# Radio Office placement.



## R651400 (Jun 18, 2005)

The thread "Captain's Cabin stbd side" has reference to the placement of the ships radio office and R/O's accommodation. My earliest ever mention was my instructor at Leith Nautical relating to his early experience when it was on the fiddely deck, requiring only a short steam pipe run from the engine room. to run the station power.
Fiddely deck, bridge deck, port side, starboard side, afore, abaft or even inside the funnel. In the main my own experience has been port side.


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## Tai Pan (Mar 24, 2006)

P H A class had radio rooms on starboard side. Ulysses midships in front of funnel.


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## R651400 (Jun 18, 2005)

John, let's not confuse membership who may not know we are talking Blue Funnel. I concede early A class such as Clytoneus and Agapenor were starboard side. My recollections P, H and later A's were port side. Glengarry may have been a better bet for a reply to this thread?


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## Tai Pan (Mar 24, 2006)

Isle of Jersey, starboard. Asturias Port. Empire Medway port. Esso Bedford midships.
Glengarry port. memory bank crashed.


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## Tai Pan (Mar 24, 2006)

R651400 said:


> John, let's not confuse membership who may not know we are talking Blue Funnel. How many P, H and A class did you sail on? I concede early A class such as Clytoneus and Agapenor were starboard side. P, H and later A's were port side. Glengarry may have been a better bet for a reply to this thread?



Jason starboard. Radnorshire starboard, Calchas starboard the rest were home trade so no memory .


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## R651400 (Jun 18, 2005)

Wasn't the Glengarry practically amidships abaft the funnel with the 1st R/O's cabin adjacent?


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## K urgess (Aug 14, 2006)

Quick list from memory and notes.
Starboard side bridge deck above Old Man's bedroom. Bloody nuisance since I was junior and had the watches when he was trying to get some shuteye.
Jammed between my cabin and the port side of the wheelhouse. About 5 foot wide and 10 foot long.
Port side bridge deck and 2 decks above my cabin. Good job there were no passengers when the auto alarm went off.
Three more port side on the bridge deck.
Starboard side bridge deck.
Port side bridge deck next to my cabin.
Port side bridge deck.
Port side one deck down from the bridge (VLCC). Cabin next door.
Port side bridge deck in another cupboard.
Port side bridge deck next to my cabin slightly larger than a cupboard. Two decks down to a shower.
Across the back of the bridge deck. Radio room to starboard, cabin to port.
Middle aft of the bridge deck.
Port side aft of the bridge deck.
Middle deck back of the deck below the bridge with my cabin to port. Only internal way out of my cabin was through the radio room but there was a door out onto the deck aft.
A couple of them were on the bridge deck while my cabin was down on the maindeck. On one memorable ship my cabin was directly opposite the saloon and we carried passengers.

So, in general mostly to the port side and those were mostly older and british built. Or so it appears.


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## Tai Pan (Mar 24, 2006)

R651400 said:


> Wasn't the Glengarry practically amidships abaft the funnel with the 1st R/O's cabin adjacent?


Yes, it was aft on the boat deck. The Radio room was port side and my cabin was starboard, taking up the whole cross section. forward of them was the officers smoke room took up the whole cross section.
if that makes sense. the second R/O had a cabin in the main deck officers block forward, which also had an office but as it had no ports it was unusable due to heat. the only thing I used it for was the rough cargo plan.


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## R651400 (Jun 18, 2005)

Port side seems to be the preference yet "Captain's cabin stbd side" infers to being the safest for the skipper ie away from a most likely threat through collision. Strange Solas and pre Solas would not have insisted on a safer place for the radio room? All Victory and Sam class liberties were port side.


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## K urgess (Aug 14, 2006)

Since there's no hiding place from a 4" shell and the radio room was prime target during the time of Liberties, Victories and Sams, I don't suppose they could find anywhere that was any safer than anywhere else.


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## Mike S (Dec 27, 2005)

On most NZS/Federal ships it was at the aft end of the Boat Deck. The idea was to have it separate from the Bridge so that there was a chance that if the Bridge was hit the Sparkie would till be able to get off an SOS or "RRR" message.

The exceptions were the newer Rangi's where it was behind the Bridge and manned 24 hours.

The older 'Tiki, 'Tata, and 'Tane had it in the forward funnel I think. I know there was only one funnel that emitted smoke, sparks and other lumps of obnoxious matter. (Smoke)


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## Oceanspan (Mar 4, 2006)

Mike S said:


> I know there was only one funnel that emitted smoke, sparks and other lumps of obnoxious matter. (Smoke)


Strewth. How did the Sparks manage to get emitted from the funnel? I had my moments but that beats them all. P*ss*d again, I suppose?


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## surfaceblow (Jan 16, 2008)

Sparks is a normal occurrence on Motor Vessels especially after a long slow speed maneuvering like the Panama Canal. Before coming up to speed there is a normal Turbocharger cleaning to knock off any of the unburnt carbon off the turbos. On increasing the speed the exhaust pressure built up would push out the unburnt carbon out and it would start glowing and burning on its way out of the stack. On container ships the stow plan called for no rag (canvas top) containers aft of the stack.


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## Mimcoman (May 18, 2008)

surfaceblow said:


> Sparks is a normal occurrence on Motor Vessels especially after a long slow speed maneuvering like the Panama Canal. Before coming up to speed there is a normal Turbocharger cleaning to knock off any of the unburnt carbon off the turbos. On increasing the speed the exhaust pressure built up would push out the unburnt carbon out and it would start glowing and burning on its way out of the stack. On container ships the stow plan called for no rag (canvas top) containers aft of the stack.


So that's what happened to bright sparks...I always felt we were under a lot of pressure at times as well.


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## Clive Kaine (Apr 8, 2008)

From memory, most of the ships I sailed on had the radio room on the starboard side abaft the bridge, though on one or two it was a couple of decks down - a bit of a nuisance when taking WX, nav wngs and OBS between the two!

On P&O's MV Gambhira, the R/O's cabin was directly aft of the radio room on the bridge deck, and both were partly built into the funnel - lovely and cosy on the Mexican coast in midsummer.


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## Rhodri Mawr (Jul 6, 2008)

One of the strangest radio office positions I came across was when sailing
aboard the old Rochester Castle. Radio room on the main deck, port side,
adjacent to the after entrance into the accommodation. Handy location
for the dining room when on watch but a real nuisance in bad weather as
the ship suffered from a leaking deckhead so water ended slopping around
on the deck when it was wet outside. Helped with the main antenna
earthing arrangements, I suppose.


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## Trevorw (Jun 5, 2006)

John Garner said:


> Isle of Jersey, starboard. Asturias Port. Empire Medway port. Esso Bedford midships.
> Glengarry port. memory bank crashed.


John,

"Glengarry" wasn't port - it was midships on the after end of the boat deck next door to your cabin!!


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## Tai Pan (Mar 24, 2006)

Trevorw said:


> John,
> 
> "Glengarry" wasn't port - it was midships on the after end of the boat deck next door to your cabin!!


If you stood dead cente on the after boat deck,looking forwards, there were two cabins separated by a bulk head, the one to port was the radio room and the one to starboard was the 1st R/Os cabin.


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## Barber Hector (Jan 13, 2008)

Glengarry, Glenorchy, Denbigshire, Glenartney to mention a few of the prewar Glens. Lovely ships and a privilage to sail on. I did 3 voyages on Glenartney with our 30 posh passengers. Yes the radio room was on the P side and the R/Os cabin next to it. Nice size too. During the war years it would have accommodated 2 R/Os.
The Officers rec room I think I discovered on my second voyage, having assumed it was a deck locker previously. On the Glenartney a section had been converted into an office with entrance from the stbd side.
She was one of the finest ships I ever sailed on and have good memories of her. I only left because my son decided to make an entrance into the world.
On the bridge there was still a telephone to the poop gun.
Happy NewYear to everyone.


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## holland25 (Nov 21, 2007)

I did a coasting trip on the Glengyle, and her Radio Room, from memory, was at the back of the Boat Deck. The 2nd R/Os cabin was on the maindeck at the rear of the centrecastle, I think on the port side. It was quite a large room and had I seem to recall, a parquet floor. The Glengyle had had quite a history during the war, I seem to remember she had been used as a headquarters,but I cant recall any details.


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## teb (May 23, 2008)

Glwnearn- was midships after end boat deck with 2R/O cabin next to it 
Glenearn radio cabin was midships after end boat deck with 2R/O cabin next to it 1st R/O cabin was on main deck next to saloon at least on voyage I did to Australia. Officers smoke room also on boat deck just forward of radio cabin actually we had a piano in the smoke room!!!!! Teb


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## R651400 (Jun 18, 2005)

teb said:


> Glwnearn- was midships after end boat deck with 2R/O cabin next to it. Glenearn radio cabin was midships after end boat deck with 2R/O cabin next to it 1st R/O cabin was on main deck next to saloon at least on voyage I did to Australia. Officers smoke room also on boat deck just forward of radio cabin actually we had a piano in the smoke room!!!!!


Teb not too sure about your R/O's accommodation? 
I only coasted the Glenearn class and the radio room placement was as you say. Glenorchy, Glenroy, Glenartney I remember 1st R/O's cabin was adjoining the radio room and the 2nd R/O was main deck port side next to the 2nd Engineer.
Reason? Possibly the auto alarm bell circuit was bridge, radio room and 1st R/O's cabin nearest the radio room.


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## teb (May 23, 2008)

R651400 Idid the first voy on Glenearn after her refit? as 1st R/O down to australia and my cabin was definitely on main deck by the saloon beleive me no one was more suprised than me!!! maybe it was changed later??? It was a fine cabin much larger than usual but being close to the gangway quite noisy in port. 2ndR/O was Peter le q Johnson from Somerset he was in the cabin next to radio cabin, I did a fair amount of coasting out of london before coming ashore working in the offices in K.G V. maybe we met ? Regards Teb.I coasted in Glengyle,Glenorchy,Glenartney,Glenroy ,Denbighshire to name a few.


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## R651400 (Jun 18, 2005)

Teb, my apols. When you said Glenearn to Oz and P-le-Q as 2 R/0 I had to have a shufty at yr profile. I coasted Radnorshire, Glenroy, Glenorchy and Glenartney in '56 and think there must have been a cabin switch because all of above as 2 R/O was main deck. I cannot recall any of my chiefs from that time but there's every chance our courses crossed. Wasn't P-le-Q from the Channel Islands? The last time I visited the Imperial War Museum there were photographs taken by 2 R/O Peter's sinking of Memnon from submarine action of the Cape Verde islands. Quite a story on how he survived and managed to get the film back to London.


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## teb (May 23, 2008)

R651400 said:


> Teb, my apols. When you said Glenearn to Oz and P-le-Q as 2 R/0 I had to have a shufty at yr profile. I coasted Radnorshire, Glenroy, Glenorchy and Glenartney in '56 and think there must have been a cabin switch because all of above as 2 R/O was main deck. I cannot recall any of my chiefs from that time but there's every chance our courses crossed. Wasn't P-le-Q from the Channel Islands? The last time I visited the Imperial War Museum there were photographs taken by 2 R/O Peter's sinking of Memnon from submarine action of the Cape Verde islands. Quite a story on how he survived and managed to get the film back to London.


I must admit as one gets older ones memory does play tricks!!! I always presumed P-le-Q was from Somerset!! I know he had connections around Dunster and believe at one time he worked in the Estate Office of the Luttrell familly estates?. I had moved on when you coasting in 56.When I left Glen Line offices Capt BaxterJones was Marine Supt. From GL I moved into ship management in the city with van Ommeren,the to Glasgow with Denholms managing their management group D, then moved back down to London (on the Baltic Exchange ) before going out to Hong Kong with Jardines running their shipbroking subsidiary before finally running my own Company.eventually retiring(POP) to Perth .Nothing to do with shipping now just Golf & Gardening!! Teb


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## R651400 (Jun 18, 2005)

teb said:


> Retiring to Perth. Nothing to do with shipping now just Golf & Gardening!!


Teb, thanks above. My info on P-le-Q's origins could be BF hearsay. Along with Frank Fish who was almost welded to the Peleus, P-le-Q was regarded as "commodore" R/O when I joined, preferring to stay on the mainline Ozzie run. 
Snap re retiral, into my 17th year now but the golf gets no better, I'm still the poorest hooker in the world! Best regards.


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## Dutchy62 (Feb 7, 2009)

Mike S said:


> On most NZS/Federal ships it was at the aft end of the Boat Deck.


Then there were the "P" boats (Paparoa, Papanui, Pipiriki) where the radio room was on the after end of the bridge deck, just forward of the chimney. At noon, when it was apparently necessary to test the hooters, you had to close the after facing porthole in the radio room because the collection of water in the steam horn pipes used to be dispersed in all directions including the radio room.


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## Naytikos (Oct 20, 2008)

Talking of relocating the cabin. One of my VLCCs had the R/Os cabin on the port side facing aft one deck down from the wheelhouse. The Radio Room was next-door also facing aft. Forward of the R/O's cabin was the Owner's cabin with nice big forward-facing windows; as usual this was unused. My wife does not like to travel 'backwards' whether it be by train, plane _or ship_. She mentioned this to the skipper one day (Greek crew) and that afternoon an AB came to me saying the Capt. had told him I wanted to move into the owner's cabin and should he start turning the bed into a double? It took all of half an hour to rewire the auto-alarm bell!


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