# Blacking the Ship Out



## raybnz

From the first time I set foot in the ER I remember the 3rd Engineer's voice saying the biggest sin of a engineer was to 'Black The Ship Out''

After a couple a day watches learning the ropes I was put on my first generator watch. We were alongside Wellington on the Corinthic. She had 4 x 6cylinder British Polar Gensets.

There was only one running so temperatures were running near the top. All night every 30 minutes I would check them. Knowing that anything over 840 degF was to high. One cylinder crept over this magic number and I alerted the 'Night Aboard"

Gees was he grumpy. No doubt suffering from the party earlier on. He came down looked at the temperature and commented that the temperature gauge was faulty.

Some years later and I had joined BP Tankers and was on British Osprey heading out through the 'Straits of Hormaz. We had trouble with diesel generator carbonizing up. I had earlier rebuilt one and during the night 12-4 watch went to lower the chain block from above a running generator. 

Suddenly the rope broke and the falling chain block broke the fuel supply to the diesel. The ER lights dimmed and and by the time they had gone out I had stopped the main engine and headed for the next generator. Bugger it was not not barred over to the start position. The emergency ER Lights were pathetic and after finding the bar was able to move the diesel into start position.

All this time the captain was at the top of the engine room giving us the hard word.

With ten minutes of losing power we were back under way but the **** I received about "Blacking the Ship Out " took sometime to live down.


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## alaric

Hello Ray,
Although I had long forgotten saying them, I am pleased you remember my wise words. I am proud to say that I never had a blackout in a Shaw Savill ship. Those old Polars had their faults, but they were reliable plodders. Who was grumpy? The chap who still lives nearby Wellington?
Your other post today, on the subject of boilersuits brought a smile to my face.
"grundies." How long ago was it that I last heard that word? 1965?
To celebrate I have posted a photo of Corinthic in her prime, just before the axe fell. Keep well.


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## norm.h

Homeward bound from West Africa in 1959, on the North Cornwall.
4 cylinder Doxford, steam auxiliaries and engine driven pumps.......

One evening not long after I’d come on watch, the main switchboard breaker tripped, and everything blacked out.
After an hour or so, we got everything back to normal and pressed on, but the following evening the same thing happened, and after much head scratching the Old Man and the Chief decided the power failure coincided with switching on the radar at dusk, and as there was nobody aboard experienced to repair the radar fault, came up with this solution.

When the Third Mate was about to switch on the radar he’d telephone me. I’d go to the main switchboard and physically hold the main breaker in. Once the radar was up and running, he’d give a swift tinkle on the engine-room telegraph to say all was well.


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## Lao Pan

On port watches as J/E the only saving grace was to get the Genny back on line before any other engineer got to the Bottom Plates. I usually made it.

On one of the UASC K class at about 10pm in port I had just done a few small jobs (Pulled a ME Cylinder head or some such) and sat down on the bottom plates with a cup of coffee.
Suddenly the Turbo on the only running Genny screamed, and with a clunk from the switchboard we were plunged into total darkness. - After hours of not working cargo, hence only one Genny, the 2/O had decided to fire up the Stulken Derrick to do a heavy lift, with out warning the engine room.
I immediately jumped out of the chair - causing my yellow torch with the 90deg head to fly out of my leg pocket and with a splosh it flew into the bilges. Oh Bol****! And that's how I stood in absolute blackness until one of the other engineers came down (with a torch) to see what was going on and why I hadn't got the power back on.


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## waffle-sproket

*Oh so long ago*

Reading about the Corinthic and her Polar generators I was on genny watch and was told to shut down the Port aft genr. when cargo was completed for the night. Up to the switch board (DC) took the genny off load wandered back onto the bottom plates und up to the generator and shut down the engine. Oh dear it was the Port Forward a big Kiwi 2nd joined me on the plates in the dark and(Cloud) sorted things out cost me a few beers that night (Cloud)


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## mcglash

As a second trip junior on The MV Arabic I was on the 8-12 with the 4/E After the Bridge rang full away and the standby crowd left, the Fourth after writing something in the log book said i'm heading up to shut down the donkey boiler and i will take the Starboard aft genny off the board i'll bang on the plates twice then you can shut it down as the Third needs to do some work on it on his watch, okay said I. I heard the double bang and stopped the Stb Aft generator and a few seconds later i was in total darkness.The Standby engineers were still in the changing room and we got everything sorted fairly quickly, Then the blame game began you shut down the wrong Genny said the 4/E I told you the Starboard Forward no you didnt said I, yes I did said he. The second who was filling in the Log Book happened to notice the last entry before the blackout and said hey L****(name withheld to protect the guilty) you have entered the STBd AFt Generator off @2100 Hrs and on the blackboard was a reminder from the 3/E that the Port Fwd was to be the Standby genny after full away, as he had work to do on the STBd Aft.You beauty vindication by 2


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## alaric

Continuing the nostalgic cruise in Corinthic. Ray's post#1 related to the penultimate passenger voyage. For the final passenger voyage I was promoted to 2nd and about a week out of London remember having a curious conversation with the 5th who was on his first voyage with Shaw Savill having transferred from Shell Tankers. 
We were having a Smoko chat towards the end of the watch when the 5th asked me when we were going to have a blackout, as we had already been at sea for a week! I replied with a lecture along the lines set out by Ray in post #1 . However, it didn't have the desired effect as no sooner had we finished our tea the 5th climbed the twin ladders up to the top of the ER trunk where the diesel service tanks were located. Fortunately I had watched him making his way up and knew that he was changing tanks when the Polars slowed and the lights started dimming. I got up those long ladders just in time to get one of tank outlet valves open again before the generators stalled.
The 5th was standing there oblivious to what he had just done/not done. I had to repeat my lecture a little more forcibly and carried out some intensive on the job re-training. Got through to him this time and managed to continue my blackout free career, but it had been a very close call.


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## stevekelly10

I had to black out the Companion . A Stena Bulk U.L.C.C (ex Sea Song ) intentionally, when the AVR failed on the turbo alternator and the voltage had gone " off the clock" took me a while to work out, what the hell was going on ! I couldn't parallel one of the Hedamora diesel generators. Motors were tripping left ,right and centre. the instrumentation system was electro\pneumatic and was going berserk ! I finally twigged what was going on and blacked the ship out so I could put the diesel on the board ! Our problems didn't end there ! a couple of motors had burnt out on the vent fans and fuses blown on the instrumentation system. As to the Hedamora diesel generators. I soon learnt to hate them, as we had to run the 2 of them to continue on passage. Because we soon discovered that one had some faulty gearing and kept operating the overspeed trip, even tho it wasn't overspeeding ! Once it tripped the other generator couldn't take full load as it would trip on high cooling water temp. This generator had been scheduled to have it's coolers cleaned, Before the trip went to hell on a handcart !(EEK)
We limped into the Bahamas after numerous blackouts on the way there. Much to my relief as the repair squad with much needed spares were waiting for us!


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## binliner

Blacked ship out while in London docks explaining to new 2nd lecky how things worked some spoke to me not realising I had moved on a step old D.C. switchboard open board and tripped genny back on in a minute. Always made sure in future never move.


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## robpage

Cross-Channel ferry 4th Eng set the purifier to the wrong day tank , generator ran out of fuel , lights went out , everything stopped , changed day tank over all restarted , lots of egg on lots of faces


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## Jim Glover

First trip on Shell tanker Valvata I was on watch on the 12-4.3/E instructed me to cut back drain lines on fwd T/A that was supplying power to the main switchboard.The only tool available at the time was a haxesaw,Unfortunately on the upward stroke the haxesaw blade broke and my arm shot up and tripped the T/A.Ran over and initiated the engineer's alarm.All the engineers were soon present rather bleary eyed as it was 0230hrs in the morning.I had to admit it was all my fault and the C/E was relieved that it was human error and not mechanical breakdown.In the end cost me a case of beer,still vividly remember the incident 45 years ago


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## howardws

robpage said:


> Cross-Channel ferry 4th Eng set the purifier to the wrong day tank , generator ran out of fuel , lights went out , everything stopped , changed day tank over all restarted , lots of egg on lots of faces


Also on a cross channel ferry, 4th Engineer put some air into the fuel system buffer tank. When back in the control room he was asked to assure the questioner that he hadn’t put too much air in. “Of course not, do you think I’m from the planet Zog? “ came the reply, just as the generators stopped, thus proving that they wouldn’t run on air. Naturally said 4th was known as Zog thereafter.


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## Andrew147

British Light had a regular knack of loosing the electrics around tea time. TA's would trip with no apparent cause and the Ansaldo diesel was a pain to start but with "easy start" usually/eventually did the trick.


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## BobClay

It was once explained to me by a very patient Chief Engineer that there was no such thing as a _'blackout'_ on a ship.

There was either a _'browndown'_

or 

_'A temporary withdrawal of electrical power in order to provide maintenance for an unpredictable event.'_

(Smoke)


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## howardws

Not actually blacking out but stopping the job. As a first trip apprentice I was tasked with removing a boiler fuel pump from it’s bedplate to take to the workshop for overhaul. This involved standing over the running pump which didn’t have a guard over the coupling. (This was Texaco Overseas Tankship, a pretty crap company that ran some pretty crap, run down ships in the early sixties). Inevitably the left leg of my boilersuit was ripped off and became wrapped round the coupling. It became necessary to stop the turbine so that we could shut all the burners off, stop the pump, removed the boilersuit leg, start the pump, and reignite the burners while we still had enough steam pressure to keep the 220 volt dynamo running. Afterwards I was asked by the Chief what I would do differently next time. Apparently ‘Not go anywhere near a pump without a coupling guard’ was the wrong answer! Caltex Perth, about 1963.


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## D1566

I once got bollocked by the Chief on a jack-up rig for 'not looking serious enough' as we were about to black out  (Influx of mussel shells had blocked everything!)


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## Varley

Norvegia Team. Earth on tacho generator line (as it turned out) was causing an infrequent false run signal to the NEBB 'Startomat'. A quirk in its logic meant that this emulated a start command.

This generator therefore was sometimes found running without anyone having pressed the button.

I was busy tracking this down before lunch and had zeroed in on the logic fault and the implications of the tacho signal and had been pulling out and in the speed input card. With the generator stopped of course.

After lunch I continued where I had left off, stupidly not noticing the subject generator was now running and on load. By itself. When I pulled out the card with the tacho input again. The logic behaved more logically and opened the main breaker.

Case of beer. And friendly education from Rab Houston on thermal shock and that liners and heads had been known to crack due to such events.


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## oldgoat1947

*Sister Ship*



Jim Glover said:


> First trip on Shell tanker Valvata I was on watch on the 12-4.3/E instructed me to cut back drain lines on fwd T/A that was supplying power to the main switchboard.The only tool available at the time was a haxesaw,Unfortunately on the upward stroke the haxesaw blade broke and my arm shot up and tripped the T/A.Ran over and initiated the engineer's alarm.All the engineers were soon present rather bleary eyed as it was 0230hrs in the morning.I had to admit it was all my fault and the C/E was relieved that it was human error and not mechanical breakdown.In the end cost me a case of beer,still vividly remember the incident 45 years ago


Jim was the Valvata a sister ship to the Vermetus Ex Eagle Oil ? If so the Vermetus had many Black outs due to the Gear driven extraction pumps, on the TA's Eventually they wetre replaced with Electric driven units.


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## oldgoat1947

Varley said:


> Norvegia Team. Earth on tacho generator line (as it turned out) was causing an infrequent false run signal to the NEBB 'Startomat'. A quirk in its logic meant that this emulated a start command.
> 
> This generator therefore was sometimes found running without anyone having pressed the button.
> 
> I was busy tracking this down before lunch and had zeroed in on the logic fault and the implications of the tacho signal and had been pulling out and in the speed input card. With the generator stopped of course.
> 
> After lunch I continued where I had left off, stupidly not noticing the subject generator was now running and on load. By itself. When I pulled out the card with the tacho input again. The logic behaved more logically and opened the main breaker.
> 
> Case of beer. And friendly education from Rab Houston on thermal shock and that liners and heads had been known to crack due to such events.


If the Norwegia Team was the same as the Scandia Team and the Sevonia Team then a standby Generator could start up take over full load and the original on load Generator shut Down without giving an alarm. This happened several times, the Office (Denholm Ship Management) would not believe it. Until it happened while a Supt was in the Engine Control Room with a first trip Apprentice. At the time the rest of the Engineers were working on the Main Engine Gotaverken on them all the time. The Supt sent the Apprentice out to ask the 2/E why the Generators changed over. The 2/E replied it can't happen the Office told us so. The Supt came storming up to my Cabin I was C/E at the time and stsrted to berate me and the Engineers. He was politely requested to call the Captain in. The Capt came in and I asked him to fetch the Official log book. I asked him to make the following entry. "After numerous reports about Generators changing over without giving alarms the Head Office has dictated this cannot happen It has again happened today with the Supt on board. Instead of trying to get to the bottom of the problem the Supt (and name ) has reprimanded the Engineers. This shows a lack of professionalism and as such I feel the Vessel is unseaworthy and refuse to sail until the fault is rectified" The Captain made the entry and sent a Telex to Head Office. two hours later we had four Electricians on board. They spent all night removing the PCB one by one. It turned out that the Switch board would overheat and upset the control settings. Extra ventilation was fitted and the issue rectified. At the end of the trip I was invited to the head Office and given a "Slap on the Wrist" It coincidently was my last trip with the Diamond D.


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## dannic

P&O Bulk carrier Pytchley had a one-off power management system, with a mind of its own. you would notice the diesel gen off loading leaving turbo alone but never enough steam, and no matter what you tried it would end up with a blackout.
So called Chief and bridge and said we will be blacking out in a few minutes, switch on kettle. After shutdown all restarted ok and back to normal for a few days.
Dannic.


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## Engine Serang

oldgoat1947 said:


> If the Norwegia Team was the same as the Scandia Team and the Sevonia Team then a standby Generator could start up take over full load and the original on load Generator shut Down without giving an alarm. This happened several times, the Office (Denholm Ship Management) would not believe it. Until it happened while a Supt was in the Engine Control Room with a first trip Apprentice. At the time the rest of the Engineers were working on the Main Engine Gotaverken on them all the time. The Supt sent the Apprentice out to ask the 2/E why the Generators changed over. The 2/E replied it can't happen the Office told us so. The Supt came storming up to my Cabin I was C/E at the time and stsrted to berate me and the Engineers. He was politely requested to call the Captain in. The Capt came in and I asked him to fetch the Official log book. I asked him to make the following entry. "After numerous reports about Generators changing over without giving alarms the Head Office has dictated this cannot happen It has again happened today with the Supt on board. Instead of trying to get to the bottom of the problem the Supt (and name ) has reprimanded the Engineers. This shows a lack of professionalism and as such I feel the Vessel is unseaworthy and refuse to sail until the fault is rectified" The Captain made the entry and sent a Telex to Head Office. two hours later we had four Electricians on board. They spent all night removing the PCB one by one. It turned out that the Switch board would overheat and upset the control settings. Extra ventilation was fitted and the issue rectified. At the end of the trip I was invited to the head Office and given a "Slap on the Wrist" It coincidently was my last trip with the Diamond D.


Did you expect better from a bunch of Glasgow Greeks? I'll bet the Captain had a sh1t haemorrhage when called to your cabin.


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## Varley

GM Oldgoat,

Although I have the huge corporate photograph Scandia Team on my wall I did not know her personally. She was not exactly the same as the earlier sisters. One obvious difference was she was B&W engine and not Gotaverken.

The Norwegia Team and London Team were very similar to one another and from memory the NEBB switchboard was not automatic except for blackout start&connect managed by the Startomat (discrete electronics) and the switchboard relay/contactor logic.

Heat did affect the SAAB panel and when the AC went off in the control room the LCD display became difficult to read. I suppose an electronic fault could have caused the selected machine to trip (the Startomat included the basic engine protections as well) but the changeover to the standby would not have been without a short blackout.

Rather like the GTVs earlier the Seateam fleet was rather jealous of its status and I doubt that Lock Parker or Alan Armstrong would have entertained a 'jumping up and down' super for very long. We did have them, though.


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## Varley

Ah, a dispatch from Enemy Occupied Hibernia. I had missed them and thought I had affronted you too many times for you to join in again ES.

The Greeks could manage wrecks very well and while that may not excuse the presence of said wrecks it says a lot for their ability even if their ability is apocryphally rather than universally true.

"Glasgow Greek" could therefore be taken as something of a compliment.

Sadly those skills, as well as their market, seem to have passed. Contemporaneous in my prejudiced opinion with the introduction of officers of less developed cultures. An issue inevitably correcting itself as the expertise grows there and lessens here.

Anyway, what is the fun in driving a vessel in which not even the most nitpickingest of surveyors could find fault?


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## JohnBP

First blackout was on the Br. Crusader. Mirlees port gen broke a push rod, easy fix. Next was on the Br. Centaur while in port, TA tripped but I was not on watch. Next was Br. Sargent going through the Swansea locks, full astern caused cavitation and the cooling pump tripped. Next was while in port. The lights starting going up and down. I ran to the ER and the Junior and I brought the other gen on line... surprised that no one noticed, Chief was aboard as was the 4th.. weird.... J


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## DAR

Funnily enough when I read the topic heading, ER blackouts was not the first thing that sprung to my mind. It was dems blacking out of the ship which we carried out several times on the Br Corporal in 1971 during the India Pakistan War where we were trading.


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## cueball44

The Tug I was on 'Englishman' was blacked out after taking on fuel at Immingham oil terminal in the early 1970s. The vessel was swept by a strong ebb tide into the jetty. We were jammed beneath the pipe lines that where carrying Naphtha. We had to wait with no power until the tide slacked off and could be towed to safety. It was a bit scary knowing all that flammable liquid was above us. All power was switched off in case we caused any vapour to ignite.


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## howardws

Another Caltex problem, this time Caltex Calcutta, 5 legged LB Doxford. About 1965. I was Apprentice on watch with the J/2 who never seemed in evidence on the 04.00 to 08.00 watch. The generator stopped, it went dark, there was no emergency lighting and the engine kept thundering on at full speed as there were no trips. I didn’t have a torch but I eventually found my way to the controls and stopped the engine and pushed the engineers alarm. The last person to arrive was the J/2 who had been steering the ship so that he could have a steering ticket! A lovely chap called Jimmy Mann, who sadly died early a few years ago. The generator kept tripping on overspeed without actually overspeeding and the 3/E fixed it by sawing a bit off the overspeed trip!


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## ChathamChavs

Take one genny off the board , then stop the load genny , guilty!! What about the Oil Mist Detectors ? Told by one Chief Engineer to modify circuit to just sound alarm and not slow the Main Engine down as he didn't trust them. Best one was a mobile air compressor used for deck chipping machines which kept tripping on overheat . A well known Silver Line Chief Engineer (came from Newcastle and hated Suvveners ) decreed from the bar that it was an electrical fault and I was ordered to short the switch out . The 2/E (also a Suvvener) raised his eyebrows and said do it . A little while later an enormous BANG and masses of smoke ......


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## BobClay

In the ten years I worked for CP Ships and looked after the Graviner Oil Mist Detector I never saw it connected such that an alarm would in any way effect the main engine. It was purely set to sound an alarm.

This was old school technology I'm talking about (30 plus years ago) which used a simple bridge circuit two arms of which were light through a tube, one of which was the control, and the other filled with crankcase extractions.

It was policy as I remember not to connect the device to anything other than sounding an alarm. In all fairness that seems fair to me insomuch that I never knew one to sound off said alarm, (or at least I wasn't told about it) but my view might be biased by pure chance.


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## Varley

I think there was an MCR above which a slow down was required from either oilmist or bearing temperatures. I will see if I still have the rule. Perhaps you had bearing temps as well for active control.

There is one case of an OMD shutting down with blackout a cross channel ferry (presumably a relatively small trunk engine) from RFI from engineer's hand-held. 

The unfortunate thing is that once oilmist was developing the bearing had probably already 'run'. On locomotives an aniseed ball might be placed on the oil pot to give the footlplat team an early warning (the smell).

I wondered if Castrol (one of our LO contractors) might consider an additive that might break down at a specific temperature to be detected by some product of that reaction but the front line response was that it had enough additives in already.


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## Scotch Boiler

An old engineer came back from a long voyage to South America. He had acquired a lovely colourful parrot on the voyage and kept it in his cabin where it soon picked up a very colourful vocabularly.
When he paid off the parrot went home with him and settled in very nicely. The engineer's mates knew about the parrot's salty language and made allowances.
However one day the vicar came round to visit unexpectedly, so thinking quickly
the engineer realised that he had to keep the parrot quiet and threw a sheet over it's cage to make the parrot think that it was getting dark.
Just as the vicar stepped in to the house the parrot let out a mighty oath and squawked " GET YOUR A**E DOWN BELOW, THE JUNIOR HAS TRIPPED THE GENERATOR AGAIN!


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## ChathamChavs

BobClay said:


> In the ten years I worked for CP Ships and looked after the Graviner Oil Mist Detector I never saw it connected such that an alarm would in any way effect the main engine. It was purely set to sound an alarm.
> 
> This was old school technology I'm talking about (30 plus years ago) which used a simple bridge circuit two arms of which were light through a tube, one of which was the control, and the other filled with crankcase extractions.
> 
> It was policy as I remember not to connect the device to anything other than sounding an alarm. In all fairness that seems fair to me insomuch that I never knew one to sound off said alarm, (or at least I wasn't told about it) but my view might be biased by pure chance.


There were 2 alarm points . The first was just an alarm , the second was the main engine slowdown . This is the one I was instructed to modify. This was on a year old Japanese built OBO in 1980. Can't remember if it was an actual Graviner or a Japanese equivalent.


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## GWB

Night aboard engineer in dock Junior engineer on Genny whatch opposite number on other ship came over for couple beers. When we had look out port hole all lights on his ship out, ran over as we got to gangplank the genny watch keeper ran down shouting not going to sea lights don’t stay on. Got on the plates found he was changing fuel tanks and thought he opened one valve and shut other but the cut off safety on both tanks had collapsed. Never saw hin again.
GWB


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## Engine Serang

After Saturday morning BOT Sports we were testing the QCV's and I got into a bit of a muddle and shut down the on-load generator and the main engine. Cost me a Chorus Line of Tennants girls.


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## Engine Serang

British by birth, Scottish by Grace of God, Australia by prison ship.


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## kewl dude

SS Columbia a jumboized T2 converted to geared bulk carrier. I sailed 2 A/E 19680814 - 19690618 on the European Coal Run. We had a problem with the auxiliary generator governors but it took us awhile to narrow it down. When taking arrival. When we get a stop bell to pick up the pilot. We would have both auxiliary generators running and switch the house load to the generator that had just rode along this past passage. When we engaged the main generator the whole plant blacked out. 

We loaded in either Philadelphia, Pennsylvania or Norfolk, Virginia and discharged in various ports in Holland with Amsterdam being the main one. There was a really handy coal dock right behind Central Station. It was gone when I was last there in 2002. 

We also once discharged anchored in the stream right behind Central Station with local stevedores using our ships' gear. To fill long narrow Canal Boat Bulk Carriers that moored alongside us both sides. Once we discharged at a steel mill WAY out in the boonies - yet easily acquired a ride in a Mercedes Taxi Cab for a reasonable price to the center of Amsterdam Action. We also discharged once in Antwerp at a pier near downtown. 

We had shore side experts aboard at both ends. Everyone scratched their heads to come up with new ideas. Finally our Dutch friends came up with the solution. The metal that modern day as opposed to WW II piston rings were made of was harder than the metal of the sleeve it moved up and down in. 

After a relatively short transatlantic sea passage, carrying the whole ship's electric load, the rings wore a groove over the 'normal' range. Then when we stopped and switched the load to another generator and asked the auxiliary generator to start our main motor the governor piston would be stuck in its 'normal' range and the whole plant black out. 

The fix was new Dutch custom parts ALL machined out of the same piece of metal with spares. 

Attached SS Columbia light and loaded
T2-Columbia.jpg
Columbia-T2.jpg

NOT attached "files failed to upload" message

Greg Hayden


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## Chillytoes

One of our engineers had a medical condition such that he could (and often did) go to sleep at the drop of a hat under any conditions. He was known to have curled up on the rocker covers of the running generator when on port duty - it was warmer there! Anyway, the story goes that on one of our ships with Polar main engines and Ruston generators, he was on watch when the genny tripped and the job blacked out. The Polar kept going as it had engine-driven oil & jacket pumps. When the Chief hit the plates with the 2nd, the 4th (watchkeeper) was nowhere to be seen. When power was re-established, the 4th was found, asleep, standing up in the phone booth! He was forever known as “The Silent Sentinal”.


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## Varley

Very well explained Greg, thanks. What I don't understand is why you would have had auxiliary diesels running when full away on a turbo electric vessel.

(Obviously ******** - we can all have a bad day)


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## Duncan112

Andrew147 said:


> British Light had a regular knack of loosing the electrics around tea time. TA's would trip with no apparent cause and the Ansaldo diesel was a pain to start but with "easy start" usually/eventually did the trick.


When I was doing my Chief's Ticket one of our number had to take a day off to attend a DTI Inquiry - they had been using easy start on one of the alternator engines on a passenger ferry and the engineer concerned dropped the can into the "Vee" between the exhaust pipes and couldn't retrieve it before it went pop. No injuries, but sadly the DTI surveyor was on board at the time and became "Interested".


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## michael charters

Every vessel I was on the juniors flashed over the comms on generators. when putting genny on board forgetting to turn over the engine on first.


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## Varley

Greg, belay that. A bathtime thought prompted me to re-read yours. Governor not diesel. And what I had thought you had said and I had swallowed would embarrass me too much to admit!. You still explained it well. I just didn't understand it well!

I am still puzzled as to why you would be running more generators than you needed when full away.


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## oldgoat1947

*Glasgow Greeks*



Engine Serang said:


> Did you expect better from a bunch of Glasgow Greeks? I'll bet the Captain had a sh1t haemorrhage when called to your cabin.


The Captain and I had sailed together previously and we had our differences of opinion on several occasions but usually came to agreement of a few whisky's and frank discussions. His opinion of the Office was similar to mine, so although he was a bit surprised. He backed me up. (Applause)


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## Willie Bryson

I once got so pissed of with the third engineer boasting that the gennys were in tiptop condition . as night engineer I waited for deck winches to start then I started air comp. The ship blacked out due to overloading gens.


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## henry1

My first trip 4th on a steam ship I was on watch with a new J/E, for a job I asked him to cut some pipe with the power hacksaw. This was in the workshop behind the boilers. He had never used one so went with him, on starting the faceplate starter he shouted there were sparks and the lights went out, at first I thought it was the fuse but then heard the turbine winding down.
The C/E asked what had I done and did not believe that was the cause so when all started up he told me to do it again, once more blackout, he refused to believe it so demanded we did it again, after the third blackout he did not request a fourth try.
Next day the leckie found an earth on the hacksaw and the power supply to it ran in a cable tray next to the control cables for the T/G.
The C/E never said sorry for not believing me though.


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## ChathamChavs

Chief Engineers never say sorry ..... especially to Leckies !!


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## Varley

But they're the one's with the ticket to wave and the can to carry.


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## ChathamChavs

So all Chief Engineers know everything about all things mechanical and electrical ? Yes , they carry the can , but some, like people in all walks of life refuse to admit they are wrong or don't actually know and will not take advice . Perhaps it is a vanity thing-"I've got a ticket".
Seen it plenty of times ashore with Factory Chief Engineers and managers demanding electricians to "frig" a PLC program to get things working only to make things incredibly worse ! I have refused on occasions to do this because of possible danger to people . Never been reprimanded for it though.


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## henry1

Sorry but that last line about an apology was put in as a joke but the imoji did not work, in those days you were lucky to get a C/E in the engine room, it made me go down when needed when I was Chief though.


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## Varley

Well, we all had a marshall's baton in out knapsacks but I was fortunate enough NOT(!)
to experience that myself although I can think of exactly that pressure put on chiefs by supers. I may have even precipitated that on one occasion when I devised a way of lighting of a gas generator below proper ignition speed (because the starter pumps were both defective. Whilst they started they did so improperly, a 'Hot Start' (in this case a mighty whoosh - obviously not good and hardly suggesting we could continue doing it) Seatrain then pressurised the chief to sail and we did so leaving from Charlestown for Le Havre with the possibility that we could not restart should we lose either or both engines.


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## dannic

ChathamChavs said:


> Take one genny off the board , then stop the load genny , guilty!! What about the Oil Mist Detectors ? Told by one Chief Engineer to modify circuit to just sound alarm and not slow the Main Engine down as he didn't trust them. Best one was a mobile air compressor used for deck chipping machines which kept tripping on overheat . A well known Silver Line Chief Engineer (came from Newcastle and hated Suvveners ) decreed from the bar that it was an electrical fault and I was ordered to short the switch out . The 2/E (also a Suvvener) raised his eyebrows and said do it . A little while later an enormous BANG and masses of smoke ......


Wonderful Aframax tanker Al Ain, 3 Bergen gennsets, the lamp above the switchboard section for each engine was direct connected. So when you stopped the off-load engine the lamp on the switchboard went out.....except sometimes so did all the other lamps! 
Dannic


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## P.Arnold

Valvata June/July 72 total black out for two or three days.

Joined in Cadiz drydock. Then to Bonny for loading, bound Curaçao.
Off Dakar, course alteration. Black out. Emergency gen would not go on the board.

Advice sought from Shell Centre. Me using em transmitter and sending receiving via the Donavania which was enroute for Bonny.

We had a deck cadet Nicholas Nixon, son of David Nixon. He was asked on numerous if he could work his dad’s magic.

We also had 6 wives on board, what! No showers.

Eventually we received info suggesting an error by shipyard.

And so we eventually got away.

That was the gist, there were other problems the engineers had to cope with, when you are without electricity. And without a lecky.


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## Jim Copson

Once blacked out one of Cunard's banana boats. The Saxonia was the ex Maritime Fruit Carriers Gladiola. Just got FWE and was in the process of taking off one of the two running generators, got distracted by a phone call from the bridge. Procedure was: reduce load to zero, trip breaker, trip excitation breaker, allow engine to cool for ten minutes then shut down. Got as far as tripping the main breaker when the phone rang. Phone call ended, I then turned around to the switchboard and tripped the excitation on the running machine. Cost me a case of beer


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## duquesa

*Blacking the ship out*



norm.h said:


> Homeward bound from West Africa in 1959, on the North Cornwall.
> 4 cylinder Doxford, steam auxiliaries and engine driven pumps.......
> 
> One evening not long after I’d come on watch, the main switchboard breaker tripped, and everything blacked out.
> After an hour or so, we got everything back to normal and pressed on, but the following evening the same thing happened, and after much head scratching the Old Man and the Chief decided the power failure coincided with switching on the radar at dusk, and as there was nobody aboard experienced to repair the radar fault, came up with this solution.
> 
> When the Third Mate was about to switch on the radar he’d telephone me. I’d go to the main switchboard and physically hold the main breaker in. Once the radar was up and running, he’d give a swift tinkle on the engine-room telegraph to say all was well.


Any master who condoned only switching on his radar at dusk thoroughly deserves to have his ship blacked out permanently. What an imbecilic procedure. Radars are for use ALL the time.


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## Tim Gibbs

*Darkness descends on the City of Poona - again*

The 3 generators were arranged fore/aft against the ship side and when you looked at them they were numbered 3 to 1 left to right but when when you faced the switchboard they were numbered 1 to 3 left to right. Not very clever but in normal cir***stances not really a problem. 
However, one night on watch I had 3 on light load and I had just put most of the load on 1 to check out something.
Soon after, I caught that well known smell of things electrical burning and a quick look down from the switchboard showed some smoke and a few sparks from the commutator of number 3. How convenient I thought that I could quickly throw all the load onto 1 - which of course would have been a good quick solution. What a pity that in my haste all the load went back onto 3 resulting in a very spectacular catherine wheel of molten solder and copper from the commutator but it did at least provide me with the only illumination available on the ship for a while!


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## dannic

Jim Copson said:


> Once blacked out one of Cunard's banana boats. The Saxonia was the ex Maritime Fruit Carriers Gladiola. Just got FWE and was in the process of taking off one of the two running generators, got distracted by a phone call from the bridge. Procedure was: reduce load to zero, trip breaker, trip excitation breaker, allow engine to cool for ten minutes then shut down. Got as far as tripping the main breaker when the phone rang. Phone call ended, I then turned around to the switchboard and tripped the excitation on the running machine. Cost me a case of beer


Al Ain, aframax tanker with ADNATCO, Bergen DGens had a fluorescent lamp above each switchboard section direct connected to alternator - so when taking off load the lamp would flicker, go out and then come back on again as engine stopped. If you werent paying attention, very easy to take wrong dgen off load without realising until all the lights had gone out!!
Dannic.


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## k.atkinson

*Blackouts I have known or caused*​While on the _Wandby_ which had an open 220volt switchboard I noticed flames coming from a holding-on coil for one of the generator breakers. Before it could spread, I pressed the breaker trip button which cut off the electricity which was overheating the insulation and causing the flames. Then after a mighty intake of breath I blew with gusto on the flames and extinguished them. With the minimum of damage, the coil was replaced and all was well once again.
_Norse Viking_ being a new ship, classed as UMS with its automation although we were operating traditionally was beyond the experience of our near retirement senior chief John Smeatham. I had sailed with him on the _Wandby_ where he rarely entered the engine room. During one breakdown he came down in uniform for a short while standing by the switchboard observing events. I used to take up the log book to him at noon after which he re-wrote the contents in beautiful copperplate which I found out while studying for my certificates was pointless effort as a Court of Enquiry would only be interested in the original. On one occasion he came into the Control Room after breakfast where we were gathered when we had a black out. He looked at us all not moving and not comprehending while with the remote noises another generator started and stand-by pumps came on line. When this sequence had completed, we went round changing the auto-switches. While I respected him, I thought it was unintentionally cruel of the company to send him to this ship beyond his experience.

Midway in the Pacific while on the _Welsh City_, my junior and myself were both in the workshop with me driving the lathe. Into the workshop came the serang saying “sahib, sahib fire coming”. As we realised a diesel alternator had flames at the top with four of the crew in a line with fire extinguishers at the ready waiting for my arrival to take charge. While my junior went to phone the bridge I took an extinguisher, climbed the platform and stopped the engine thus putting the lights out and everything stopped as there was no electricity but the fire was no longer being fed by fuel from the broken pipe spraying onto the exhaust. I nearly had the fire out with one extinguisher when the crew started spraying foam from all extinguishers. It then took the third two days and the electrician three days to clean up ready for service again.
Arriving in Geelong with the _Devon City _on time and another ship having just gone on the berth the shippers would be liable for demurrage so the obvious decision was made and the cargo surveyor failed the holds so they had to be recleaned, sealed and methyl bromide gas applied to kill any insects by fumigation. We all had to stay ashore for about four days in an hotel with the rooms opening on to the swimming pool. The usual activity was wake-up watch cartoons, breakfast, more cartoons and swimming. My activity varied a little as in charge of electricity generation I had to black the ship after making sure that the air bottles were fully charged before shutting the valves and leaving with the agent for the hotel. Once the gas had permeated the holds for three days and hopefully not the accommodation I had to return, climb the gangway, open the locker, don my boiler suit and breathing apparatus, grab torch, shifter and wheel key. In the quiet, eery darkness I descended opened the air bottle, started a diesel generator, connected it to the switchboard and breakers for ventilation to accommodation and holds before replacing what I had used in the locker and returning to the hotel. A number of hours went by to clear the gas before the mate went to open the holds and the fumigation firm checked the accommodation and holds before the rest of us regretfully returned. 
The _Egidia _had just come out of dry-dock the fire & smoke damage was still visible in the engine room and the hidden effects became apparent when we tried to leave. Being used to manoeuvring Doxford, B&W, & Sulzer engines this one, being a Gotaverken, had a large wheel instead of levers. The Chief answered the 1st telegraph movement, started the engine & ascended the adjacent stairs. As he vanished out of sight, I answered STOP on the telegraph & rotated the wheel to stop. As expected, the engine stopped but what I was not expecting was the lights to go out. Regardless of training & experience the first thought is “what have I done?” then I realised I could not be the author. The ship tied back up & the generator fuel supply was drained, cleaned & tested before we could be let loose again.
While fixing a problem on the _Ringnes _the details of which are lost it was decided to create a blackout. The captain decided to come and observe so as he descended the first ladders, I pressed the button and everything went dark and silent apart from air and water leaks. Surprisingly he turned and quickly ascended the ladders to daylight away from our eery world.


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## Varley

Your experience on Egidia and the fire and smoke damage.

A very small amount of electrical insulation of 'consumed' by fire can 'evolve' a large amount of hydrochloric acid. Mixed with the condensation/damp this can cause serious damage including to structural steelwork. Unless the entire area subject to the gases from a fire are properly cleaned the acid attack may continue.

I cannot remember the title of the Swedish (I think) pamphlet giving cleaning guidance and how to test surfaces for ongoing attack but should you be unfortunate enough to experience such a fire (as anyone with a Sunderland Forge switchboard is likely to have!) it is well worth discovering and following.


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## Peter Hewson

Stulken Derek`s, The first Strick Line Ship to have one, (Shahristan?). Also had a beautifully Hand lettered sign in the Deck office, requiring the Deck dept, to give 1/2hrs warning. before firing the "beast" up!!!. When I went to Adventurer (T&J Harrison). I had a similar one made up. That one would take out 2 alternators, if they fired up all at once!.

Pete


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## loco

First black out-when deck cadet crossing the Pacific, a cooling water pipe on the running genny sheared and covered the windings with water. Went to the bridge as that was my emergency position, and when it was explained by the 3/E what had happened and power would be back 'soon', the Old Man asked me to put the kettle on whilst we were waiting for the engine.....We had shore based engineers ride with the ship on the return journey to totally strip and re-wind the genny.

Second time-still deck cadet-off the Falls southbound, genny over speeded and threw just about everything off the board, Damaged some circuits, but fortunately only bound to Newhaven, so had repair done there.

Third time-3/O on watch, we'd just gone 'full away' southbound from New York after dropping the pilot, and with the 'QE2' overtaking us a mile or so away, engine cadet took the working genny off the board instead of the one being shut down after running as back-up during the outward stand by.

Duquesa-wish I could say more on a public forum about a Master forbidding the use of the radar AT ANY TIME unless he specifically gave permission. This did not include nights 'deep sea'. As first trip third mate, I was a bit green over this contravening Company standing orders, but soon learned!

Martyn


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## LTS

Not exactly blacking out but this is the quickest and easiest way to keep the top plates clean


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## Jim Glover

I was Third Engineer aboard a Shell VLCC tanker discharging cargo in Singapore on the afternoon 12-4 watch in the 1970's.4 cargo pumps discharging cargo and boiler on full load. Suddenly all the boiler fires went out due to the fuel oil not at the correct viscosity. Only a couple of engineers appeared on sounding the alarm rest were ashore. The problem was found to be that the viscotherm had been switched off accidently, how this happened nobody seemed to know. When the 2nd Engineer took over the 4-8 watch I had to transfer fuel up to the generator service tank. This was achieved by using an air operated reciprocating transfer pump. The air hose supplying the power to the pump had been wrapped round a pipe in the vicinity of the fuel oil viscotherm unit. Due to the pulsations of the hose during pumping of the fuel the hose had come into contact with the switch for the viscotherm and switched it off. The reason for us blacking out discharging cargo,still remember the incident 50years later.


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## John Gowers

Got to admit I blacked out my second ship, the Eurofreighter, in port I took a lube oil sample from the diesel gennie and and turned the sample cock the wrong way got a sample but vented the pressure to the lub oil shut down and the ship went black. Cost me a round of beers in the bar.


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## Varley

I am pleasantly surprised the Paxman was operational!


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## Peter Hewson

Varley said:


> I am pleasantly surprised the Paxman was operational!


The Lindohlman build TOR ships had a hatch in the Deck through which the Paxmans would pass.? Did the builder know something we did not, as we found later.? Actually to be fair, we had more trouble with the "electric" end than the Paxman`s. Despite throwing a rod through the crankcase on one occasion. There was at least 2 burn-outs recorded.

Pete


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## John Gowers

I spent about 20 months seatime on the box boats and must say I never saw a mechanical problem with the Paxman's, maybe I was lucky. Mind you they were only run in port and stand bys. Only electrical problem was one of them went online line a bit out of sync and caused a bit of damage which was repaired I think by a makers man its was almost 50 years ago so don't remember the details.


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## rogd

John Gowers said:


> I spent about 20 months seatime on the box boats and must say I never saw a mechanical problem with the Paxman's, maybe I was lucky. Mind you they were only run in port and stand bys. Only electrical problem was one of them went online line a bit out of sync and caused a bit of damage which was repaired I think by a makers man its was almost 50 years ago so don't remember the details.


Was your makers man the famous 'Percy Paxman'
He was a regular visitor to the British Centaur!!


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## Burntisland Ship Yard

Jim Glover said:


> I was Third Engineer aboard a Shell VLCC tanker discharging cargo in Singapore on the afternoon 12-4 watch in the 1970's.4 cargo pumps discharging cargo and boiler on full load. Suddenly all the boiler fires went out due to the fuel oil not at the correct viscosity. Only a couple of engineers appeared on sounding the alarm rest were ashore. The problem was found to be that the viscotherm had been switched off accidently, how this happened nobody seemed to know. When the 2nd Engineer took over the 4-8 watch I had to transfer fuel up to the generator service tank. This was achieved by using an air operated reciprocating transfer pump. The air hose supplying the power to the pump had been wrapped round a pipe in the vicinity of the fuel oil viscotherm unit. Due to the pulsations of the hose during pumping of the fuel the hose had come into contact with the switch for the viscotherm and switched it off. The reason for us blacking out discharging cargo,still remember the incident 50years later.


How many cases of Tiger Beer / Tennan'ts did it cost you......................


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## John Gowers

Hi Rogd no idea the job was ongoing when I joined. Worst engine I sailed with must be Pielstick I became an expert in changing and overhauling T/Bs due to the exhaust valves dropping off and getting stuck in the T/Bs, that was on the Stena Hispania. But not as bad the gennies on the BP Vigour, Diahatsui I think, which ran on heavy oil (who ever came up with that idea should have been shot) also dropped exhaust valves regularly. The engines would have been ok if they had just ran on Marine Diesel


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