New Polar Research Ship.

[j.sabourn]

Thought at least for the British public for advertising purposes it would of had a Union flag to go alongside the Science on ships side. Although will most likely have the Euro flag on side instead. Registry dont suppose has been suggested yet. Manning will be also by Europeans I would imagine. Scientists from all over the world which is normal. A ship with a definite purpose in life. Will be interesting to see which European countries contribute to the costs of building and maintainance as is hard to imagine it will be a sole British venture. although it would be nice to think it was. Chewewrs John S

---------- Post added at 11:00 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:32 AM ----------

#8...Many on site Ivan would be a bit put out by the shape of some vessels in the oil industry if havent been back to sea for a number of years. Re. the North Sea alone I remember 3 vessels the Tharos, the Uncle John, and the Stadive. They floated on pontoons and were capable of various speeds, were multi purpose vessels, no doubt would be surprised myself at some of the vessels there today as 24 years since worked there. Beleive there is someone on this site who worked on the Uncle John. There was talk of the Company I was with that went bust, of buying the old Ark Royal at one time and doing crew changes from there, rather than the long heli flights from NE Scotland. Then there was talk about building an aircraft carrier to take fixed wing aircraft of short landing performances to transfer men to the vessel as an accomodation block before transfer to rigs and boats etc. by helicopter. The Oil Companies wouldnt buy the idea and went down like a deflated balloon. It made one wonder at time though when a storm mostly in winter was expected, and everyone running for shelter, the only vessels left on the field were these pontoon vessels and the old 30 40 and 50 year old trawlers on stand by duties. Have been blown 40 miles off station at one time and was a toss up who was supposed to rescue who. Shipping is never again going to be how most of us remember. Cheers JS

[David Bridgen]

Of more importance, what will it be used for and why? Has anyone announced that yet?

In the 60s we had the R.R.S. John Biscoe and the R.R.S. Shackleton which were used to re-supply the bases and take people in and out. In addition to them we also contracted the Kista Dan every season too - presumably because the season was too short and/or their combined capacity was insufficient.

B.A.S. now operates fewer bases than we did in the 60s, so the work load is less.

None of them had any research facilities, but the Shackleton did do some runs towing a magnetomoter.

In addition to those three ship, every season H.M.S. Protector would go down too. A throwback to operation Tabarin, which started the British involvement in the Antarctic. Why it was still sent down is anyone's guess. The only useful purpose I know that it served happened on a trip when I was R.O. on the R.M.S. Darwing during her annual trip between the Falklands and South Georgia.

We had a pregnant woman passenger who needed urgent medical attention.

We also had on board one of Stanley's resident doctors. He had me make contact with Protector and we arranged the hapless passenger's transfer to her by bosun's chair. It was at night and the sea wasn't particularly calm.

The fact that she didn't give birth until safely aboard was testament to her astonishing stoicism.

[j.sabourn]

# 12... David ref. Pregnant Woman. Always remember the sister tutor in Liverpool when doing the Shipmasters Medical Course, this was done at the I think if rememvber either the Flying Angel or the MN hotel, it was quite good accomodation however. The course consisted of drugs , Venereal Diseases, and Childbirth, apart from other things and was about a weeks duration. Re the Childbirth the sister tutor went through all the procedures, apparently there was a drug carried on ship which could prevent the birth giving a bit more leeway. I looked for this on next ship but never found, maybe one of these druggies had used. Anyhow after going through all the gorie details she finally said, off the record, my father is a shipmaster and I would advise anybody caught out would be to tie the womans legs together and make for the nearest port. John S

[Captain Kong]

Like the Avatar David. SOS.
I saw a ship DARWEN in Punta Arenas in 1958, Registered in Port Stanley, same one?
When I went to the Antarctic in 2009 saw the BAS at Grytviken on the point and on the Antarctic mainland where we landed was an Argentine Antarctic Survey Base. Didnt go any where near it.
Cheers
Brian

[Ivan Cloherty]

Like the Avatar David. SOS.
I
Brian

You're due for a bollocking Brian, I got one when I said I liked David's S O S, because apparently it's not an S O S or SOS

[Captain Kong]

Thanks for the bollocking Ivan,
I now think it is D.S. Davids Initials. I was too quick off the mark and naturally assumed, which one should never do.
As my dear old Dad used to say, "Never think. Always be sure".
Am I correct this time????
Cheers
Brian.
ROs were always faster than us.

[Captain Kong]

I have been going through the morse code and am baffled. It is a little too fast
So do not know
Come on David let us in on the dah dits Please, It is like going back to college.
Cheers
Brian

[Ivan Cloherty]

Brian, it is S O S in morse code (as far as we are concerned), but according to the Radio Officer's handbook it is transmitted as one transmission and not as we send it. The Bollocking not from me but from David, I still remain confused because the morse code came before radio, but David will explain again, as I got lost along the way. It's on the site somewhere, if you get bored!

[David Bridgen]

Like the Avatar David. SOS.
I saw a ship DARWEN in Punta Arenas in 1958, Registered in Port Stanley, same one?
When I went to the Antarctic in 2009 saw the BAS at Grytviken on the point and on the Antarctic mainland where we landed was an Argentine Antarctic Survey Base. Didnt go any where near it.
Cheers
Brian

Yes Brian, same one. Don't rmember when she was built, but it was in the U.K. not many years before that I think. A local crew was despatched from Stanley and sailed her home. The first R.O. hadn't, as far as I know, got a ticket but had been an operator at VPC, the government radio station. Upon his demise, the position was taken by a friend of mine, who had also been an operator at VPC, again no ticket.

The Darwin plied her trade round the Falkands, carrying passengers and cargo. During the shearing season she waould bring wool bales from the camp, as the settlements were called, to Stanley where they were stored until despatched on board the AES - forget the line - which used to visit Stanley once or twice a year, and she took them to the wool market in the U.K. I believe that it was highly regarded and commanded high prices.

The Darwin also made a monthly trip to Montevideo for pasengers and cargo. Forget her passenger capacity, but think it was rather more than a dozen, an annual trip to Punta Arenas, often bringing back horses, and an annual trip to Grytviken. At that time B.A.S. had nothing going on at South Georgia.

Before I joined her, my friend, then the R.O., didn't for some reason want to do what would have been his second trip to Punta. He arranged that I would take over the spark's duties aboard and he would stay shore-side and do my job as operator at the B.A.S. station communicating with the bases and buggering about with met obs. All this had been discussed with the Old Man and my boss without my knowledge, and approved subject to my agreement. So I did.

I spent the winter of 62 at Deception Island, where there was also a Chilean and an Argentinian base, going south with the two D.H.C Otter aircraft towards the end of the southern winter, spending a total of 14 months down there.

The three bases would exchange hangovers every now and then during the winter, one or two people visiting neighbours after slogging over the glacier.

There ae a few photographs which I took there on my site http://www.davidbridgen.com/antarctica.htm

Your good health,

David

[Ivan Cloherty]

Looks like an experience to be envied David, something to look back on with pride, nice photos