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Thread: Wheelhouses/bridges

  1. #1
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    Default Wheelhouses/bridges

    The recent spate of incidents involving cruise liners and others, along with some of the comments on here regarding how today's vessels depend so much on computers to control them, along with the plethora of electronic navigation gear found on ships bridges, set my mind to reflecting on how far ship's wheelhouses have evolved.
    If you lookup the word wheelhouse it's defined as a structure on a ship where the the ships wheel is situated and the bridge is defined as a structure on a ship where it is commanded from.
    Looking at old pics of ships with open bridges made me think that there must have been some sort of chartroom either aft of or just below that open bridge.
    I know that at least one member had sailed on a ship that had an open bridge but by the time I first went to sea in 1967, they were a thing of the past. My first ship was not even a year old, indeed we actually did its guarantee docking in Lisbon two months into my first trip, an eye opening experience in more ways than one.
    I can still picture that bridge in my mind, central steering stand (just a small hand wheel about the size of a cars steering wheel), with the arma brown gyro housed in it along with the auto pilot, a control stand with the engine telegraph (just a knob that you turned when in bridge control mode) with the normal telegraph alongside it, the periscope above the steering stand to view the compass card of the standard magnetic compass on the monkey island, the voice pipe at the front leading down to the captain's bedroom (it was not unknown for the cap to come off or water to get down it in the middle watch if there was some disgruntlement with the captain), a single radar set, VHF set. Off to the stbd side was the chart table with chart drawers below containing a world wide chart folio and behind that a sofa that had curtains around it where the captain could snooze if he had to be on the bridge for long periods. On the port side, flag locker and bookcases containing all the nautical publications. Directly behind the bridge was the radio room with a hatch in the bulkhead for sparks to pass messages through. No controls on the bridge wings, just gyro repeaters so when berthing the captain would use a speaking trumpet to shout helm/engine orders to the helmsman (me) or the officer on the engine telegraph.
    This layout remaind basically the same on every C.P ship I sailed on though a couple of the white beaver's I sailed on did have separate chartrooms situated off the bridge. On joining stolt tankers I ended up sailing on ships that had totally enclosed wheelhouses and the amount of navigation equipment had grown tremendously. Apart from the helm, we had bridge control, c.p.p control, bow thruster, twin radars, twin ECDIS displays, VHF X 3, GMDSS station, A.I.S, fancy auto pilot (adaptive), CCTV, even cargo control room. All of this electronic gear was shoving out tremendous amounts of heat in addition to the heat coming through the expanse of glass windows enclosing the bridge from the sun, when it shined. This meant that efficient Aircon was vital along with sun screens or blinds for the windows, our were supplied by SOLARSOLVE of south Shields.
    Todays ships bridges/wheelhouses are more akin to the starship enterprise than the fridges of yesteryear, though even with all this electronic wizardly to assist the navigator, accidents still happen with alarming regulatory.
    Rgds
    J.A.

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    Default Re: Wheelhouses/bridges

    In my time at sea, i only sailed on one ship that did not have a ships wheel, and that was one of United Baltic Shipping, and she had a port and starboard press down button, petty basic wheelhouse as i recall, open bridge wings, and as i recall the skipper was very fussy when radar was used, as he did not trust it, this would have been very early 60s, kt
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    Default Re: Wheelhouses/bridges

    Quote Originally Posted by John Arton View Post
    The recent spate of incidents involving cruise liners and others, along with some of the comments on here regarding how today's vessels depend so much on computers to control them, along with the plethora of electronic navigation gear found on ships bridges, set my mind to reflecting on how far ship's wheelhouses have evolved.
    If you lookup the word wheelhouse it's defined as a structure on a ship where the the ships wheel is situated and the bridge is defined as a structure on a ship where it is commanded from.
    Looking at old pics of ships with open bridges made me think that there must have been some sort of chartroom either aft of or just below that open bridge.
    I know that at least one member had sailed on a ship that had an open bridge but by the time I first went to sea in 1967, they were a thing of the past. My first ship was not even a year old, indeed we actually did its guarantee docking in Lisbon two months into my first trip, an eye opening experience in more ways than one.
    I can still picture that bridge in my mind, central steering stand (just a small hand wheel about the size of a cars steering wheel), with the arma brown gyro housed in it along with the auto pilot, a control stand with the engine telegraph (just a knob that you turned when in bridge control mode) with the normal telegraph alongside it, the periscope above the steering stand to view the compass card of the standard magnetic compass on the monkey island, the voice pipe at the front leading down to the captain's bedroom (it was not unknown for the cap to come off or water to get down it in the middle watch if there was some disgruntlement with the captain), a single radar set, VHF set. Off to the stbd side was the chart table with chart drawers below containing a world wide chart folio and behind that a sofa that had curtains around it where the captain could snooze if he had to be on the bridge for long periods. On the port side, flag locker and bookcases containing all the nautical publications. Directly behind the bridge was the radio room with a hatch in the bulkhead for sparks to pass messages through. No controls on the bridge wings, just gyro repeaters so when berthing the captain would use a speaking trumpet to shout helm/engine orders to the helmsman (me) or the officer on the engine telegraph.
    This layout remaind basically the same on every C.P ship I sailed on though a couple of the white beaver's I sailed on did have separate chartrooms situated off the bridge. On joining stolt tankers I ended up sailing on ships that had totally enclosed wheelhouses and the amount of navigation equipment had grown tremendously. Apart from the helm, we had bridge control, c.p.p control, bow thruster, twin radars, twin ECDIS displays, VHF X 3, GMDSS station, A.I.S, fancy auto pilot (adaptive), CCTV, even cargo control room. All of this electronic gear was shoving out tremendous amounts of heat in addition to the heat coming through the expanse of glass windows enclosing the bridge from the sun, when it shined. This meant that efficient Aircon was vital along with sun screens or blinds for the windows, our were supplied by SOLARSOLVE of south Shields.
    Todays ships bridges/wheelhouses are more akin to the starship enterprise than the fridges of yesteryear, though even with all this electronic wizardly to assist the navigator, accidents still happen with alarming regulatory.
    Rgds
    J.A.
    Automation / instrumentation whatever you want to call it, should have a logically useable manual backup. I beleive that there is a generation now which relies too heavily on instrumentation and when it doesn't work they are stymied.
    I was looking at a new (second hand) car last year and looking under the bonnet I could not see the dipstick.
    I asked the salesman where it was and he replied that it did not have one as it had an electronic measure and that the car would tell me if it needed oil.
    OK I said, what happens if that does not work then, will you guarantee to fix it if it seizes up, ah no, that wont happen.
    So that's reasuringley good then.

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    Default Re: Wheelhouses/bridges

    Never sailed on a ship with a fully enclosed bridge and no bridge wings, wouldn't think it was my cup of tea. Nothing like a visit to the wing in winter to wake you up, or in fog listening for another ship (we didn't have radar on a couple vessels) or going out on the wing in the middle of the Pacific on a calm night with stars covering the heavens from the zenith to horizon for 360 degrees, wouldn't get the latter on an enclosed bridge; how did they take star sights

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    Default Re: Wheelhouses/bridges

    The old BEECHFIELD i was on in 1952, one of SAVAGES, a wonderful name for a ship owner,
    she was a coal burner, she had an open bridge, just an old canvas dodger in front.wide open to the wind, rain and snow. Chain and Rod steering gear, a six foot diameter wheel, you stood at the side of the wheel and just an old magnetic compass on the binnacle.If a big sea hit the Rudder it would spin like crazy and if you didn't let go it would throw you over.
    I was 17 years old at the time, 2nd trip to sea after one trip as Deck Boy on a London Greek.
    It was Thick fog one day and Captain Jim Marshall gave me a bucket of pebbles, he told me to stand on the focsle head and throw a pebble ahead, every 30 seconds. If there was a splash it was OK , but if I heard a Clunk, then shout to the bridge as it would be another ship.
    I was the "RADAR"
    When my bucket was empty , I went back to the bridge and he had a good laugh.
    That was the only Navigating equipment on board. A wheel and a magnetic compass.I never saw any charts, no chartroom, He navigated by guess and by God.
    Keeping a Good Look Out is far better than any electronics or RADARs,
    .
    The Bridge on Queen Mary 2, was incredible,
    below,
    Three photos of the QUEEN MARY 2, wheel house, with Commodore Ron Warwick,
    the Wheel on the SAM Boat, JEREMIAH O`BRIEN in San Francisco, and the wheel on the QE2.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Captain Kong; 18th June 2019 at 10:36 AM.

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    Default Re: Wheelhouses/bridges

    I was looking into a ferry incident fairly recently, and one of the complaints was the skipper (iow ferry) stayed in his chair pretty much all the time. I got to thinking, i don't ever recall a chair in the wheelhouse in my time, all the officers were on their feet the whole of the watch, maybe leaning on the front window, but never in a chair, its was also a bit unusual to communicate with the helmsman, this was on the old 3 man deck watch system, kt
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    Default Re: Wheelhouses/bridges

    #6... That was a long time ago Keith. Today most ships follow the Norwegian style and have 3 piece suites on the Bridge, supposedly for Customs and Immigration, but what the Hell , whos watching the watchkeeper. The pilot chair used to be the only chair in the wheelhouse and was sacred and only for use of pilot. One has to be with the the modern trends at sea today. Cheers JS
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    Default Re: Wheelhouses/bridges

    Quote Originally Posted by Keith Tindell View Post
    I was looking into a ferry incident fairly recently, and one of the complaints was the skipper (iow ferry) stayed in his chair pretty much all the time. I got to thinking, i don't ever recall a chair in the wheelhouse in my time, all the officers were on their feet the whole of the watch, maybe leaning on the front window, but never in a chair, its was also a bit unusual to communicate with the helmsman, this was on the old 3 man deck watch system, kt
    ...well keith there are others better qualified than me on that one......neverthe less i do recall some wild weather off the lizard one night and on getting ...put on the shake... the AB stated the old man has been in his chair in the wheelhouse alnight ......but sure the mates kept disappearing in the chartroom which had a chair i believe cappy

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    Default Re: Wheelhouses/bridges

    Quote Originally Posted by j.sabourn View Post
    #6... That was a long time ago Keith. Today most ships follow the Norwegian style and have 3 piece suites on the Bridge, supposedly for Customs and Immigration, but what the Hell , whos watching the watchkeeper. The pilot chair used to be the only chair in the wheelhouse and was sacred and only for use of pilot. One has to be with the the modern trends at sea today. Cheers JS
    I agree John, although in my capacity as cargo / deck eng. on board lightening ship, I went on board the Bellamya, 550,000 tonne French flag Shell tanker.
    The bridge was open plan and the engine control room was also there, all open plan. The engineers were stood around or seated, dressed in casual clothing and had Jesus type sandals on bare feet. I asked how they acted if there was an alarm or emergency in the ER and they casually responded that they just took the lift and changed in the ER.
    I a little bewildered, not that I was always on edge anticipating disaster, but the attitude was alien to me.

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    Default Re: Wheelhouses/bridges

    As you say JS, it was a long time ago, just don't recall a chair in the wheelhouse, but then when would you now see a wheel man other than docking. Jesus, all those hours stood on the wheel, 2 hrs at a shunt, could have killed your relief if he was 2 mins late, kt
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