helmsman

[Thomas James]

Was not always fun when as an acting 3rd mate you realised the newby on the wheel was " chasing" the compass.

[Tony Taylor]

#27
John your comment about uninterrupted ac supply for the gyro reminded me of when I joined my first supply vessel in the Gulf.
American flag, joined mid morning and had a walk round with the outgoing chief. The engine room equipment was decent kit and reasonably up to date.
When we went back up top for a chat and a coffee, the outgoing guy says we are changing over alternators after lunch, so I said that why didn't he do it while we down there, he says, no I have to tell the captain (supposedly recovered alcoholic) first so he can lock the gyro. I asked why? so it doesn't fall over when we blackout. I said we shouldn't blackout, is there a problem with the synchroscope? what's that? he said. So to cut a long story short, his method of changing over was to pull the breaker out of the outgoing alternator and bang in the other.
So we went back down and I showed him how it was down, and pointed out the synchroscope, to which he replied - I often wondered what that was for.

So then to lunch and afterwards the captain says to the guy, what time are you changing over chief? and when informed that it was done he went apeshit for not telling him. It seems that blacking out for change over was standard practice. This was the start of many revelations which I might tell you about later.

[Graham Shaw]

Re # 29 and earlier posts......

Well,Graham is awake and hears you all may be talking a load of balls again and bandying about all sorts of names-Hitler,Goebbels,Flinders and MacKenzie's (never heard of that one),but Lord Kelvin of course is the one we have to thank for those big boys-no,er,balls.

Well, Happy John in Oz ,you might have got your balls the wriong way round, or as JS suggests the ship was facing the wrong way, but I can only think you were wearing your 'trolleys'(as they are known in Manchester) back to front,and it only felt like they were on the wrong side. Next time check that mirror to ' Please adjust your dress before leaving' ,as we gents used to be reminded in old Victorian railway station pissoirs,if indeed you liked to wear a dress.... we are ever so 'inclusive' these days,but please if you do,make it look convincing.

Lord Kelvin's Doo-Dah's.jpgPLEASE ADJUST YOUR DRESS BEFORE LEAVING.jpg


Xmas PC (2).gif

[j.sabourn]

#30 A good helmsman was said to be one who put as least helm on as possible as less frequent as possible . You therefore should have got the prize that trip , maybe one of Cappys special roast potatoes with all the peel off. Cheers JS

[j.sabourn]

The next one due for an airing Graham is when someone notices how one of Lord Kelvins Balls is so much closer to Flinders erect soft iron corrector , and claims there is something funny going on. JS.

[Ivan Cloherty]

Lord Kelvin's Doo-Dah's.jpgPLEASE ADJUST YOUR DRESS BEFORE LEAVING.jpg


Xmas PC (2).gif

That must be the Interior Designer model of a compass, as I don't see any adjustment slots on the arms, and have never seen the balls so far from the compass stand, nice picture anyway and gives our lands people an idea of what we are talking about

[j.sabourn]

Turn the binnacle cover around Ivan and who’s to say which way you are going . The only way to tell is where the lubber line is . Unless of course you cheat and look for where the flinders bar is . JS

[Red Lead Ted]

Happy days,and seems so long ago now.

I often,with the Old Man's permission of course,would have crew members come up in my afternoon watch,deep sea for example on a trans-Indian Ocean crossing and train them to steer.At first it was the younger inexperienced deck crew ,then the catering crew,all of whom gained a steering certificate. The look of amazement on their faces was priceless as the vessel rapidly went off course by a degree or two,then the look of accomplishment after they got the feel of it (we've all been there),corrected the swing or yaw and learned how to master it was a satisfying sight. Learning how to concentrate was an important part ,and remember it's not the compass card heading moving-it's the ship ! They would all then of course do steering whilst under pilotage and berthing , and under supervision with a regular qualified AB/Helmsman standing by of course.
I Like to think I did my bit in helping shipmates gain another skill during their time at sea.

I did the same with lifeboat handling in harbours at Fire and Boat Drills,or taking the boat out off duty with anyone else who was off,for an afternoon's bronzy and kickabout on a beach with a few beers...

Graham, That was very admiral of you to train young catering staff to steer, I was in a container ship the M.V. Harp, She had a gantry crane that ran fore and aft on her gunwales as we ran from Birkenhead to Jeddah through the Suez and discharged and loaded are own cargo, The Saudis' couldn't or wouldn't work the crane. The ship was plagued with Engine failure at sea after entering the Bay o Biscay outward bound in a force 9 gale true to form her engine failed. I was on the 12-4 watch and was called up to the bridge immediately i will never forget the 2nd mates qoute to the skipper also on the bridge, I don't like this situation at all captain she was getting tossed around like a cork in a bottle, 2nd mate asked me to take the wheel she was switched to manual keep her head hitting them rollers fore and aft as best you can, EYE EYE SEC, Every time she rolled to port or starboard i was convinced she wasn't coming back, Regardless of what i done with the wheel we were at the mercy of the sea. I would liked to have had a young galley boy with a steering ticket to swap jobs with at the time. In fact most of her crew had mustered on the boat deck with life jackets. In fact Billy McGee done some research on the ship for me she went down loosing all hands a few months later same scenario. Its a bit like obtaining a cooks ticket yet cant light the oven. Regards Terry.

[Graham Shaw]

That must be the Interior Designer model of a compass, as I don't see any adjustment slots on the arms, and have never seen the balls so far from the compass stand, nice picture anyway and gives our lands people an idea of what we are talking about

Definitely a Lawrence Llewellyn-Bowen designer jobbie Ivan,or the one in the bar of Happy Daze John's cruise ship,which apparently has the wrong- coloured painted balls.I couldn't find,whilst googling a pic of an old weather -beaten compass,usually long-neglected up on the monkey island, usually painted in battleship grey and rust,with paintflaking off the red and green balls,and an unspeakable item lodged in the voicepipe down to the wheelhouse steering position...I may have to curtail googling Lord Kelvin's Balls.


By the way,going back earlier I discovered McKenzie Ball is an actress-I think......

[Graham Shaw]

Red Lead Ted.Re.Yr.#38 m.v.HARP


Terry,you and I were at sea at the same time.I remember seeing the HARP,or some of her sisters of the Tarros class,small ro-ro/container feeder vessels which in the early 70’s were operated by Sea Containers Chartering,Bermuda ,on the U.K -Israel run.I was told by an ex- Mate I met that they had stability problems and suffered from excessive vibration.

They were dispersed to other runs and replaced on it by the equally dreadful Hustler class,mini container feeder vessels/Biscay submarines(!), chartered to Ellerman Lines (what was left of it) before the ships eventually shook themselves to bits as well.


That later incident re the HARP which you mentioned,is reported in Lloyds List as follows;

[ ‘The British roll-on,roll-off/cargo container vessel Harp (1,594 grt,registered in Hamilton,Bermuda,built 1973,Zaandam,Holland) was en route from Santos to Buenos Aires carrying 113 containers,when she sank in the vicinity of Lobos Island about 17 nm SW of Punta del Este,Uruguay in Lat.35-08S,Long.54-47W,on November 23^rd 1980 after a fire broke out subsequent to taking in water in bad weather conditions.
Five of her 17 man crew were lost.The 12 survivors were picked up from the water by Uruguayan naval vessels'.]

Harp 1973-1980.jpg