# The big switch



## Vital Sparks (Sep 19, 2007)

We all knew that the ships radio station was operated under the control of the master. I sailed on one class of ship where this control took the form of a large 3 phase breaker mounted on the bulkhead of the masters office. The old man could shut down everything in the shack except the battery powered emergency equipment. Was this arrangement common ?


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

Never heard of that. Did he ever do it? If so, why? Reasonable chance of doing some damage it the gear was in use when the switch was thrown.

John T.


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## K urgess (Aug 14, 2006)

Never saw one but there again I never went looking for it.
Sounds like it was for local security sealing (as at oil berths) of the radio kit somewhere that the master could keep his eyes on rather than remote at the radio room.
I never experienced a full loss of power on any ship, except in general blackouts, so if there was one it didn't switch off my main receiver.


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## Moulder (Aug 19, 2006)

Never heard of that one before either - as far as I'm aware the main switch for the radio room power should be situated as near to the radio room door as possible (inside the shack).

(Thumb)


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## Vital Sparks (Sep 19, 2007)

The shack also had the usual breaker located just inside the door so the R/O and electrician would be unaware of the extra breaker. The ship was the "British Holly" (GNHZ) and I believe the rest of her class were similarly wired.


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## Naytikos (Oct 20, 2008)

It certainly sounds a daft arrangement. Given that it was a BP ship, I wonder......
BP used to have control of the Iraqi oil business until it was nationalised in the 70s; Khor al Amaya, and later, Mina al Bakr were two terminals where an official would actually insist on placing a seal on the radio transmitters so I wonder if there is a connection?


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