Writing a novel featuring 1930 Burnyisland Economy Steamer

[Frank Burroughs]

Great story

so, now that I have the basics started for my story, I must ask, how is it once you leave port? I've been sailing in the 1980s a couple times on small boats. Being in a vessel with that many different men when a storm hits must be intense. The ship must groan and creak. The sound of engine always with you.

[Captain Kong]

Do not forget the seasons in different parts of the world.

Dry , Wet, Hurricane, Typhoon, Cyclone etc etc.

eg West Indies August to end of November is Hurricane season. and these creep up the East coast of the US and end up as storms in UK
Pacific,.,.,... Hawaii to Tahiti January to end of March , wet season and so on

[Ivan Cloherty]

Great story

so, now that I have the basics started for my story, I must ask, how is it once you leave port? I've been sailing in the 1980s a couple times on small boats. Being in a vessel with that many different men when a storm hits must be intense. The ship must groan and creak. The sound of engine always with you.

It is very hard to generalise, different ships act different ways, even sister ships will act different ways, depends whether or not they are loaded, part loaded, ballast, water draft compared to air draft, deck cargo or not, whether accommodation is midships, or aft, whether engines are midships or aft, is it general cargo vessel, is it a tanker, is it ore carrier, is it a liner, how long is a piece of string!

We always hope that the sound of the engine is with us, when it stops, especially in bad weather we know we are in the sh*te! The sound of the engine is ike a lullaby!

[Ivan Cloherty]

Lets look at your ship 'Skeldergate' built 1930 with a designed speed of 11.5 knots, she would have done that in ballast on the measured mile, In service fully loaded she would be lucky to maintain a general average speed (speed on an ocean passage) of 9.5/10 knots in good weather, she would be a plodder, going nowhere fast, like most ships of era. She was a five hold/hatch (H/H) vessel a typical 2 + 1 + 2 : 2 h/h on fore deck : accommodation :1 h/h : Accommodation : 2 h/h : Poop accommodation. 10 steam winches 10 derricks. cargo carrying capacity about 8 - 9000 tons dwcc (estimated from her GRT of =/- 4500 tons).

She would not creak and groan too much in inclement weather ( I have sailed on a similar vessel, about 10,000 tons dwcc) when loaded, but would try to imitate a submarine. When in ballast in inclement weather she would pound, which is her bow landing on the next wave with a thud and shake herself like a terrier dog.

All of these things have been explained to non seafarers many times on this site before, and it may in your interests to follow the insights of shipboard life by perusing the musings of Capt Kong and John Sabourn and some others, too many to list as my coffee is getting cold. Anything needs clarification, ring the bell!

[Frank Burroughs]

I will look up shipboard life on this site. Thanks for your leads.

Guess I need to line up some books on geography and weather. This covid lock-down has me reading a book a day.

I am not real convinced on Jarvis island. Think a bigger island is needed. Perhaps one where a freighter can get in to unload. A desert island could be overkill. An island off the beaten path. How would a ship unload without a dock?

When at sea, does the merchant marine stand dogwatches?

[Ivan Cloherty]

A ship doesn't need to get into dock to unload, that's why she has derricks and winches so that she can discharge into barges (lighters) overside whilst at anchor, it still happens today worldwide, where there is not enough water to get alongside.

Dog watches are not normally kept on merchant ships whilst on ocean passages, as normal practice for each of the three navigating officers is 4 hours on the bridge and 8 hours off, but the 8 hours off was never really your own as you had other duties and paperwork to tend to.

[Captain Kong]

Try Kirimati. sometimes known as Christmas Island , where they did the Nuclear Bomb Tests in 1956.
The people were removed and placed on other Islands.They are now back. So in 1930s just an isolated islands populated by a few Polynesians.

Going east south east from Hawaii is just past the International Date Line and just north of the Equator.
I have been there a few times and to its sister island, Fanning Island. These people have Nothing, live in poverty. the diet is just Coconuts and fish, every year I have been there we take them clothing, food and water barrels to collect rain water, No sanitation, they walk into the central lagoon, have a dump, and come out., So no swimming in there.No electricity. no shops. nothing,
These people have NOTHING, but they sing and dance when you go there.
The Islands used to be known as the Gilbert and Ellice Islands in the pre war days. Sometimes known as the Line Islands.
both islands have a small wooden jetty

Cheers
Brian
below.............................
Fanning Islanders singing for us as we went ashore

[cappy]

trying to think of the island down there which wazs a leper island ....my mate in shields swam ashore when the vessel was at anchor ....lay in the sun on a rock to dry and found it was where the lepers beat there clothes .....but leprosy doesnt pass to others like that im led to believe ......cappy

[cappy]

i guess the book is perhaps a wave to far ...for the writer ....not wishing to dishearten him but ....to be fair he is not on a level playing field .....and many who have spent a lifetime at sea have found it is a long hard road to get anything printed ...but much more to get it sold.....just my thoughts cappy

[Keith Tindell]

I disagree there Cappy, just go for it Frank, my nephew in Oz has just done his first book deal, one is published and he is writing another, with a 3rd later as part of his contract. He has been writing books for over 20 years, and this has finally paid off, good luck Frank. kt