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Thread: watch keeping

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    Default watch keeping

    on the 29th of december 1959i joined the ss whitfleet an old collier.i joined her at portland in dorset.i was an E.D.H.she had the old wooden hatches,and we were carrying stone from portland to ymuiden in holland.i was used to the watchkeeping of 4 hours on and 8 hours off.but on the whitfleet it was 4 hours on watch and 4 hours off with a dog watch in the evening of 4-6 and 6-8.in the wheelhouse was just an old magnetic compass no gyro.the last time i boxed the compass was at sea training school.although it was hard work what with the wooden hatches and snatched sleep because of the old watchkeeping system,once you got into it ,it wasnt so bad.i paid off her in april the following year up in sunderland.i quite enjoyed the experience of something different from the usual routine.michael hooper.

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    As an engineer I always preferred watch keeping ships than UMS, for years I could never get a good nights sleep when on the bell's. When I went Deck side as Cargo engineer on LNG carriers there was no option but UMS and it worked out well as you got to know the job and what you could disable alarm wise. Rarely did you get an alarm. In the old days it was nice to come of watch and have a beer with the mate after watch.

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    Default Re: watch keeping

    Quote Originally Posted by Lewis McColl View Post
    As an engineer I always preferred watch keeping ships than UMS, for years I could never get a good nights sleep when on the bell's. When I went Deck side as Cargo engineer on LNG carriers there was no option but UMS and it worked out well as you got to know the job and what you could disable alarm wise. Rarely did you get an alarm. In the old days it was nice to come of watch and have a beer with the mate after watch.
    I had a similar progression Lewis, but unfortunately (or fortunately) the UMS vessels I went on were not reliable enough to actually go UMS.
    the first step in that direction was bridge control of main engines, but unfortunately there was no training of the deck officers in control and consequently some thought they were driving a sports car, so more often than not engine control was taken over by the engineer below. I would assume that a few years later after I finished there would be training courses in the correct way to use the controls. It is a bit nerve jangling watching someone in control of a 315,000ton ship with steam turbine, whang it from full ahead to full astern.

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    Hi Mike.
    Took a bit of getting used to after being deep sea, the four on four off, when i went on the coast, plus the compass swinging all over the place,not the steady Gyro, but I loved the coasting, going into those small ports, where if you were lucky got a full nights sleep, I bet I saw more of Britain than any shore person.
    Des
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    #4... Des I was on one ex fishing vessel, after a week I said o.k to the mate I give up, where is it , where is what he said, the gyro I said , we don’t have one he said. What I assumed was a gyro repeater to steer by , was a digital read out from the standard compass above my head. Working offshore vessels one could go from the sublime to the ridiculous , one month on a dynamic positioning vessel, the next month on the Ark. Cheers JS
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    #3... Just like Wham, Bang, thank e Marm ! Tony ? JS. First bit of learning however for bridge watchkeepers is the learning of the English language so that they can be taught correctly. I spent a few years working for an Indian company, think it must have been primary as a learning curve for their own people, after 2 years they put their own people in the driving seats with the excuse that the Indian Banks were complaining of their currency leaving their shores to pay into foreign banks. Similar to what in some cases is going on today. Cheers JS
    Last edited by j.sabourn; 18th December 2020 at 02:57 AM.
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    In the 1950's on steam turbines answering the telegraph could be a nightmare. e.g. A dead slow ahead meant you only required one burner on each boiler but within seconds when full astern rang every burner had to be lit up to maintain steam pressure. Every burner had to be lit with a naked flame in those days and when stop rang it was as quick as you could back to one burner on each boiler to prevent the blow off valve from coming into action.
    Engineer's had to be very alert on stand by duties.

    Fouro.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Tony Taylor View Post
    I had a similar progression Lewis, but unfortunately (or fortunately) the UMS vessels I went on were not reliable enough to actually go UMS.
    the first step in that direction was bridge control of main engines, but unfortunately there was no training of the deck officers in control and consequently some thought they were driving a sports car, so more often than not engine control was taken over by the engineer below. I would assume that a few years later after I finished there would be training courses in the correct way to use the controls. It is a bit nerve jangling watching someone in control of a 315,000ton ship with steam turbine, whang it from full ahead to full astern.
    haha!!! Tony I know exactly what you mean fortunately that behaviour has been engineered out of Bridge engine controls, only time they can do it is to Manually over ride the computer controlled programme and select emergency control which will show up on the print out from engine movement print outs. Best one I heard on a motor ship was an old Glasgow C/Eng. Captain you have two choices, you can have one more start, or a toot on the whistle , your call. Never heard anything back after that, the next time the telegraph rang was F.W.E

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    Default Re: watch keeping

    Been watch keeping for years.
    Got a dozen or so of them, none of them any good now, why do I keep them
    Good bloody question.
    Happy daze John in Oz.

    Life is too short to blend in.

    John Strange R737787
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    Quote Originally Posted by happy daze john in oz View Post
    Been watch keeping for years.
    Got a dozen or so of them, none of them any good now, why do I keep them
    Good bloody question.
    Hi John,
    Could be to remind you of MacGregor the bum boat man who sold them to you.

    Fouro.

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