# Watts Watts Wanstead Class



## stores (Apr 8, 2007)

Are there any members who were in the engine room on this class, ? i was on the Wanstead, as a cleaner, ER Dept, as far as i remember the ER Crowd was a Donkeymam, a Storekeeper, and 3 dayworkers, only the Donkeyman stood a watch, who did the greasing, ? we carried no greasers, never sailed on another ship without greasers, was allways one per watch. ?


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## John Rogers (May 11, 2004)

The Donkeyman/Greaser was the term stamped in my book Toni,and we did the Greasing. Some ships (US) they were named Oilers, and the Cleaners were called Wipers. The only time Fireman/Water/Tenders came in the engine room was when the engine was torn down and they were the ones to enter the engine and clean out the black sludge. I done it a couple of times, we always made pants and shirts out of sacks so they could be thrown away afterwards. The Storekeeper was always the one in charge of all the engine room people and Firemen. On ships that had 3 Greasers, plus a Donkeyman the one Donkeyman was in charge just like the Storekeeper on other ships.

John


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## stores (Apr 8, 2007)

*wanstead class*

HI JOHN, yes what you say is true, every deep sea ship i sailed in carried , cleaners, or greaser/cleaners, the next higher rating was donkey/greaser some ships carried greasers and donkey greasers plus donkeymam and storekeepeer, in my book i have, cleaner, fireman/cleaner, fireman, greaser/cleaner, greaser, donkey greaser and donkeyman, lastly storekeeper, but the wanstead class carried no greasers at all, the donkeyman did the 4/8 watch with the second engineer, cant think who did the greasing, maybe the donkeyman did it on the 4/8, but normally bearings needed topping up at least every watch, sometimes more than once, (Fly)


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## dom (Feb 10, 2006)

*dom*

not sure about the Wanstead,but i think the Windsor had a donkeyman and four greasers,anyone out there who was on the Windsor Feb 59/April 60


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## Andrew Craig-Bennett (Mar 13, 2007)

Well I can tell you that when the class went to CNCo that became a job for the Chinese Uncertificated Fourths.

A very fine body of men... Provided one remembered the Hong Kong proverb, "_Can you get a Chinese Uncertificated Fourth to tell the difference between A Brilliant Solution and A Permanent Repair?"_


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## mel3ladcup (Jan 30, 2012)

I was on the Windsor from April to October 1963 as 4th eng and we had a donkeyman and a cleaner per watch .Good ship as were the Woodford Woolwich Weybridge and Port Wimbledon


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## sherman (Sep 22, 2009)

I was on the Wanstead when it was on charter to the Port Line (It became the Port Wanstead) I was a Jun Eng on the 4 to 8 with the 2nd and a donkey man. I did kept the main engine lub. boxes topped up and the donkey man filled any grease cup that needed to be done


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## stores (Apr 8, 2007)

*Wanstead Class*

hi, thanks for that information, i forgot about the jun engineer, was a long time ago, i was a cleaner and i know we were the only ones on day work with the storekeeper, no greasers on watch, apart from donkeyman, can you remember how the domestic boiler worked, ? am sure it was automatic, painted green, referred to as the juke box ? my brother was on her when port wanstead , in the galley, Paul Jarvis. we had a asian 3rd engineer, scotch second, a short man, chief i believe scotch also,


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## John Rogers (May 11, 2004)

As I mentioned, my Discharge Book has entries of Donkeyman/Greaser, and there was one to each watch and we done the greasing of the engine and anything else that needed doing. The Storekeeper had one guy with him on days.


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## stores (Apr 8, 2007)

*wanstead class*

HELLO JOHN, we both sailed on ships where as u say the greasing was done by a watchkeeper, that was the normal way on all ships i sailed on, apart from the wanstead class, they were unusual in there engine room manning, the last post from the junior engineer who sailed on her states he was on the 4/8 watch with 2nd engineer and donkeyman, they shared the greasing, so no greasing was done on 8/12 or 12/4, wanstead had a 5 cylinder Doxford ME, the only one i had experience with, most of the other motor ships i worked on had B and W engines was quite a bit of greasing and topping up oil levels on those. maybe doxfords were different, but tunnel bearings needed topping up, best wishes, STORES,(Scribe)


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