A Heavy Lift

[John Arton]

Is this a heavy lift or what!
http://p.feedblitz.com/r3.asp?l=9063...5001&c=4758957

rgds
JA

[Ivan Cloherty]

Very impressive and will require a lot of expertise, but I always associate the words 'heavy lift' with breaking out the jumbo, flaking out the multi-sheave runner and topping lift for inspection and greasing, rigging all the blocks and snatch blocks for the steam guys using the adjacent winches, having heavy duty preventers rigged and set to limits but left slack, getting the strops and shackles ready, mast stays checked and in some cases rigging extra ones, especially a fore or back stay (depending on hatch used) lashing, or clamping the normal derricks to the mast table, etc., I know it was a different world, but I can dream can't I ? Bosun on the runner, chippy on the topping lift and A.B.'s or senior cadets on the steam guys, as stevedores wouldn't touch the rig, interesting days

[j.sabourn]

That is a real stability problem to work out, and hopefully a 5 degree list as per the BBC would not have disasterous consequences. Like Ivan my understanding of a heavy lift job, was one of the alias"s Mary used to work under, the shore bosun, or the heavy lift job. Have seen rigs carried on special built ships years ago, but technology never stops. Sometimes wonder if we arent getting too smart. Cheers John S.

[John Arton]

If you have Sky there is a "Mighty Ships" episode covering the maiden voyage of the "BG Beluga" taking heavy lifts from Kuantan and Shanghai to the Dominican Republic. Very interesting. It actually carries a sponson that is put over the side and attached rigidly to the ship, to give extra buoyancy when carrying out very heavy lifts. Ballast system is automatic and that coupled with the sponson maintains her at a max. angle of list of around 2 degrees even when lifting 1600 tonnes.
rgds
JA

[Keith Tindell]

45 years ago while in the fire service we used to *stand by* when ammunition was loaded at Marchwood Military Port in Southampton water, and frequently saw the Sir Galahad and the Sir Tristian, in fact used to eat our meals aboard. Both ships had an interesting loading system while anchored out , two huge barges were hauled flat alongside the ship when she was at sea, and lowered when they wanted to discharge, they then lowered huge fork lift looka likes on to the barge, but were in fact outboard engines, then the barges were driven to the bow doors where tanks could be driven on to the barges and taken ashore. having been at sea this system was interesting to watch in operation, mainly as i recall by Chinese crew, Today there are more sophisticated systems, but just as interesting KT

[Evan Lewis]

Very impressive and will require a lot of expertise, but I always associate the words 'heavy lift' with breaking out the jumbo, flaking out the multi-sheave runner and topping lift for inspection and greasing, rigging all the blocks and snatch blocks for the steam guys using the adjacent winches, having heavy duty preventers rigged and set to limits but left slack, getting the strops and shackles ready, mast stays checked and in some cases rigging extra ones, especially a fore or back stay (depending on hatch used) lashing, or clamping the normal derricks to the mast table, etc., I know it was a different world, but I can dream can't I ? Bosun on the runner, chippy on the topping lift and A.B.'s or senior cadets on the steam guys, as stevedores wouldn't touch the rig, interesting days

Regarding the Bottom line. Tvan

You couldn't have been on the Aussie Coast!

[Ivan Cloherty]

Regarding the Bottom line. Tvan

You couldn't have been on the Aussie Coast!

Oh contra Rodders, spent a long time on the Aussie Coast both as a seaman and a Supt, lowering and raising derricks for the WWF to look at shackles and numerous other incidences and excuses trying to avoid work and still get paid, see some of my other posts where-in my experiences of the Aussie Coast (50's to 70's) are well documented and too long to repeat with my slow old fingers.

I remember the days when slow fingers were a blessing!!

[j.sabourn]

#5... Always had a high regard of the Fire Service, especially the old cranky Fire Chief at South Shields fire station where they tried to stuff into you knowledge in a couple of days which should of taken at least a couple of weeks. You probably know that at the head of the gangway or accomodation ladder were always supposed to be drawings of the ship for a firemans use whilst in port. I would far rather experience a fire in port and be able to phone up the fire service and leave it in their capable hands than face at sea. However the only fire I experienced in port was in Glasgow, the old warehouse ashore caught fire one night, we had 4 very powerful fire monitors which 2 of the main engines drove. After calling the Brigade we flashed up the monitors trained them on the fire and blew the whole warehouse away, as well as putting out the fire. Suppose it was just as well nearly everyone onboard at the time and not up the road at the pub. Still thats what nights on board were for I suppose. Cheers John S

[Evan Lewis]

Oh contra Rodders, spent a long time on the Aussie Coast both as a seaman and a Supt, lowering and raising derricks for the WWF to look at shackles and numerous other incidences and excuses trying to avoid work and still get paid, see some of my other posts where-in my experiences of the Aussie Coast (50's to 70's) are well documented and too long to repeat with my slow old fingers.

I remember the days when slow fingers were a blessing!!

Long as You don't try to tell me. You were raising and lowering the Jumbo, and working any Cargo with them. In any Oz Port . I'd be interested to know too where You were a
Superintendent? Or Company concerned ? By Your tone. You wuuldn't have lasted long.at or with either

Cheers!
p.s .HEAVY Lifts. I was privileged to be picked-up a couple of times, to operate the 400 Tonnes Cranes. They don't come much heavier than that!

[j.sabourn]

The Waterfront of yesteryear and of today in Australia was a bit different than people realize. Australia to my memory was very unionized regarding safety and conditions on ships in years gone by. The same as some of the States in America. Chicago certain areas of the port if going in for discharge or loading of cargo, derricks had to be topped at 45 degrees and all facing fore and aft. After that no crew member was allowed to touch until cargo work was completed. I have seen the stevedores threaten to stop a ship on the say so of ships crew on complaints of the food onboard, and new stores ordered. Certain ports in Australia the shipowner dreaded sending his ships there as was going probably to cost him money. Nowadays although the union was still there when I retired in 2002 I was mostly engaged on the oil industry, and as usual in that part of shipping a lot of corners were cut. I cant say too much about the general shipping side as was rarely employed in that part. As always said in all posts regarding unions there is a definite place for them in a civilized society, but not as acting politicians. Apart from the usual cases of the odd sea lawyer here and there I have no complaints against the Maritime Union of Australia, it was all written down for what was what and what your powers were. Safety was the paramount word with them, which without we would still be in the dark ages. JS