"Full Ahead" - the Bridge. Part 2

This is the second part of the MV Doulos bridge.  Read Part 1 if you missed it.  I have had many memories and stories about my former workplace from helmsman throwing up into a bucket (or over the side, "yucks"), to new helmsman steering the ship in a snake-like path.  I'll post those stories up in another time.

As I've mentioned before, the Doulos bridge is very old.  Most of the fittings and style were left 'as-is' from the Medina and the newer bits were added along the way.  At times when I walked her passage ways and working areas, I inadvertently felt whether she could still hold.  But the Doulos was strong!  Well, reporting for duty means entering from the boat deck into the Deck Office.

Deck department office. - www.doulos1914.blogspot.com

I would have to walk past the office and climb up a short flight of stairs and passing the captain's cabin, I come to another stairwell which lead me to the bridge.  If it's in a day watch, you would hear the usual conversation between deck watchmen and the officer on duty.  Quite the opposite, the night watches were a little 'toned down'.  You'd hear the radar and radio units quite clearly with the 'whirring' of electrical fans in the background - plus some chattering by those on duty.

www.doulos1914.blogspot.com

A scenario of what watch-keeping looks like.  Two 'look-outs' alternate being on the helm every hour for the duration of the watch under the supervision of a duty officer. - www.doulos1914.blogspot.com

Notice in the picture above, prior to the conversion of the ship's electrical power from DC to AC systems, the bulkhead behind the helmsman position is still lined with electrical cables.  These would be discarded during the major electrical project to upgrade the vessel in accordance to the maritime rules and regulations.

 Behind the helm position is the chart room. Another radar unit and other essential navigation equipment are located here.  Not forgetting the all-important coffee machine. - www.doulos1914.blogspot.com

 Look at those wires - most of it has been there since the 'Roma' and the 'Franca C'   www.doulos1914.blogspot.com

Another view of the wiring and cables aboard the MV Doulos.  To my left is a Marconi Radio Beacon Locator. - www.doulos1914.blogspot.com

Here's what the Doulos bridge looked like after the electrical conversion project a few months after I had left the ship.

 The chart room looks more 'sharper' now.    - www.doulos1914.blogspot.com

 Equipped with computerised Chart plotter. What a change from my earlier days. - www.doulos1914.blogspot.com

The wires and cables are out of sight!   - www.doulos1914.blogspot.com

Look at those gauges on the top bulkhead. - www.doulos1914.blogspot.com

My former cabin, near the "No Entry" sign, the cabin with the porthole.  I was a Deck Cadet then.  Provided by www.ssmaritime.net

"Piloting" the ship, (a term commonly used by professional mariners) from this vantage point was quite steep learning experience for me.  I have served under a number of Chief Officers, 2nd Mates and two Masters (captains).  From coffee-making, polishing the brass wares, sweeping the decks to supervision of new helmsman, 'shooting' the stars and downright navigational duties.  I felt I was part of her history and pitching to high seas.  When I first came aboard, It took me three months to get over my seasickness - then I was enjoying riding the waves as she went, be it under the heat or in the driving rain outside.  More stories coming up!  Look ahead.  Something is on the horizon.  Feel free to leave comments and let's enjoy sharing.

- www.doulos1914.blogspot.com

Unscheduled Events - 1990.

Joining the the MV Doulos was the biggest milestone in my life - new environment, new people and tons of things to learn!  Leaving the port of Phuket itself was a big 'eye-opener' for me (I'll share that some other time) - such a culture shock.  The Straits of Malacca was a welcomed sight and calm seas as I stood on watch on the Bridge.  Our next stop?  The port of Penang, also known as "Pearl of the Orient."

As news of the invasion of Kuwait by oil big-league Iraq on the 2nd of August, 1990 reached our ears, well in short, it didn't matter much to me.  The war was "far away."  We soon entered port on the 3rd of August.  I never dreamt that one day I would be here again (the last time was in 1983.)  We berthed next to a British frigate as I could see the Royal Navy flag at the stern of the ship and spotting huge characters, F89. 

I took this picture as a RN seaman looked at me. - www.doulos1914.blogspot.com

The 'surprised' look that reflected from the british sailors were akin to saying, "Where did she come from?"  I think what they meant was, "Wow!  She's old!!"

'HMS Battleaxe'.  Photo credits to David Page - www.navyphotos.co.uk

Captain Richard Prendergast was captain of the Doulos and Chief Officer Mike O'Reilly was our First Mate together with Kim (S.Korea) and Sammy Salazar (Philippines) as our 3rd Mates.  Our captain was in the Royal Navy for 20 years so,..yes you're right - he went over to the Battleaxe not long after we docked.  Ship visits were very common among seamen as we travelled around the world, especially when it's our fellow countrymen, a 'get-together' is never far off.  I did that.

When we arrived, family members and friends of the Battleaxe crewmen were there to spend R & R with them but unfortunately (as we were told), a few days into their holiday, they were recalled and had to set course for the Gulf right away.  But not after I've had a chance to go aboard for a 'look-see' - we were only allowed on the helicopter deck.  Good enough!  After loading up with supplies the Battleaxe left port, we waved our 'goodbyes' and later it was our turn to 'sweep' the roadside stalls of Penang for food!!  "Burp!"

"Full Ahead" - the Bridge. Part 1

- www.doulos1914.blogspot.my

We have journeyed so far, yet still so much to discover.  If you missed my previous posts, do click Two Years After the Titanic to read them.  And now, continuing past the waterline and up we go to the place where you'd hear commands passed and repeated back between officer and watchmen - where most newly joined deckhand wants to be.  The Doulos bridge - the heart of navigating the still and stormy waters.

Traditionally called the quarterdeck, where only officers or high-ranking personnel and appointed seamen stood during watches.  On this deck, parties and occasional ceremonies were held only for the selected few.  The place was a respected and well-regarded cove.  Most people would be familiar with Captain Barbossa and Jack Sparrow from the well-known Hollywood movie, standing there and shouting out commands - that would be from the quarterdeck.  As ship designs and steering systems evolved throughout the seafaring age, the helmsman's position and quarterdeck, merged and raised higher in order to have an elevated position in which to commandeer a vessel.

- provided by www.ssmaritime.net

The helmsman who steered the ship would be in the wheelhouse and the officer would be on the bridge.  Helm orders were ‘passed down’ to the enclosed wheelhouse (where the helmsman operated the ‘wheel’) and repeated back for verification.  This practice is still used till today.  It serves as a ‘safety-indicator’ that orders were understood and duly executed.  In the old days, some bridge were the ‘open-air’ type - they were exposed to the physical elements.  But gradually, commands could be issued from a sheltered enclosure. These two positions would later merge as one which the term used interchangeably known as pilot house, or bridge.

The all-brass and wooden compass binnacle and the modern joystick 'wheel.'

www.doulos1914.blogspot.my

In larger powered-motor vessels, engine commands would be relayed to the engineer in the engine room by an engine telegraph which displayed the captain's (or duty officer’s) orders on a dial.  There would be two ‘dials’ - one on the bridge and the other, down in the engine room.  The central command of a ship lies in the bridge itself.  All ship navigation and controls are handled from the bridge where the duty officer and his bridge team make and issue commands to ensure a safe voyage possible.

www.doulos1914.blogspot.my

The Doulos bridge is no different from the others.  Well,...only one fact.  Unless there is another one outside a museum, and floating - it is old and (if not for certification sake) still functions.  As mentioned in my post Underway - 1914, the compass binnacle was acquired for another ship that time, but it was put on the SS Medina instead.  The ship was christened in 1914 and logically speaking, the binnacle would had been made earlier.  This would make it (other than the hull itself) one of few items that were originally fitted on the Medina as she launched off the dock that year.
Underneath the coats of paint and modern innovations that went ‘on top’ of each other, the bridge is like a historical strata of information and composite - much like a prized archeological artefact.  I can testify to this, as a deckhand chipping rust off the hull, applying primer and paint afterwards, the chunk of paint that came off was as thick as a piece of bread!

More to come!  Hope you're standing on the top of the mainmast, when you see land...you'll know my next post is not too far to wait!

The Riveted Hull.

"Full Away!"  And the order 'steady as she goes' is being repeated back as we see that rudder slowly responding to the command.  Where were we?  Right!  Thought I'd lost you at my last post the Back End.  But let me draw your attention to the most obvious - rivets!  They're all along the hull of the MV Doulos, it is the aesthetic part of her that cannot be hidden but only to marvel.

www.doulos1914.blogspot.my

Like the stern design of the Medina, so was the use of rivets on the construction of this ship.  Fastenings used in traditional wooden boat building, like copper nails and clinch bolts, work on the same principle as the rivet but were in use long before the term rivet came about.  Hence, that technology 'overlapped' into the steel and iron industry - those 'nails' just got bigger.

www.doulos1914.blogspot.my

A rivet is a permanent mechanical fastener. Before being installed a rivet consists of a smooth cylindrical shaft with a head on one end. The end opposite the head is called the buck-tail. On installation the rivet is placed in a punched or drilled hole, and the tail is upset, or bucked (i.e., deformed), so that it expands to about 1.5 times the original shaft diameter, holding the rivet in place.

Because there is effectively a head on each end of an installed rivet, it can support tension loads (loads parallel to the axis of the shaft); however, it is much more capable of supporting shear loads (loads perpendicular to the axis of the shaft). Bolts and screws are better suited for tension applications.  It is said that the older-riveted ships were more 'flexible' in rough seas than the modern welded hulls.

These are original riveting done when Medina was laid to keel in 1914.

You are looking at it in present times, how exciting! -  provided by www.ssmaritime.net

"Me" and Joe Saemala (Bosun). There was a little 'hole' we found this bilge section. We had it cut out and welded on with a new plate.  You can see the original construction using rivets in this photo. - www.doulos1914.blogspot.my

The story of the picture 'above' was that one day a few of us including myself was assigned to 'needle gun' the bilges in Hold No.1.  In other words to clear the area of rust, prepare the area concerned with coats of primer.  I was using the needle gun on a particular spot of thick rust and managed to remove a big chunk of it - there I noticed a dark, wet patch on the hull.  Sea water!  Mind you the Doulos was tied-up in port - that's the sea a few inches the other side of that steel plate!  "Oops!!"  I left that job for another.  We had it 'patched up' during dry dock in Hong Kong not long after that incident.  You can clearly see the rivets in the photo of the 'cutout'.

Hall of Names.  'Medina', just above the line and 'Franca C', behind the name 'Doulos'.  - www.doulos1914.blogspot.my

The three names of the ship from 1914 to 1977.  The name 'Roma' was not found here unfortunately.  It may have been 'painted' on the hull and replaced after that (we'll never know, but probably is), unlike the other 'three' which was welded on the hull.

The hull of the 'Medina' (MV Doulos 1991).  Hull thickness was astounding, it 'passed 'many certifications all through the years to continue sailing.  - www.doulos1914.blogspot.my

Today, in heavy steel fabrication, welding has almost completely replaced riveting as a means of making connections.  Welds require less preparation of the metal, do not reduce the effective cross-section, and take a minimum of space.  The miracle repeated itself year after year, one certification passed and then another - "Fit for service!"  The dock certifiers found that the thickness of the hull was still the same thickness of when it left Newport News in 1914!  Now that's a WOW!

The Back End.

One of the many 'interesting' features of the Doulos is the stern.  For those who are unfamiliar with nautical terms, the stern is the opposite of the bow.  No offense, we're all learning.  We have read in my other posts that the hull design dates back to the 1900's.  Not much have changed since the days it was built, except that more decks have been added and that the original bridge structure, raised higher.  The hull structure, Bridge, the propeller shaft and other fittings were the originals from the days of the Medina - the rest were added progressively during her years as a cruise liner.

The Olympic, sister ship of the Titanic.

In the picture above, most ships were built with the 'counter stern' design.  Other names for the counter stern include a "elliptical stern," in reference to its very long counter and "cutaway stern." The counter stern began use during the age of sail, but remained very popular for both merchant and warships well into the nautical age of steam and through the first eight decades of steamship construction (roughly 1840–1920), despite the fact that the design left the rudder exposed and vulnerable in combat situations, therefore the design gradually was replaced with the cruiser stern.

The 'Counter stern' of the SS Medina. - provided by www.ssmaritime.net

The deck where the two lines run through the 'fairlead' is the hull of the Medina. 

- provided by www.ssmaritime.net

Notice the hull plating riveted together in a longitudinal pattern and the four 'round eye' plates on the curvature of the stern (near the rudder post) , the same pattern as in the picture of the RMS Olympic, the sister ship of the RMS Titanic.  I cannot imagine enough to say again and again about the existence of such a living historical 'champion of the seas'.  Through the years, she has picked up bits of technological upgrades of between 1914 to 1977 and some upgrades again after that - all on the same hull.

Another view of the stern - www.doulos1914.blogspot.my

Those 'bollards' on the deck in the picture below probably dates back to the days of the Medina.  They look old and pretty worn and weathered!

1990. ME on the winch controls at Aft Mooring stations. - www.doulos1914.blogspot.my

Do not be left at the back end, but do come up forward to share any thoughts, or extra information if you have; in any case, anything that you've learnt so far.  Cheers!!

FIAT Diesels - the Italian Job.

As we pick up speed again after the brief encounter with some interesting articles, a remnant past, for your information, "We're still onboard the MS Franca C, and hope you've enjoyed the meals."  We go down to the hottest place on the ship, the Engine Room.  The 'coolest' time I've experienced being  down there was 34˚C!  And that was in Fremantle, Western Australia.  The outside temperature was 18˚C.  The usual temperature in the Engine room was usually about (in the tropics) 40˚C - 48˚C.  'Engine guys' please clarify!!

It was in La Spezia and the Ansaldo S.A. shipyards at Muggiano, her oil fired steam engines were replaced with a double-acting six-cylinder diesel, which was built by Fiat Grandi Motori Turin.  The Medina and Roma were powered by steam before this change.

provided by www.ssmaritime.net

Later in 1970 when she was renamed the Franca C, in Cantieri del Tirreno in Genoa, she was given her second brand new fiat diesel engines, a four stroke, 18-cylinder unit capable of 8,100 HP.  The Fiat Diesel engine was able to develop 4,200 HP that gave the ship a respectable speed of 15 knots.  This third engine is now the engine aboard the Doulos Phos (renamed when the MV Doulos was taken out of service).

Note the size of the 'spare' cylinders on the left.      - provided by www.ssmaritime.net

 Secondary manual engine controls. - provided by www.ssmaritime.net

As you see above, the things here are very old.  I think you'd only see these in a WWII epic movie like 'Das Boot' (The Boat).

'Top' starboard cylinder-heads. - provided by www.ssmaritime.net

 'Lower' engine casing.  - provided by www.ssmaritime.net

Engine gearbox, which turns the shaft to the propeller.  - provided by www.ssmaritime.net

In the above picture, this is the original shaft from the Medina built in 1914.  See my earlier post in 'Artefacts'.  One of my responsibilities as Deck cadet on the Bridge was to prepare the vessel to leave.  I would inform the Engine Room officer for a 'One hour notice'.  I'd run through my checklist (just like an aircraft pilot does).  One of the tests we do is the 'Test engines on Air' and 'Test engines on Fuel'.  When ready, the Engine personnel will call the Bridge and in less than a minute the whole ship begin to shudder as high pressured air is forced into the cylinders and in turn, turning the propeller while the ship is still tied up.  The same goes for 'Test engines on Fuel'.

provided by www.ssmaritime.net

As far as I recalled my time on board, we never run the engines to the max of 100 percent power - only 80 percent.  Owing to the fact that its 'ancient' factor put in, you don't want to run this 'old lady' flat out!  Our normal 'Full Away' speed was always (depending on sea conditions) within the vicinity of 10 - 12 knots.  For your pleasure of knowing, we recorded a maximum speed of 14 knots on our voyage from Taiwan to Korea, this was possible because we were steering to a 'running sea' as opposed to head seas.

Engine room exhaust ducts seen from above.       - provided by www.ssmaritime.net

When all the generators, machinery, and the Fiat engine are 'ON', it sounds like a jet engine!  Loud!!  The Engine room crew were exceptional.  They don't see what's outside, nor aware of what is going on in the Bridge, but yet these guys work and stand on 'stations' in extreme heat and sometimes sea sickness; awaiting commands which the only indicator is from the Engine Telegraph control - I salute the guys working down there!

Old switches.  - provided by www.ssmaritime.com

Do sign up to follow if you don't want to miss new posts as they appear.  Also, do check out a new page 'BRIDGE Logbook'.  It's a transcription of my logbook I found recently.  It highlights some of the things we faced during voyages.  Have a peek.

Ship's 'Taffrail Log' Saved.

Be reminded, as you are reading this, you are embarking on a journey with me on this "ship like no other."  And since our last encounter, as we turned the dials of time on our story on a Seth Thomas clock, we were served with a sumptuous meal from our discovery of menus from Franca C's Rapallo Restaurant.  Nothing can stop this ship from displaying her resolute character in surviving the 'hard-pitching' to head seas pounding her bow.  Hard as she can be just like my 'lignum vitae' block of hardwood.  Yes! We are still on the MS Franca C.  Jewel of the Atlantic sea in her time.  Hope that you still have your 'sea legs'!  But let me steer you to a next discovery.

Working in the Deck department at times brings me to certain areas where not many are familiar with.  And the best experiences were of course here on the Doulos.  She is a 'live specimen', a living museum.  Everywhere you go, the word is 'old'.  There was this day when we were cleaning up the steering gear compartment of all the bits and pieces of junk like disused metal parts, old fittings that belonged to the bygone days and....more junk.

After half a day sorting out the place we realised that there was a considerable pile of stuff we need to throw out.  As usual, being a curious person I looked through the pile.  One by one I worked on the pile like a little boy searching for a new toy.  And this boy found a new 'toy'.  I found an old ship's taffrail log.  It's heavy and made of brass.

www.doulos1914/blogspot.com

www.doulos1914/blogspot.com

The 'log' or simply called ship's log, is the modern equivalent of a car speedometer.  Before the days of GPS navigation a log was used to register the speed of a vessel moving through water.  A log consisting essentially of a rotator towed through the water by a braided log line attached to a distance-registering device usually secured at the taffrail, the railing at the stern - hence the name taffrail log.

www.doulos1914/blogspot.com

Again like my little research on my Seth Thomas clock, I faced difficulties in verifying its age and origin.  But incidentally I found a good website in dealing with antiques and old items.  See my post on 'Saving Seth Thomas'.

"Cherub Mark II" - www.doulos1914/blogspot.com

It was made by Thomas Walker & Son, Ltd of Birmingham, England whose name is synonymous with patent logs.  Cherub logs are one of the oldest and largest of all logs of Thomas Walker's distance measuring apparatus.

www.doulos1914/blogspot.com

This one's probably made for a Dutch vessel as many Thomas Walker logs were manufactured and sold to many countries.  The word 'Mijl' for 'mile' in English is seen printed on the log face.  According to reliable sources, the Mark II was made between the 1900 - 1930's.  This could probably be used on the Medina, or the Roma and Franca C.

On another finding, a fellow cadet officer while working the same job as mine but in another compartment called the baggage compartment, found an old brass ship's lantern and a 'gas detection oil lamp' - like the one used by miners.

My pile of rubbish could be one that has been accumulated through the years.  What a place to find a piece of history!  If you have anymore information on this Mark II or if you just want to comment on this post, do share and leave a comment.