[BITList] Fw: ballast

[Malcolm]

The shipyard that I worked in got the job of converting an old tug that had
2 cylinder up and down steam engine into a modern diesel tug. This was to be
an experiment to find out if a diesel tug would do the job of towing  16 to
26 tom puddings down the cannels from the mines to Goole. Coal was then
loaded in ships and transported wherever.

 

The tug was completely stripped down to the hull and changed to the tug that
it became. The cabins were in the front and were separated with 2 bulkheads
that spanned 4 ribs so that it became one massive water tank right across
the vessel. This was for ballast to make up for taking out the Scots boiler.
That was not enough to get the tug down enough in the water so they had
designed right forward and aft she had large compartments full of burs (That
is what we called them) they were the round lumps that was pulled out of the
plates for the rivets. Labourers were 2 days barrowing them aboard  to fill
them up. Finally because she was still not enough down in he water, they
made all the engine rooms foot plates in three quarter ins steel.

 

When she was finished it was a good job and over the next year she proved
that a diesel tug could do everything that the old steam ones could do. It
had spent 6 months in the dry dock and 5 months in the yard. Seventy-five
per cent of the plans OK but the rest of the build had been planned with the
workers on the job. The draughtsmen came aboard to take stock and plans were
made of how she was really built. I was 18 years old when the job started
and 19 when she was finished so I did see her first year as a working ship
and just before I left and joined BI another shipyard got to build 15 more.
If any of you watched the Queens water parade down the Thames one of the
tugs was in it and they had the TV unit on her and made fuss of it.

 

Yes it would have been must cheaper to just design a new one at the start
but a lot of old farts had to be shown that a marine  diesel engine fitted
with a fluid flywheel could be thrown over from full ahead to full astern
like the old steamers could. Money was no problem as I have written before I
worked in a nationalised shipyard.

 

  _____  

From: bitlist-bounces at lists.bcn.mythic-beasts.com
[mailto:bitlist-bounces at lists.bcn.mythic-beasts.com] On Behalf Of
x50type at cox.net
Sent: 25 August 2012 14:14
To: BITList
Subject: [BITList] Fw: ballast

 

So - no one knows anything about ballast?

 

ct

 

From: x50type at cox.net 

Sent: Friday, August 24, 2012 7:04 AM

To: BITList <mailto:BITList at lists.bcn.mythic-beasts.com>  

Subject: ballast

 

Discussing over lunch yesterday container ship permanent ballast,
particularly the latest mega container ships.
One attendee opined that drilling mud was used.................as it was
heavy/dense. This was doubted by others because it is very expensive and
probably difficult to pump.
My research revealed little - there was mention of coal slurry.
Can anyone throw some light on this topic of permanent ballast?

Colin 

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