# Engine Room Mishaps



## William Clark8 (Feb 15, 2013)

Was on Tanker leaving Fawley and once we got all clear down below
and were back to normal Sea Routine. That meant shutting down one of the Generators. The Elect. took one of them off the board and I was asked to shut it down. As I was closing Steam Valve the lights started to go Dim and suddenly realised I was shutting wrong Generator down, but
somehow was able to get it back to full speed again preventing a total Blackout. Bridge not impressed as temp. loss of power affected Nav aids. Took a while to live it down (EEK)


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## ianian (Mar 30, 2009)

William Clark8 said:


> Was on Tanker leaving Fawley and once we got all clear down below
> and were back to normal Sea Routine. That meant shutting down one of the Generators. The Elect. took one of them off the board and I was asked to shut it down. As I was closing Steam Valve the lights started to go Dim and suddenly realised I was shutting wrong Generator down, but
> somehow was able to get it back to full speed again preventing a total Blackout. Bridge not impressed as temp. loss of power affected Nav aids. Took a while to live it down (EEK)


Tut Tut! naughty boy.


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## A.D.FROST (Sep 1, 2008)

Been there got the 'T'Shirt.Position works better than a Number(if you know your Port from your Starboard) on the switch board,any way as long it doesn't compromise the ship its a good way of testing the emergency geny.Another good one c/o fuel tanks.(is PC to call it a BLACK-OUT?)


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## Satanic Mechanic (Feb 23, 2009)

A.D.FROST said:


> Been there got the 'T'Shirt.Position works better than a Number(if you know your Port from your Starboard) on the switch board,any way as long it doesn't compromise the ship its a good way of testing the emergency geny.Another good one c/o fuel tanks.(is PC to call it a BLACK-OUT?)


I can't tell you how much I hate numbers over position, different companies/ countries have different numbering conventions as well and the amount of times it has caused problems (Cloud)


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## Basil (Feb 4, 2006)

Steam turbine vessel with three turbo-alternators and one big Allen diesel ditto.

I'd taken the precaution of always checking that the Allen was barred to the start position, a precaution which paid off one night when the only running turbo alternator broke its auxiliary drive shaft.
I managed to get the Allen started and on line before the turbo condenser gave up the ghost - phew! :sweat:


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## Basil (Feb 4, 2006)

SM, Aeroplanes went from port outer, port inner etc through left and right to now, when it's all numbers, even on twins where I felt more comfortable with left and right.

Not port and starboard because that would confuse the cabin crew.
e.g. The Tristar has an underfloor galley served by two lifts which were entered facing aft.
"The left lift isn't working."
"Is that the one on the left side of the aeroplane or the left as you're facing it?"
"Umm."


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## Plane Sailing (Sep 13, 2008)

Basil said:


> SM, Aeroplanes went from port outer, port inner etc through left and right to now, when it's all numbers, even on twins where I felt more comfortable with left and right.
> 
> Not port and starboard because that would confuse the cabin crew.
> e.g. The Tristar has an underfloor galley served by two lifts which were entered facing aft.
> ...


I'm also happier talking about port and starboard engines but SOP's these days always refer to them by numbers and consequently that's how we're also expected to refer to them.

Back to engine room mishaps though, my particular favourite was when pulling number 5 unit the crankcase squad disconnected number 6 bottom end. It was only found out when 2/E tried to lift the piston...... No injuries fortunately although lots of damaged pride and a few bruised egos! (Jester)

Perhaps numbers on the crankcase doors would have helped - just sayin'.


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## Philthechill (May 8, 2007)

*I was on "Atantic Causeway"------*

-----and "Atlantic Conveyor".

These two ships were at the forefront of engine-room-automation---------in 1969.

Unlike modern automation, (electrical), our automation was pneumatic via, (American), Moore Products equipment.

By-and-large this automation worked very well.

The initial "thinking", when the ships were designed, was "Unmanned Operation".

However I think Lloyds stepped-in and wouldn't allow "Unmanned" for one main reason. ALL the "Automation-gremlins" hadn't been sorted-out!!!

Personally I wasn't too bothered about working "normally" as most of the watch was done from the comfort of the Control Room.

Plus I didn't really fancy leaving two 900 p.s.i. boilers looking after themselves whilst I was, (uneasily!!!), turned-in just above them!!

The automation had been designed by a bloke called Rutherfood who was, (quite rightly), very proud of "his" engine room and all its automation equipment.

One day, (we were in Liverpool, Seaforth, loading/unloading), when Rutherfood brought some of his cronies aboard to show them his "masterpiece".

(The Chief, "Big Mac", and I were working close to the TA's).

Rutherfood had explained all to his pals and, in a final flourish of, "Aren't I clever!", he showed his audience that, by pushing the "Stop" button, on an alternator, it would automatically shut down.

Unfortunately he chose the running TA to do his demonstration and then f****d-off!

A bit of explanation.

The steam, and exhaust, valves were opened/shut by a small pneumatic motor. This motor had a pawl which engaged in a large toothed wheel on the hand-wheel of the steam/exhaust valves.

When "enabled" for shut-down this small ("pecker-motor", as we referred to them), could be heard quite clearly clicking away.

To our horror "Mac" and I heard the "tick-tick-tick" of the air-motor on the running TA!

However, as I have explained not all "bugs" had been eliminated and the valve which was closing was the exhaust valve!

Those TA's, with 900 p.s.i. driving the turbine at 12500 r.p.m. would not have taken kindly to having the exhaust shut, before the inlet!!

"Mac", fortunately, had been doing some "hot" work and had his asbestos gauntlets on! He climbed-up on the TA and, grabbing hold of the hand-wheel tried to stop it turning. However, despite its small size, the motor kept "ticking-away" and actually lifted "Mac" up!

Having my ever-present shifter in my back-pocket I took it out and flattened the air-line pipe supplying the "pecker" which stopped it in its tracks. (ALL air-supply-pipes, to the various controllers, were piped-in using 3/8ths. copper pipe so it was easily flattened. If they'd used "staino" it could have been a different story!).

"Mac" raced up-top to give Rutherfood a good b********g but he was long gone! (40 years ago and I still remember it as plain as day!!!). Salaams, Phil (Hippy)


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## OilJiver (Jun 30, 2014)

I am lost for words


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## surfaceblow (Jan 16, 2008)

I had experienced both types Generator mishaps. The first one was when I was Second Assistant Engineer on a LNG ship. While I was out of the control room testing the boiler water the Cadet on watch with me silenced an alarm so on my way back to the control room I could hear the steam valve closing to the Turbo Generator closing so I went down one deck and stopped the motorized valve at the motor controller and reopened it. When I got back to the control room I asked the Cadet what happened. He told me that he reached under the log book stand to silence the alarm and press the TG Steam Inlet Valve instead of the alarm silence and was waiting for the valve to stop closing before pressing the open button. The Log Book Stand rested on the hand rails in front of the console and to the top of the console so you could slide the log book along the console when you entered the readings the whole stand was made of Plexiglas so you could see the alarms and buttons beneath the stand (provided the log book was closed). Soon after this the control circuit was rewired so you had to hold the button in to close or open the steam and exhaust valves. This greatly improved raising vacuum for the generator because you how could throttle the valve to the condenser. 

The last Generator mishap was on departure on a T2 I just finished getting the departure figures and just got to the top of the Engine Room when the lights went out. The First Assistant Engineer took one generator off line and the Second Assistant closed the steam inlet to the other TG. When the lights went out we also lost the excitation for the Main Generator and Motor. When got back to the Switchboard the First was able to close the Generator Breaker while the Main Generator controls to stop and changed over the excitation for the Main Generator and Motor. This mishap wouldn't have been to bad but we got departure just after the Pilot left the ship. We still had ten more miles to go to the official departure buoy which was on the other side of the island at the harbor entrance. The Captain left the Bridge early so he could watch some TV before losing the signal before retiring for the night. 

Joe


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## bilgerat52 (May 18, 2018)

I was a first tripper Junior Engineer on Springbank 1972, the 2nd Engineer asked me to change over the DC generators, I somehow managed to close the breaker on a stationary generator, lots of sparks as the breaker tripped off, obviously there were no interlocks, frightened the crap out of me.


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