Life after model shipbuilding

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

11th November, 2023

I have given up model shpbuilding, and taken to drawing them instead.    Advancing age was making things difficult.

I have finally completed the drawing of the City of Colombo   One of a class of four identical ships for the Ellerman Lines.      Drawing is a good substitute for model shipbuilding that has become more and more difficult with the passing years, and the dreadful allergy to glue fumes that I have developed in the last couple of years.    Fortunately, I have not missed model building at all, as the drawings fill the gap nicely and are less toxic or energy sapping.

It has always surprised me at how little interest is shown in merchant ship modelling by the model shipbuilding fraternity, whilst collectors cannot seem to get enough of them.    I stopped exhibiting them years ago, as they rarely got more than a casual glance, but a regular client thought nothing of flying across the Atlantic once a year to pick up several of them at a time.

[John W EParticipant @johnwe]

hi there Bob

That ship you have drawn was my very first ship that I sailed on – in the great year of 1974 and I have been looking for a good set of plans for her – have you done a deck profile drawing as well, so I can enlarge and copy your drawings, please?

John

 

 

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Hi John,

Thanks for reply.    Unfortunaely, I only had a profile plan to work from, and no deck plans at all.   The ship was built by Barclay Curle, so the plans have now fallen into the hands of the National Maritime Mueseum.   They could no doubt sell you copies, but they are so expensive that I never even ask them these days.    The plan that I have drawn is very accurate, as I had a profile from another source (book) to help me along.   As far as my plan is concerned, feel free to download  and copy it as you wish.    It will enlarge, as I drew it on a large sheet of white card, photographed it, and coloured it in on the computer.

Bob

 

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

I have now put the City of Colombo in a sea.   The sea is a photograph of the real sea superimposed on the drawing – 

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

I do think there were some beautiful ships built in the 1950s.  Lovely sheer the entire length of the ship and beautifully proportioned.  I sailed on a small box boat owned by Prince Lines called the Crown Prince, which was chartered to Ellermans and renamed the City Of Opporto for the charter.  Ten day round trips, Ellesmere Port, Gibraltar and Porto.  Great for getting a bottle and 200 fags home every ten days but backwards and forwards across the Bay of Biscay became a little tiring being bounced around like a cork in a 1500 ton box boat.  Only 12 crew in total though so a great atmosphere.

[Dave ReedParticipant @davereed72029]

A relative of mine also recalls an uncomfortable journey across the Bay of Biscay. On the way to serve at RAF Ismailia in 1951 (or thereabouts) the Devonshire broke down in heavy weather – airman vomit everywhere. Presumably the crew faired better. Not as good looking as City Of Colombo, even in publicity photo.

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

On the same ship, the City of Opporto, we once came out of Porto, past the breakwater and turned north to head back home.  We stopped!  Engine was on full power, prop was turning but the ship wasn’t moving.  The current was coming down the coast and was being concentrated off the end of the breakwater that it was strong enough to hold us still!

We had to head further out west before we could turn north again.

Just a shot of the ship, nothing like the raving beauty of the Columbo but a happy ship and technically quite advanced.  There were only three officers and a crewmember in the engine room so a lot of automation.  The next shot is a run across the Bay of Biscay.  Same every time.

 

 

 

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Interesting re the Devonshire.  In the early 1960s she was converted into a school ship and renamed Devonia. In Easter 1964 aged 16 I was on board her returning to the UK from the Med when we ran into a gale in the Bay of Biscay and had to heave to for around 8 hours with access to the outside decks forbidden.

I have 1:1250 scale metal models of the ship as Devonshire and Devonia. Photo of the latter below.

Colin

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Thanks for replies.    I am glad most of my career was spent in the old-type ships.    It was 16 years before I sailed in a ship with my own bathroom!    But I have NEVER been as uncomfortable at sea than in long-haul airliners that I found to be almost beyond endurance.   I haven’t flown much, but I hated it, and only flew if I couldn’t get out of it, and even then, someone else had to pay the fare.   Here is a similar ship to Devonshire, the Dilwara –  Conditions in troopships were pretty awful – My cousin went out in Devonshire on National Service.    Here is a flight that I did enjoy in the ship’s helicopter in the Falklands.   My ship (St Helena) in the centre , refuuelling and transferring stores to minecountermesures ships HMS Brecon and HMS Ledbury.   Finally, my first ship in 1961 – the SS Rhodesia Star – ex HMS Premier    I have never had any interest in warships –

 

Estero ex HMS Premier (Escort carrier) 12 passengers and general cargo UK to Australia – 

[James Hill 5Participant @jameshill5]

Lovely drawings as usual Bob, especially with the sea superimposed on the drawing.

Great hearing the stories from the ex seamen on here. My only claim would be the usual day trip to France you used to get in the 1960`s. The worst one being on a boat used on the run from Tower Bridge to Southend (Maid of the Channel I think ). We left from Margate and picked up at Dungeness only then to run into the worst storm in the channel for 20 years apparently. Spent all day facing the storm , not able to turn round till mid afternoon. Apparantly the Captains first trip. We had ambulances waiting when we got back to Margate. Even made it in the newspapers next day.

Never forgotten that trip.

Jim.

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

That’s a coincidence too JIm! The ship was the Queen of the Channel (II) and as a youngster my Uncles took me on one of the day excursions from Ramsgate (not Margate) to Calais. It was rough but the captain decided to go anyway. We did reach Calais and spent time ashore but the ship was really tossed about both ways and people were lying on the deck not caring if they lived or died while I was stepping over them with a packet of crisps. My Uncles had good sea legs and we visited the restaurant on the outward leg. One of the portholes had been left open for ventilation and we got a dollop of Channel on our table.

The Queen was an elegant looking vessel but shallow draught and very lively in any sort of sea.

Ship details here:

http://www.the-weatherings.co.uk/pccship0007.htm

Colin

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

Having spent all my former years on the North Atlantic, mostly on container ships, I think I’ve just about experienced the best it has to offer.

We used to do the old trick of stuffing our lifejackets under the outside edge of the mattress to force us against the bulkhead but I once sailed in a cabin where the bunk was transverse.  I was woken up one morning by being thrown out of bed lengthways.  I decided to go down to the galley and get a coffee.  That ship had a galley midships, then going to starboard was the duty mess, a pantry and then the officer’s mess, with a walkway through them all.  The cook was sat on the floor of the officer’s mess with his back against the starboard bulkhead.  Apparently the same wave took him off his feet in the galley and he didn’t stop until he hit the starboard bulkhead of the officer’s mess.  He was a little stunned.

I have also been in the machinery spaces when a spare cylinder head broke free of its fastenings and was sliding across the forward deck of the space, destroying pipework and structures.  We had to throw netting over it and try to tie it down between movements!

One of the best ones though was middle of the North Atlantic when a compressed air supply pipe to the port engine clutch broke away.  The engine over sped, because it was suddenly declutched, and whipped the pipe outwards where it decapitated the lube oil pipe to the port gearbox.  Lube oil was liberally sprayed over the entire port aft side of the engine room.  We had to stop to make repairs despite the old man screaming that he wanted to face into the weather before we stopped.  When we stopped the ship naturally slid round and sat beam on to the heavy waves.  I have never known rolling like it, one second we were standing on the ships side like it was a floor and the next we were laid with our backs on the gearbox.  While this rolling was going on and with everything covered in lube oil we had to repair the two pipes before we could get under way again.

I have quite a few such stories!  Tell that to a junior engineer on a cruise ship nowadays though and he thinks you are kidding him.

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

 

Those tall crise ship look like they could roll like that.   I had some fierce times in the North Atlantic where the derrick heels of a 10,000 ton ship were bent through ninety degrees.   Here they are cutting them away.  You can see the bends.   I was an eye-witness to the single wave that did it, and it was spectacular –  Also – shipping a green one earlier in the same storm –

 

 

 

[James Hill 5Participant @jameshill5]

Thankyou for that information Colin,  and to Bob and Richard for their stories.

I do remember on my excursion that the cross channel ferries were all in port because it was so rough. The first one we saw was around four o`clock in the afternoon and it was taking a fair old battering. I would love to have known what the conversations between shore and ship were like.

What made it even worse for us was ,we`d already had a 100 mile coach trip, starting at four in the morning to get to Margate and the coffee urn in the coach boot had fallen over, so had nothing left in it. Some of the lads took to Guiness for a drink ( at seven in the morning ).

I reckon we weren`t far short of a Del Boys jolly day out!!

Jim.

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

It really is great to hear all your exploits of your careers in the merchant navy, and i was so proud when my daughter decided she was going to join the merch, and gained a place at our local nautical training college plus sponsorship with a Japanese owned shipping company. But here is a darker side to that career!

Sadly however her career was cut awefully short by threats of the worst kind a lady could sustain from a male senior officer, and her career was finished one night whilst on watch half way across the Pacific.

The company wouldn’t do anything about his threats, although apparently this wasn’t the first time he had done similar. Her union wouldn’t because he was in the same union, and the British police couldn’t because the threats happened on a foreign owned ship, mid international waters.

Sadly she lost the will, failed her exams lost her sponsorship, and spent the next 5 years in depression.

Sadly other female friends of hers also told harrowing stories of their cadetships in foreign waters too.

When will this ever stop or end!!!

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

I think being realistic we have to accept that while we may consider such things deplorable in this country and many other countries around the world there still remain some countries where such behaviour is not just tolerated but is actively encouraged.  Dealing with that in an environment where there is such a grey area of legal jurisdiction is always going to be difficult.  Sadly such low lifes naturally tend towards an environment where they feel they can operate with impunity and a ship does frequently offer that.

I must say though I am very surprised and quite disgusted that the Union were so ineffective. So what, he was in the same union?  Since when has that ever given anyone immunity from procedings being taken?

The only advice I can suggest is that girl cadets look for a company that offers a high degree of support for them through thier career.  I have sailed with a good number of female cadets, both engineering and deck, with some progressing through the ranks.    Nowadays all cruise ships will be fitted with bridge recorders which record all machinery movements as well as telephone and spoken communications so there is a much more protection there.  There are also companys with very strong and effective HR departments that simply do not offer immunity to anyone and the slightest suggestion of anything innapropriate is investigated thoroughly.  Consequently the low lifes mentioned above simply do not work in such environments because they know they will never get away with thier behaviour.

Not surprisingly, as a retired senior engineering officer and ex cadet scheme officer, I would disagree with the comment that there is a darker side to that career.  I loved my career and thoroughly enjoyed every day of it and enjoyed more than anything helping cadets and junior officers along thier career paths.  I would agree that there is a darker side to some people and they hide in the best holes they can find so its up to everyone else to deal with them appropriately.

Obviously this is now long after the event but I don’t think a Union would get away with such a response nowadays.

I hope she went on to find a career that she was happy with and has found success.

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Neil,

That is a very sad story, and I hope your daughter has put it all behing her now and made success in another field.   I agree with everything Richard said in this respect.    I also have sailed with female cadets, who all qualified with no harrassment problems.   In fact the other officers would not tolerate such behaviou towards our ladies.   I sailed mainly in British registered ships, with two execeptions when I was loaned to two South African passenger liners for a year, and whose standards were as high as our own, where we all treated each other with respect.   Here are some of our ladies – I don’t think sea life today would suit me at all – 

 

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

i agree with you noth on my ill made statement about the merchant navy having a darker side…….should have said a minority of those who are in such a profession and think that females are a second class citizens are the ones who were the bad ones. her other officers and crew were very supportive , but he, a british officer got away with it……….had i been aboard, he’d have been overboard, one dark 12 – 04.00 watch.

 

She has slowly moved on, but i as a dad, have not, sad to say.

 

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