Stan, that wasnt me in the cylinder. I was a Second Engineer when the photograph was taken. The honours for those kind of jobs went to the junior engineer. The junior would either do it himself or get an engine room rating to do it.                                                                          

The above is photograph of a main engine Fresh Water Circulation pump. Ships engines are cooled by freshwater because of the corrosion effects of seawater. Seawater and the engine coolant are pumped through a heat exchanger in two seperate systems. The seawater cools the engine coolant.

Most ships do have two sea-water pumps. They also have a general service sea-water pump which can be used if both sea-water pumps are out of commission. The fluid in the bottle is a zinc mixture which keeps the galleris clean in the heat exchanger. Also, there are zinc cathodes fixed  inside the heat exchanger. These are replaced evey one to two months. I have some photographs of heat exchangers but I cant seem to locate them. Perhaps later when I find them.

 A little piece of information for old sea dogs follows:

Why is a Ship Called "she"?

A ship is called "she" because,

There is always a great deal of bustle around her;

There is usually a gang of men around her;

She has a waist and stays;

Her rigging cost's more than her hull;

It takes a lot of paint to keep her looking good;

It is not the initial expense that breaks you,

It’s the upkeep;

She can be all decked out;

It takes an experienced man to handle her correctly;

And without a man at the helm,

She is absolutely uncontrollable;

She has her topsides, hides her bottom and,

When coming into port,

She always heads for the buoys.

We always call a ship a "she" and not without a reason.
For she displays a well-shaped knee regardless of the season.

She scorns the man whose heart is faint and doesn't show him pity.
And like a girl she needs the paint to keep her looking pretty.

For love she'll brace the ocean vast, be she a gig or cruiser.
But if you fail to tie her fast you're almost sure to lose her.

On ships and dames we pin our hopes, we fondle them and dandle them.
And every man must know his ropes or else he cannot handle them.

Be firm with her and she'll behave when skies are dark above you.
And let her take a water wave - praise her, and she'll love you.

That's why a ship must have a mate; she needs a good provider.
A good strong arm to keep her straight, to comfort her and guide her.

For such she'll brace the roughest gales and angry seas that crowd her.
And in a brand new suit of sails no dame looks any prouder.

The ship is like a dame in that she's feminine and swanky;
You'll find the one that's broad and fat is never mean and cranky.

Yes ships are ladylike indeed, for take them altogether
the ones that show a lot of speed can't stand the roughest weather.d them.

My first Ship:     CITY OF WORCESTER, Middlesbrough Dock, 15 April 1963
(5074214) Ellerman Lines Ltd., Liverpool, 7149gt, completed by Caledon S.B. & E. Co. Ltd., Dundee, 9-1960. 1979 MARIA DIAMANTO (Greece), 1982 CAPE GRECO (Cyprus), damaged by stranding 11-1982, 1983 broken up.

The City of Delhi. Originally launched as the City of Winnipeg. I joined her in early December 1970. My first christmas away from home. She had been on charter to Ben line, and when I arrived was still in Ben line livery and called the Benedin. There wasnt anyone in the docks who knew this. I spent two hours trying to find the City of Delhi.

CITY OF WINNIPEG, Middlesbrough Dock, 14 April 1965
(5074202) Ellerman Lines Ltd., Liverpool, 7716gt, completed by Caledon S.B. & E. Co. Ltd., Dundee, 3-1956. 1968 BENEDIN (British), 1970 CITY OF DELHI (British), 1976 FEXL GLORY (Liberia), 1980 broken up.

CITY OF EASTBOURNE.

This was one of my favourite ships. She was built in 1961. Had Sulzer RD92 Engine. She sailes as quiet as a mouse. A beautiful ship.

Have you seen the reports that the 113,000 ton Crown Princess listed so far to the right that it wrecked the interior and had to return to port in Florida?  They say it was 'a steering fault'.  I always thought these floating hotels looked top heavy.  Serious stuff.....

http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/review.cfm?ShipID=347

I wouldn't like to be the bloke who designed her.....   Wonder how they will get round this one and what are the implications for similar designs?

Princess Cruises have issued a statement:

The statement: "Initial reports are that a number of passengers did sustain serious injuries. There are also numerous reports of injuries such as cuts, bruises and fractures. We are currently assessing the full extent of passenger injuries, and have returned the ship to Port Canaveral to transfer the more seriously affected passengers to a medical facility ashore.

"We deeply regret this incident, and are doing everything we can to make our passengers as comfortable as possible under these difficult circumstances.

"We are also investigating the cause of the ship's sudden list, which is unknown at this time. We can confirm that the watertight integrity of the ship has not been compromised, and it is safe for passengers to remain onboard while the ship is alongside in Port Canaveral.

"The cruise will be terminated in Port Canaveral, and arrangements are being made to return the passengers home. A full refund will be given to passengers, together with a full reimbursement of any additional expenses.

"We will provide details about the next cruise after we are able to fully evaluate the situation."

I've always had my doubts about the amount of freeboard these ships have.  They are limited as to draught because of entering ports and the design imperative of giving as many passengers as possible sea views.  The way I've always looked at it is that container ships have the same problem but do not load to anything like the height of these gin palaces.  The centre of gravity must be higher and it makes you wonder what is needed to make them unstable.  It sounds as though a steering fault initiated the list which must have been serious.  One passenger said it laid on its side, there have certainly been casualties.  Can you imagine the midnight oil that is being burned and you can bet your bottom dollar that some engineer somewhere who lost the design battle on the compromise between safety and packing as many passengers in as possible is at this moment saying "I told you!  But would you listen?"

The last trip...........

I still have shipmates who are seeing their last days out at sea. The picture above is one that was sent to me from an Engineer with SAFmarine. I very much doubt he will be sailing much longer.

The SA Agulhas aground off the Western Breakwater at East London. The entrance channel is in the forground and is between the viewer and the short pier visible with its fixed beacon in the picture. In recent years several ships have been stranded in this position - all of them still there. The Agulhas would seem to be the latest victim of the unmanned engine room scenario so many ships now operate under. Minimal manning means that the engine room is frequently not manned at all once the engines have been started and run up to operating temperature. This, in turn, means that the "running maintenance" that used to be done by the oilers and greasers is also no longer carried out - and engine failure due to undetected minor problems suddenly becoming big ones is becoming a more frequent problem. When an engine fails and cannot be restarted in a position where the ship is close to the shore, the results can be very expensive indeed.

Here's a rare pic for you.  This pic was taken by Peter Wells who was factor for Keith Schellenberg at the time, the owner of the Isle of Eigg.  This is one of the last of the Clyde Puffers, the Glenlight line's 'Pibroch' at Eigg Pier in the late 1980s.  'Lovers of the finer details are advised that she is 151 grt, 70 nrt, she has a length of 87 feet and breadth of 20 feet. Her hold capacity for grain is 82 cu ft and bale 79 cu ft. She has a load draught of 9ft 6ins and light draught of 6ft 6ins She is capable of 10 knots.' 

If you've never come across the puffers before, here's a brief explanation from Wykepedia:  'The Clyde puffer is essentially a type of small steamboat which provided a vital supply link around the west coast and Hebrides islands of Scotland, stumpy little cargo ships that have achieved almost mythical status thanks largely to the short stories Neil Munro wrote about the Vital Spark and her captain Para Handy. Characteristically these boats had bluff bows, crew's quarters with table and cooking stove in the focsle, and a single mast with derrick in front of the large hold, aft of which the funnel and ships wheel stood above the engine room while the captain had a small cabin in the stern. When publication of the Vital Spark stories began in 1905 the ships wheel was still in the open, but later a wheelhouse was added aft of the funnel giving the puffers their distinctive image. Their flat bottom allowed them to beach and unload at low tide, essential to supply remote settlements without suitable piers. Typical cargoes could include coal and furniture, with farm produce and gravel sometimes being brought back.
The puffers developed from gabberts, small single masted sailing barges which took most of the coasting trade. The original puffer was the Thomas, an iron canal boat of 1856, less than 66 ft (20 m) long to fit in the Forth and Clyde Canal locks, powered by a simple steam engine without a condenser so that it "puffed" with every stroke. As it drew fresh water from the canal there was no need to economise on water use. By the 1870s similar boats were being adapted for use beyond the canal and fitted with condensers so that they no longer puffed, but the name stuck. A derrick was added to the single mast to lift cargo. From this basic type of puffer three varieties developed: inside boats continued in use on the Forth and Clyde canal, while shorehead boats extended their range eastwards into the Firth of Forth and westwards as far as the Isle of Bute and from there up the length of Loch Fyne, their length kept at 66 ft (20 m) to use the canal locks. Both these types had a crew of three. Puffers of a third type, the outside boats, were built for the rougher sea routes to the Hebrides islands with a crew of four and the length increased to 88 ft (27 m) still allowing use of the larger locks on the Crinan Canal which cuts across the Kintyre peninsula. There were more than 20 builders in Scotland, mainly on the Forth and Clyde canal at Kirkintilloch and Maryhill, Glasgow. During World War I these handy little ships showed their worth in servicing warships, and were used at Scapa Flow, and for World War II the Admiralty placed an order in 1939 for steamships on the same design, mostly built in England, with the class name of VIC. After the war a number of VICs came into the coasting trade.
The Innisgara was fitted with an internal combustion engine in 1912, and while puffers generally were steam powered, after World War II new ships began to be diesel engined, and a number of VICs were converted to diesel. The coasting trade to serve the islands was kept up by the Glenlight Shipping Company of Greenock until in 1993 the government withdrew subsidies and, unable to compete with road transport using subsidised ferries, the service ended.'

Somewhere in my archive I have a pic of the remains of a puffer lodged in a sea cave on the Est cost of Eigg.  I shall go and seek it out.