One for Confirmation

[vic mcclymont]

In the early seventies there was a story circulating about one of the Clan Macl class, cannot remember which one.
She was sailing to India, when an E.R. Lub oil alarm sounded, apparently the Indian crew member silenced alarm, result crankshaft was knackered.
The old man was one of the old school, who informed the Chief, we have no probs., the currents will take us to our destination, you concentrate on fixing the engines.
After about six weeks, she approached an Indian port, where she successfully manoeuvred before breaking down.
The Harbour authority claimed salvage rights, but a court agreed that she had entered the port under own power-therefore all claims rejected.
Repairs were carried out which allowed her to travel to L.M. where further repairs were carried out.
All these repairs were temporary, and final repairs were carried out on her arrival Glasgow.
After repairs had been completed she was removed from the drydock and berthed in parallel to the river,
A new ship readying for trials had departed Glasgow, when she lost power and smacked the Clan ships amidships, causing her to enter the D,D, for further repairs.
True?
Vic

[Lewis McColl]

Only comment about this from an engineering view even if the main engine lub oil alarm had been accepted and silenced the engine should have tripped on the secondary low low pressure alarm, systems failure somewhere.

[vic mcclymont]

Yes Lewis, going back to the sixties.
Vic

[robpage]

I think you was lucky if they had a lube oil alarm on those ships . I thought that the old clan mac 'l' ships were all steam ships built in the late 1940s with reciprocating steam generators had the distinction of having no hot and cold running water to your cabin .. but checking down the ships lists I see the Clan MacLeod and the clan MacLean had Doxford engines . So that must narrow down which ships it could have been

[Lewis McColl]

Yes I know Vic but even ships built in the 40's had a low low lub oil pressure shutdown.
But sorry I did not mean to detract from your post apologies.

[robpage]

By the time those 1947 built clan ships had reached beyond the second decade they were hanging on on a wing and a Prayer and I would have been surprised having worked on many of them if they had a low pressure shut down there were two men watches of engineers and there would have been two firemen on watch as well . I was on a later design of King boat with similar characteristics .

[Lewis McColl]

I have sailed on Blue funnel and ED's ships built in the 40's and early 50's and I can assure you they had low &low low lub oil shutdowns on the main engines(motor ships) they were tested on a regular basis.

[robpage]

The clan line ships were owned by British and Commonwealth and having had a good experience across many of them doing several dry docks I would have not been surprised to have not seen a second level of oil alarm in fact on that age of ship I would have probably been surprised to have seen anything beyond the first level

[Lewis McColl]

Well Rob that was down to the quality of that company, but I am surprised that it would not have been a condition of class from the under writers (Lloyds)

[robpage]

I always got the impression that the clan mac l's were quite economically built as they were the only ships that I was ever aware of built post-war where they used I believe it was called cupididor in the cabin rather than running water and drainage . This device was filled by the cabin steward with water you had a pull down sink which when you put it back up again flushed into another tank that the Stuart emptied . Yes I have been around some of the pre-war ships that had full hot and cold running water so I don't know what the conditions were at the time maybe there was a big rush on to replenish a seriously depleted wartime Fleet . Engineering why's certainly posted the takeover of Union Castle they were a very advanced company being one of the first operators of ships with engine room control rooms , and they introduced stabilisers into the passenger Fleet as well as owning what was the fastest motor ships in the world at the time . So I can't tell you why it 1947 ships who built the way they were I just know that they were very spartanly equipped . Most of the series were steamships with triple expansion 110v DC generators which I Believe by that time was quite old fashioned . What I am basing my guess work on is a very similar age similarly built King line ships which were certainly without any extras

There is sometimes no logic two by the Department of trade and Industry all the insurance requirements after all if you look at the Zeebrugge disaster that opened door was in need of £100 worth of micro switch and a small electric light bulb nobody in their right mind wouldn't have had it fitted but like many things after the event we can all be Wiser