# Moss Tankers



## john g

Does anyone have any pictures or information on M V LUMINOUS of Moss tankers fame ,built in Sweden in the late 60's with 2 Erkesberg Pielstik engines. There was a C/E by the name of John Bain who had a fixation about stipping an cleaning the turbo blowers every trip in ballast...I still have nightmares over that trip to this day !!! john g


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## R798780

Have pics of later sister Luminetta (already posted) and, perhaps, Lumiere, outwardly identical apart from the positioning of the cargo valve boxes on deck.

Tanker has posted a pic of Luminous as "Al Khafji". Do a search for Luminous in "Search Forums", otherwise it's under Luminetta in Tankers.

As first trip Mate I suffered Superintendant Johnie Bain when we put a shaft alternator stator ashore in Bahrain. 

Those Napier blowers gave grief to a lot of engineers, remember being held up in Guam on Lumiere waiting for one to arrive, probably from Luminous. Understand the problems went away largely when they were replaced by Brown-Bovery.

Can't help you greatly with the technical side but may come up with some snippets.

Didn't Lustrous and Luminous come out with the hulls silver grey?


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## john g

Thanks Hugh yes they did have silver grey hulls well when they were 6 months old that is. Any idea what happened to Noel Bower ? I think he was the youngest O/M ever to sail on a tanker. Met Mr. Bain at the Brocks reunion some years back...he hadn't changed....not surprised he became a super. ..... John Gratrix ex jnr eng


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## R798780

Noel Bower was Marine Super/Personnel Manager when I met him. Can't remember when he went or why, but mid '80s I think. Don't know if he went before P&O bought the cargo division.

I always believed Gordon Ward was the youngest old man, Noel Bower could have been sprog with him!


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## marinemec2004

I sailed on Lumiere and also Lucerna. ( twice) Dave Donaldson was second Engineer on Lucerna. I was senior mechanic. Accomodation was a bit rough, but thoroughly enjoyed being on these ships. Lucerna had an Arabic name change when we were running fuel illegally on the south African coast.
Great times.


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## bryanm

There is a photo on following site
http://www.photoship.co.uk/Browse Ship Galleries/


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## Neil Mant

I was on the Lumiere in the falklands did just under 6 months enjoyed it, accomodation was for foriegn going loads of accomodation. toilets were on wooden blocks i hated them my legs used to dangle they were that high.


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## Teeare Scarrott

Article in two parts "Sailing with Moss Tankers" coming up in March and April issues of Shipping Today and Yesterday, March issue on sale early February 2013.

Teeare


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## Derek Roger

john g said:


> Does anyone have any pictures or information on M V LUMINOUS of Moss tankers fame ,built in Sweden in the late 60's with 2 Erkesberg Pielstik engines. There was a C/E by the name of John Bain who had a fixation about stipping an cleaning the turbo blowers every trip in ballast...I still have nightmares over that trip to this day !!! john g


Luminous was my first Ship as Chief Engineer ; promoted 25 May 1973 @ the tender age of 28 ( only just ) I relieved John Hoy .


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## R396040

Does anyone remember a Purser/CS on Moss Tankers called Dick Glover in the sixties ? Isailed with him on Cunard cargo boats 50s/69s
George Henderson


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## Teeare Scarrott

*Moss article in two parts -- first out now*

Sailing with Moss Tankers -- see attached pic

Cheers, Terry


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## Teeare Scarrott

*Sailing with Moss Tankers*

Moss tankers Part 2 with some nice pix and other interesting articles, out now.

Cheers
Terry


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## pensioner

I was able to read your No2 article on Moss Tankers, while swanning around in WHS today, thought it was a good read until I came across the piece about the "Green Rusting Heap" that Cunard were managing. You say she had 2 Pielstik engines these and three more were a combination of Cargo Pump/Alternator sets when working. I'm suprised Hugh didn't pick you up on this; It's main engines were B&W slow speed trunk engines . There are a number of posts on this sight where you can verify this, mine included.

Regards


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## Teeare Scarrott

*Oloibiri*



pensioner said:


> I was able to read your No2 article on Moss Tankers, while swanning around in WHS today, thought it was a good read until I came across the piece about the "Green Rusting Heap" that Cunard were managing. You say she had 2 Pielstik engines these and three more were a combination of Cargo Pump/Alternator sets when working. I'm suprised Hugh didn't pick you up on this; It's main engines were B&W slow speed trunk engines . There are a number of posts on this sight where you can verify this, mine included.
> 
> Regards


You should have bought a copy then you would know that I actually wrote "Jolly Green Giant". Otherwise, thanks for your interest.

Regards


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## A.D.FROST

http://www.aukevisser.nl/supertankers/part-3/id256.htm
but she had x-head engines. Trunk engines, are were the piston rod is directly conecteded to the cranckshaft (Pielsticks etc.)(Scribe)


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## dannic

Assume you mean Oily-boily, 5 V-18 Pielsticks and 2 x 6 cylinder B&W K84 heaps, altogether 102 units, and I believe all cylinder heads were renewed in first couple of years!

Dan


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## pensioner

I'm afraid that I cannot refer to this Green Rusting Heap as the Jolly Green Giant; after having the unfortunate pleasure to do the maiden voyage on "IT" from Livorno to Lagos to the Gulf and back to Lagos. The Skipper was Gordon Ward, Hugh joined in the Gulf as Mate the C/Engs were John Hoy and Berny Gilbey. 

Regards


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## uisdean mor

A.D.FROST said:


> http://www.aukevisser.nl/supertankers/part-3/id256.htm
> but she had x-head engines. Trunk engines, are were the piston rod is directly conecteded to the cranckshaft (Pielsticks etc.)(Scribe)


Aye - what Auk Visser does not tell you is she was also fitted with a Blom and Voss turbine which was - to be fair - an excellent piece of kit. Unfortunately what powered it was crap. The turbo was to be run at sea so the pielsticks could be shut down for maintenance. Four of the Ps were were coupled to cargo pumps ford and generators aft and the fifth P was "supposedly" the emergency generator to be used only when required and in port.
Back to the turbine - powered by one of two scotch boilers - and "controlled" by - I kid you not - scrap condensor and ejector from an extinct Jugoslavian war canoe. The other boiler had to feed the deck seal with inert in order to stop us travelling vertically to meet our maker. Main evaporators also were recycled scrap from Jugoslavian navy - but made by reputable firm of Caird and Rayner - unfortuantely the design team placed them on one of the lower flats in the engine room so that when loaded they were ejecting against a considerable head and could not maintain low saline conditions and when in draught the ability to keep the bloody things in a suction environment meant it was almost impossible to maintain a va***n. The boilers were a constant source of problems due to the poor feed situation and all in all if the bloody sank it would have saved us a lot of heartache. worst ship I ever sailed on. 
Rgsd 
Uisdean


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## dannic

Diesels - No. 5 had a bucket and mop kept nearby and every time you walked past as duty/watch eng you opened the observation doors and mopped out the lub oil as shaft seal was shot. Starting cargo pumps a real pain, they would never fire up first or even second go - press start, head all the way back up to control room to stop "fail"" alarm, back down and do it all again. Small things by comparison but...

Dan


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## ken thompson

joined brand new 'lustrous' in eriksbergs gothenburg yard on 21/10/68 as jnr.eng. saw the world on her and then sister 'luminous' over the next year and a bit. Tromso to Lyttelton and points between!


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## Peter Eccleson

Anyone know what came of Capt 'Wacky' Jackie Waters? Anyone remember Eric Heppestall - last spke to him n the Ogden Saguenay which I believe was a sister to Lucerna and Lucellum.


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## romney01

*Moss Memories*

Joined the Lumiere in Durban 1979 spent the whole trip on the SA coast sometimes up to Maputo or Walvis Bay. I think the chief was Dave Richardson (replaced by the big bald eagle), 2nd was Derek Clark, third Gary ??? (had his wife with him, used to wear a white t-shirt and no bra), 4th was Bob the knob Ives, fiver was Jim Green. On the deck side I remember Pete Moxom (with wife Mary), I think the captain might have been Watson and the grocer Iggy Jamieson. Really happy ship.
Later I did one trip on the Lucerna, Z vodka 1 (Vick Murry) was chief, Dave Donaldson 2nd, Bob Ives 3rd, John Gresham fiver, Captain Watson again, Lecky was Robby Peston (or something similar), I think the 2O was charlie somebody. The whole trip was at anchor Ascension Island - very glad to go home.


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## dannic

Was it Lumiere or Luminetta that ended up in Nigeria to be handed over to new owners? After P&O wound up with them as part of a buy-out in late eighties. Sailed with 2nd engineer (Andy?) on P&O bulker who had been in Nigeria with one of them.
Dan


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