# Draught Fan trouble.



## Harry Nicholson (Oct 11, 2005)

A question for you fine fellows - to help with my current chapter of memoir.
I recall ss Mahronda (of Brocklebanks) had to spend two days in Malta, Sep 1959, for repairs to an engine room fan. I was r/o on her.
Lloyds archive has: "Mahronda, 13 Sep, 1959: Draught Fan armature trouble. Proceeding to Malta."
My aged brain remembers that a sweeping brush had fallen into the fan and caused damage. The crew reckoned it was not our sweeping brush, so it had probably been parked next to the fan by some chap while we were in Graythorp drydock, on the Tees, way back in early August.... 
How had it stood there, unnoticed for so long, and through Biscay? 
I wonder why such an event would force us into Malta for repairs. Does it sound plausible? And what would be the consequence of losing that draught fan whilst steaming?


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## captainconfusion (Aug 13, 2020)

Whoow!!! Sparkie???? Quite a story, Isuspect you are used to dc electics in the radio room in 57 on this vessel???? Engine room- I suspect this vessel had steam Turbine plant supplied by steam from 4 scotch boilers each with a FD fan. The auxilary electic plant on this ship may have been D,C, Electrics. The FD fan motor under discussion may have had an open commutator/brush gear. The sweeping brush, sum how went into the FD fan under discussion became broken and subsequently destroyed/damaged the commutator rendering the FD fan/motor damaged. This may have caused the suspect boiler to be on steam output from the boiler under natural draft, causing the total engine output steam output from the total 4 boilers to be reduced, causing the speed of the ship had to be reduced overall-which I suspect on the Vessels liner trip UK /INDIA to be delayed. Which was unacceptable to BROCKS hence the Malta Drydock.


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## Harry Nicholson (Oct 11, 2005)

captainconfusion said:


> Whoow!!! Sparkie???? Quite a story, Isuspect you are used to dc electics in the radio room in 57 on this vessel???? Engine room- I suspect this vessel had steam Turbine plant supplied by steam from 4 scotch boilers each with a FD fan. The auxilary electic plant on this ship may have been D,C, Electrics. The FD fan motor under discussion may have had an open commutator/brush gear. The sweeping brush, sum how went into the FD fan under discussion became broken and subsequently destroyed/damaged the commutator rendering the FD fan/motor damaged. This may have caused the suspect boiler to be on steam output from the boiler under natural draft, causing the total engine output steam output from the total 4 boilers to be reduced, causing the speed of the ship had to be reduced overall-which I suspect on the Vessels liner trip UK /INDIA to be delayed. Which was unacceptable to BROCKS hence the Malta Drydock.


Thanks for the response. She was indeed an electrically DC ship. Your suggestion of a reduced ship speed is interesting. Perhaps she was on 3/4 power approaching Malta. Valetta had great facilities for ship repair - it was still a base for the RN at that time.


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