Fashion

[vic mcclymont]

Can you remember the cargo general cluster lamps, looked like a Chinaman's hat, green enamal outer, white inside. They are now the latest fashion, on Quest TV, Chanel 37, salvagers, pay up to £350 for one lamp.
Reproductions are in evidence all over the place.
Vic

[Keith Tindell]

Thats the ones we used to hang over the side at sea to attract the flying fish, kt

[Doc Vernon]

Whew!! JS when i saw the Header i thought OMG JS is going into the Fashion Trade (Dresses lol)
But more on the Thread,no I cannot for myself say that I recall those Lamps but like I suppose many other old things in life the Value goes up (Not us oldies though or do we>>0
Collection of many old things have passed my hands and if I and I am sure many others had kept these they would be worth something.
But like when I was a lot Younger it was "Easy Come Easy Go"

Cheers

[robpage]

I remember coming across those and if I remember rightly they had like a thousand watt of lighting in each cluster I know one ship I certainly have known them go over the side and a flying fish could come over and land on a deck only ever tried flying fish once never ever had such a bony fish in my life

I don't ever remember seeing them on passenger ships but there was certainly well used in the cargo Fleet

[j.sabourn]

#3. That’s Vics post , Vernon , he’s into fashion, Panama hat the lot. I remember very well the cargo clusters , and him being the lecky would have known them very well too, especially the broken ones. They were usually the first thing you saw on a ship, as was at least one usually on the gangway. Usually carried about 20 of them at least. Remember when first at sea being told off for hanging them off on their own cable and to use the attached piece of pointline at all times. JS

[Tony Taylor]

Used them to keep manifold warm on diesel compressor in fiddle they were atlas copco road compressors with wheels taken off. They had Ford 4 cup engines with inertia starts and were a nightmare t start of cold cargo clusters worked a treat

[Chris Allman]

OH Yes Clusters seem to remember a wood cylinder like plug which you shoved in a electric box on the bulkhead and tightened them up with a hand turned screw. If the wooden plug had got wet you got a real good shock.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Vic.
I was watching an English program called Bargain Hunt on Tv three days ago when one of those green cluster lights came up I couldn't believe someone could buy it; but I think it went for over 100 pounds I guess Brian will be into his garage now looking for one.
Cheers Des

[j.sabourn]

Maybe he takes one with him on his voyaging Des in case it’s needed. Will now get a lecture on how awkward they are to pack. The ones with the long wooden sockets for plugging in, someone mentioned, must have been the boxes out on deck supposedly waterproof. Most ships with masthouses ( nearly Said madhouses) the junction boxes were inside to keep them out of the weather. JS

[Duke Drennan]

I remember using them for a particularly unique function once. I was on Salvesen’s Salvada taking a full load of Jaguar and Morgan sports cars to N.Y. After a couple of days out, we turned to in the morning and was told by the bosun to open #4. It didn’t take long to open the McGregor lids revealing the hatch completely full of ballast and the cars glistening beneath the water. After the water was pumped out, we opened every car door and boot to allow the water to run out and then put a cluster in every car hoping the heat from them would dry them out. It gave us all a good laugh in what was otherwise a bleak December morning in the Atlantic. I pitied the poor engineer that screwed up and wondered if it resulted in a huge insurance claim.