Maritime Time: ask some insiders about the insides of a ship

[chengkp75]

Christopher Columbus circumcised the world with a forty foot cutter!

 

Gotta love spell checker. Didn't know Columbus was Jewish. :D

[rafinmd]

Christopher Columbus circumcised the world with a forty foot cutter!

 

Gotta love spell checker. Didn't know Columbus was Jewish. :D

 

That's a big knife.

 

Roy

[Topsham]

John...

 

The boat that Lt Blight sailed off from BOUNTY was in an 'open launch', not a whaler. Whalers are double ended boats.

 

Here is an original draught taken from Bligh's cutter. It might have stepped two masts.

 

A crew did a recreation of the Bligh voyage in 2010, the Talisker Bounty Boat, but they did not use an open cutter. Instead they used a double ended boat... like a whaler.

 

Stephen

[Topsham]

That's a big knife.

 

Roy

 

 

 

You don't want ANY kind of big knife around you... rabbi, mad wife etc.

[Copper10-8]

Christopher Columbus circumcised the world with a forty foot cutter!

Awwwwwrighty then, Captain :D

[Copper10-8]

John...

 

The boat that Lt Blight sailed off from BOUNTY was in an 'open launch', not a whaler. Whalers are double ended boats.

 

Here is an original draught taken from Bligh's cutter. It might have stepped two masts.

 

A crew did a recreation of the Bligh voyage in 2010, the Talisker Bounty Boat, but they did not use an open cutter. Instead they used a double ended boat... like a whaler.

 

Stephen

 

Copy that, thanks!

[SeaDog-46]

Top marks to those who got the question right.

Stephen - the 2 paintings you showed are great examples of pre & post war vessels belonging to the Vestey butchers shipping line.

Hobart Star was my first ship that I spent 18 months sea time on for most of 1964-5. She was built at Bremer Vulcan in Germany in 1956 I think.

 

As you were for a while in Shaw Savill - do you know of the photo of mv.Gothic returning to Wellington after the fire that destroyed her bridge, radio room & fore part cabins. Happened about 1966. It would make a great painting.

 

ss Andalucía Star & her 4 other sisters were some of the earliest cruise ships. See advert attached. She was lengthened in 1935 & had that Maierform bow fitted - grt increased to 14943. Twin screw, 4 boilers 13880 shp 120 rpm & speed of 16 knots.

You would know of the painting by Wallace Trickett of her sinking off Freetown when on voyage Buenos Aires to Liverpool on 7th Oct.1942. She was hit by 3 torpedoes but only 3 crew including a stedardess & 1 passenger lost their lives. 158 crew, 9 gunners, 79 passengers & 5 DBS were picked up by HMS Petuniaa few days later. Hitler said in a speech that they would sink all of the 5 & they did.

 

Who can explain - There is not enough room to swing a cat.

John

[Topsham]

Hi John,

 

I was in ICENIC.

 

GOTHIC. Sad event.

 

Also the Trickett painting you mentioned of ANDALUCIA.

 

Stephen

[SeaDog-46]

A marine engineer friend lent me a book on the Gothic class of vessels - very interesting stories of each ship. It includes Runic & her end on Middleton Reef.

The engineer was on Northern Star for a while & some of his stories - too x rated for here. Then he met his future wife & she had him shifted back to the cargo ships.

[whogo]

I have not seen a radio room since my first cruise in the 90's. Could someone explain current radio equipment, staff, and licensing, please? I am guessing that Morse code no longer plays much of a roll.

[chengkp75]

I have not seen a radio room since my first cruise in the 90's. Could someone explain current radio equipment, staff, and licensing, please? I am guessing that Morse code no longer plays much of a roll.

 

I can't say for other countries, but in the US, deck officers are still required to be able to send and receive at least rudimentary morse, though today it focuses more on signal lights than radio.

 

The FCC or other country's national agency license the ship's radio station. All deck officers have to have an FCC radio certificate as well. With the exception of military ships or in the US, merchant ships under charter to the US Navy, ships do not carry radio operators anymore. The ship's license describes the types of equipment and frequencies allowed onboard, which is why amateur radio operators have to clear with the Captain before using their equipment. All radio is voice now. The ship will have HF/MF (high frequency/medium frequency) voice radio, UHF and VHF radios of both base station and hand held types, as well as weather fax machines. The VDR (voyage data recorder, or black box) is listed on the ship's certificate as well as the AIS (automated information system, that everyone uses to track cruise ships), and things like the SSAS (ships security alert system, that is a "panic" button in case of terrorist/pirate attack).

 

Most traffic to/from ships is via satellite service, whether phone or internet, just like the service on cruise ships.

[whogo]

Thanks, Cheng.

[Copper10-8]

I have not seen a radio room since my first cruise in the 90's. Could someone explain current radio equipment, staff, and licensing, please? I am guessing that Morse code no longer plays much of a roll.

 

HAL actually still has the space which used to be the "wireless room" or "radio room" on the two remaining "S" class ships, MADM and VEDM, but it is no longer used as such. On MADM, it was more or less an I.T. (crew) workshop.

 

The task of the ship's "chief radio officer" or "sparks", eventually changed to communications officer, and currently falls under the responsibilities of the I.T. (Information Technology) officer. He, haven't seen any "she's" yet in that position, is responsible for for all computer and satellite communication systems on board. Most communications nowadays reach the ship in the form of email to either the bridge, ECR, individual personnel and/or departments and, if applicable, is distributed internally. There is a humongous amount of email generated on a daily basis. The ITO is also responsible for maintaining the equipment. As a side-note, in times of a aerial medevac of a patient from the ship to a hovering helo, the ITO assumes the responsibility of the radio communication between the ship and aircraft commander.

 

With HAL, the I.T. Officer falls under the Administrative Section of the ship's Hotel Dept. and has an assistant. Yes, you guessed it, the Asst. I.T. Officer, who handles such things as passenger cabin's televisions, remote controls to the TVs in there, cabin DVD players, etc.

 

I'm not sure if Morse Code is still being taught in the European maritie academies but I will find out

[SeaDog-46]

Radio Officers were removed from Australian ships around 1990 as the vessels were fitted with Global Maritime Distress & Safety System - GMDSS.

All deck officers were required to have a GMDSS certificate & be able to use the equipment that was usually installed on the bridge. Messages were mostly sent by the master with the watch officers sending routine daily reports & met. reports. Messages are just emails via INMASAT.

The equipment also includes HF/MF voice radio & NAVTEX a small device that receives nav. & weather warnings & prints them out.

John

[Topsham]

A marine engineer friend lent me a book on the Gothic class of vessels - very interesting stories of each ship. It includes Runic & her end on Middleton Reef.

The engineer was on Northern Star for a while & some of his stories - too x rated for here. Then he met his future wife & she had him shifted back to the cargo ships.

 

Another shot of RUNIC on Middleton Reef.

 

The story was that she had not be able to take sights for a few days in bad weather. At midnight the 2/O was trying to put a DR on the chart. The ship lifted onto the reef and he calmly looked on the chart and marked an X right on Middleton Reef.

 

The book you mentioned about the Gothic class. Possibly 'Post war fortunes of Shaw Savill & Albion'? Good book. Includes all ships in the fleet in post war.

 

Northern Star, Ocean Monarch. Rarely did officers stay more than a while like a year in these ship. By that time they were worn out! Most passenger ships kept their officers away from the passengers. Shaw Savill encouraged the officers to 'mingle' with passengers. Captain Brian Hills was in thse two ships at the end. His claim that he managed to stay in the passenger ships longer than any others.... seven years. I sailed with him in 1981/82 in POLAR URUGUAY, Uiterwyk Lines. Old style shipmaster. Thankfully we got on quite well, but had to 'guide' him a few times. ;-)

 

Stephen

[chengkp75]

Radio Officers were removed from Australian ships around 1990 as the vessels were fitted with Global Maritime Distress & Safety System - GMDSS.

All deck officers were required to have a GMDSS certificate & be able to use the equipment that was usually installed on the bridge. Messages were mostly sent by the master with the watch officers sending routine daily reports & met. reports. Messages are just emails via INMASAT.

The equipment also includes HF/MF voice radio & NAVTEX a small device that receives nav. & weather warnings & prints them out.

John

 

How could I have forgotten the one item that did in fact sound the death knell of radio operators, the GMDSS. Replacing the radio operator with one pushbutton that sends a distress signal with the ship's name, call sign, and location.

 

John, yes, NCL has an "Electronics Officer" (though no assistant!) who deals with the hardware side of IT, but more often is dealing with the TV system and such, and is the "maintainer" of the radio station equipment. He is under the Chief Electrical Engineer in the Engine Department. This position is separate from the "Automation Engineer" who deals with the electronics relating to the engine room automation systems.

 

Ships are required to have one officer onboard certified as a "GMDSS maintainer", or someone who can fix the GMDSS system, or to have a service contract with a shore company for this, and this is what nearly all ships will have; a service like Telemar or Radio Holland who can send techs onboard when called to service and repair the radio station, and complete the annual regulatory inspections and certifications.

[Copper10-8]

How could I have forgotten the one item that did in fact sound the death knell of radio operators, the GMDSS. Replacing the radio operator with one pushbutton that sends a distress signal with the ship's name, call sign, and location.

 

John, yes, NCL has an "Electronics Officer" (though no assistant!) who deals with the hardware side of IT, but more often is dealing with the TV system and such, and is the "maintainer" of the radio station equipment. He is under the Chief Electrical Engineer in the Engine Department. This position is separate from the "Automation Engineer" who deals with the electronics relating to the engine room automation systems.

 

Ships are required to have one officer onboard certified as a "GMDSS maintainer", or someone who can fix the GMDSS system, or to have a service contract with a shore company for this, and this is what nearly all ships will have; a service like Telemar or Radio Holland who can send techs onboard when called to service and repair the radio station, and complete the annual regulatory inspections and certifications.

 

Radio Holland techs frequent HAL ships, especially after dry-docking but I've also seen them come onboard in Singapore to do their thing

[OlsSalt]

......

 

Who can explain - There is not enough room to swing a cat.

John

 

Enough room to swing a "cat o' nine tails" when meting out punishment with the multi-thonged leather whip.

 

Where did the term "May Day" as a distress call come from?

Edited June 27, 2016 by OlsSalt

[SeaDog-46]

RT call Mayday - for distress originated in 1923 by a radio operator at Croydon airport south of London UK. From French M'aider - help me.

 

OlsSalt - right - the swinging of the cat of 9 tails was usually done on deck because below decks there was not enough room to swing a cat.

 

What about related saying - to let the cat out of the bag.

 

John

[Topsham]

'The very devil to pay'

 

 

and

 

 

'Between the devil and the deep blue sea '

 

 

Tip. We are talking about the same devil!

 

 

 

Good ones. :)

[chengkp75]

'The very devil to pay'

 

 

and

 

 

'Between the devil and the deep blue sea '

 

 

Tip. We are talking about the same devil!

 

 

 

Good ones. :)

 

The "devil" strake was the lowest row of planks just above the keel. Wooden ships that were "carvel" planked (non-overlapping boards), required caulking between the planks to keep the water out. This caulking was hemp and tar, and would rot/wear away, so needed periodic renewal. To do this, the ship was "careened" (run aground parallel to shore, and then hauled over on one side to raise the offshore side up). The crew would then scrape out the old caulking and "pay" the seam with new caulking. Since the devil strake was closest to the rising tide, and difficult to do being the joint between the planks and keel, it was difficult to do before the tide rose and covered it. Hence, "it was the devil to pay" was an extremely difficult task. Likewise, "between the devil and the deep blue sea" means the sailor had to choose between finishing the job of paying the devil seam or drowning as the tide rose.

[RuthC]

Chengkp75, and Topsham, I just have to say how much I appreciate the colorful and informative posts you both make. They add a certain color, from different perspectives, that we otherwise just would not get.

 

Thanks so much to both of you for all you add to the discussions.

[Topsham]

Chengkp75, and Topsham, I just have to say how much I appreciate the colorful and informative posts you both make. They add a certain color, from different perspectives, that we otherwise just would not get.

 

Thanks so much to both of you for all you add to the discussions.

 

 

 

Thanks Ruth. Now your turn? :)

 

 

Stephen

[Topsham]

I have a question... hope someone can answer.

 

 

Over the winter months, how long will the EURODAM be in Ft Lauderdale?

[jtl513]

Over the winter months, how long will the EURODAM be in Ft Lauderdale?

According to cruisetimetables.com she arrives from Europe on Nov 19 and departs for San Diego on Apr 8.