Doxford Marine Diesel Memories (1 Viewer)

[WillH]

Sailed on a B26 bulk carrier, same build. The Lynton Grange, good ship, great engine room.

 

[34127]

Any particular era or build? Here is an SD14 in about 1975. Where the ship is being fitted out is now all cleared, nice walks, university grounds and the glass centre.

View attachment 451983

Any era, would be interested in any pictures. Anyone remember the Wearfield that was part of Huntings and Sons fleet.

 

[Brains]

Any era, would be interested in any pictures. Anyone remember the Wearfield that was part of Huntings and Sons fleet.

29K DWT Bulker blt 1964 ?

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Brains]

Any particular era or build? Here is an SD14 in about 1975. Where the ship is being fitted out is now all cleared, nice walks, university grounds and the glass centre.

View attachment 451983

The first ship I ever sold was a 73 built SD14
The ex PATRICIA M

 

[Boringfrog]

Love this image.

 

[34127]

When I was a lad, a few years ago and more, I used to go fishing on the wear by the harbour masters house and remember the ships coming and going. So sad that it is no longer like that.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Boringfrog]

The turret deck ship SS Scottish Hero ready for launch at Doxford's in 1895. She was sunk by a U-boat in 1917.

Turret deck ships were designed and patented by Doxford's, advantages of that design included additional strength and lower canal tolls due to their smaller deck area.

 

[Boringfrog]

 

[makems]

I love these pictures. When Mrs Makems was a schoolgirl she was taken on many school trips to watch these ships being launched. As an adopted Mackenzie I remember driving over the Queen Alexandra bridge several times a week and watching the progress of the ships being built.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[csturnbull]

This is a spin off from the “This is an Engine” thread as it appears there are a couple of us on here who remember the mighty Doxford Marine Diesel engine and by giving the subject a thread of its own then it might reach a few others.

My own experience began as a fresh faced lad straight out of a motor trade apprenticeship who managed to join the Royal Fleet Auxiliary as a junior engineering officer. Having seen nothing bigger than a lorry engine my first visit to the ships engine room was totally embarrassing. I remember looking at this huge engine purring away in front of me and saying something stupid like “blimey that's a big engine, how fast does this ship go?” only to be told that the engine I was looking at was a generator,of which the ship had four, and that the main engine was the big grey thing I was casually leaning against. It was just not possible for me to comprehend that this gigantic structure that seemed to fill the whole cavernous engine room was in fact a single engine; but this was not any old engine; no, this was a six cylinder vertically opposed piston Doxford which I was later to fall in love with the way that only saddo engineers can.

Others have brought back memories of measuring bore wear and actually stepping inside the crank case to see how bad the lower piston glands were leaking, as well as the fuel valve set up and all the plumbing that went with it. To give people who have never seen the beast a flavour of its unique qualities it was possible to lie flat on top of one of the pistons (of which there were 12) and to go astern the engine was stopped and then re-started backwards, there 'aint many engines that can do that trick.

One of my favourite memories was, on promotion, being allowed to actually drive the thing, if you've never started a Doxford on 600 psi compressed air and settled her down to her 32 revs per minute “dead slow ahead” before leaving harbour and slowly accelerating to a full speed of 105 revs per minute then you have missed out on one of engineering's great joys.

So, if there are any more of you out there who would like to share a memory or two feel free to come back

Mr Tinca

Old thread I know but I was also a motor mechanic who joined Elder Dempster Lines in 1960. Yes I have also had the experience you mention moving out from Liverpool and moving out to the Mersey Bar then Full Away next stop Gran Canaria for fuel. Never tired of being in charge of all that horse power!! I sailed with quite a few Doxford and just one B&W.
Great days!!

 

[Brains]

Old thread I know but I was also a motor mechanic who joined Elder Dempster Lines in 1960. Yes I have also had the experience you mention moving out from Liverpool and moving out to the Mersey Bar then Full Away next stop Gran Canaria for fuel. Never tired of being in charge of all that horse power!! I sailed with quite a few Doxford and just one B&W.

Great days!!

Another Doxford thread here

 

[Boringfrog]

Another picture.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[2x2camper]

Another picture.View attachment 784754

My Dad used to work on the marking off table

 

[jockaneezer]

Another picture.View attachment 784754

That picture reminded me of an old boy I worked with who was in the engine room in the Merchant. His ship was putting into port over Newcastle/Sunderland way for repairs and he thought he could bunk off home back to Carlisle, but he was selected to assist the shore crew who were handling the overhaul. One of the local fitters had him hand scraping in some con rod bearings and he started off barely marking the bearings, the shore fitter shouted "Howay man, y'all nivver get home at this rate !" and handed him a massive scraper that he'd been pulling "potato peeling" sized shavings off his bearing with !

 

[Boringfrog]

Welders at William Doxford's Yard 20th August 1953. possibly one of these ships that were built before the photo was taken .

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}