quay he never gets hurt and the sober guy trying to rescue him ends up in traction or worse, mostly because the drunk is not aware he is drunk, or thinks he isn't but his worse for wear condition has detrimental affects on others.

Worse for wear and machinery a definite recipe for disaster

Rgds Ivan

[Roger French]

I loved McGregors as a cadet. With the old beam, board, tarps and locking bars it could take ages after the stevedores had finished before the hatches were locked and secured, then up early to unlock the damned things, usually around 6 padlocks per hatch and if you weren't quick somebody would start smashing them with a shackle.

McGregors eliminated all that. Once the hatches were closed and power to the winches off, nobody was going down there!

Cluster lights were as much, if not more, of a nightmare!

[John Arton]

2nd trip to sea, 4 hatch general cargo (Beaver boat), closing hatches one evening in London and a sailor tried climbing out of the almost full no.1 hold with his swag , over the hatch coaming.. Crew closing hatches at the time, heave them up to release locking bar then just let them run uncontrolled.
Result.. one sailor decapitated.
Yes steel hatch covers of any type are great but bloody dangerous.
rgds
JA

[Louis the Amigo]

Hi shipmates, Hi Keith Tindell some had three tarps some had four the worst one first, the iron bar things, were not nice to hold in cold weather unless you had gloves if you had the money to buy them?

[Louis the Amigo]

Hi shipmates, Hi Ivan you were a very good deck officer and I agree wth you !!! but I was on a ship and every day for 15 days, we spent many happy hours in a lttle wine bar in Gijjon, and came back tea time for food and closed all the hatches without any probelms, maybe that was not the normal thing on the ships you were on? but it was for me working on deck on that one sorry if I cause you any upset but this happen!!! on another ship iron ore carrier one of the section open was wedged and had to be put back with chain block cant remember how that happen ?but it was open at sea and run down the hatch some how??/ no one was hurt.

[Captain Kong]

Still got the scar on the bridge of my nose from the McGregors on the "Rotherwick Castle",
I took the pin out while the bar was still in the wheel , stupid in know, the hatch came down swung the bar around hit me square on the conk, didn't half bloody hurt. Graham.
.
. That happened to me on the Dunedin Star in 1956, Graham.
The Bar hit me on the cheek bone and gave me a big cut and a black eye.
Didnt do me much good on the Cape coast, all the girls in Del Moncos in Cape Town and the Playhouse in Durban thought I had been fighting and didnt want to know me.
.
.
. Also no one has mentioned the Locking bars for the Hatches. There were not enough on the `Pool Fisher`, and the No`1 Hatch Tarps kept coming adrift in heavy weather and subsequently added to her sinking and loss of life..
Cheers
Brian.

[Ivan Cloherty]

Hi shipmates, Hi Ivan you were a very good deck officer and I agree wth you !!! but I was on a ship and every day for 15 days, we spent many happy hours in a lttle wine bar in Gijjon, and came back tea time for food and closed all the hatches without any probelms, maybe that was not the normal thing on the ships you were on? but it was for me working on deck on that one sorry if I cause you any upset but this happen!!! on another ship iron ore carrier one of the section open was wedged and had to be put back with chain block cant remember how that happen ?but it was open at sea and run down the hatch some how??/ no one was hurt.

No Louis, you didn't upset me, but my concern was for the safety of those who worked with me and sometimes saving them from themselves. I like a drink as much as the next man so am not against drinking per se. Also think of all the bluddy paperwork it causes the OOW. I think most of us who have worked with McGregors at one time or another have been struck by a wheel bar, or in my case lifted off the deck (I was light and small in those days [ still small, but but not so light] !) as the wheel bar flipped over when the winch driver slacked off too quick and we were running the cover down the runway ready for a quick drop, those hatch coamings were always so goddam high. Guess you had a lucky 15 days, so do envy your 15 days with afternoons in the wine bar, guess I sailed on the wrong ships

[j.sabourn]

Tarps, we always used to put 4 on the weather deck hatches Keith. The best tarp always went on first, the oldest last with all the repairs and patches on. Each corner of each tarp tucked opposite to its predessor. Always chippys job for the final bash on the wedges. As further securing Locking Bars on top. Cheers John Sabourn