Boatnerd Discussion Forum

Life in the Stokehold

“ The ship was a coal burner with three scotch boilers each with three furnaces and the working pressure was 220psi - 'on the blood' as it was referred to. This ship used to burn approximately 40 tons of coal per day. The major job after we sailed was one that never varied - dumping ashes. They were piled up on deck on the starboard side beside the Fiddley. Depending on how long you had been in port this could reach massive proportions and it was all hands shoveling them overboard. I became quite a dab hand with a shovel and even to this day can wield it well and put the contents exactly where I want. This shoveling stood me in good stead later on in the trip when several of the firemen, who were Arabs from South Shields, got sick and I was volunteered to work in the stokehold. If I was under the impression that my lot on deck - I was treated as a deckhand - was miserable, I was in for a rude awakening as working in the stokehold was the most miserable job on the ship. There were three firemen and one trimmer on each watch and working in that heat and the dirty conditions were all an eye opener.

At the start of each watch you had to clean out one furnace which the previous watch had allowed to burn down. With a long iron slice and rake you broke up and removed the clinker as well as keeping the other two furnaces fired with coal. Of course the steam pressure dropped and it slowed the main engine down (a triple expansion engine). During this time the trimmer dumped the ashes. There was an ash hoist on the starboard side that worked by hoisting a bucket up to the main deck where they were flushed overboard down a chute. Just make sure the water was on and the thing did not choke or that was a big problem. This hoist worked on vacuum off the main condenser.

Shoveling the coal into the furnace required some accuracy as the fire had to be built a certain way to get the maximum burning area. As I said it was a miserable job and I was glad to get back on deck. One of the things you had to remember was to turn your belt buckle to the side as it got very hot from the radiated heat of the furnace. The trimmer when that chore was done kept the fireman supplied with coal. A fairly easy task when you had just bunkered as it ran into the stoke hold but later on he had to barrow it.

I thought the good captain and readers might like some more inormation on the Firby, one of thirty "Ocean" type freighters built in the United States on behalf of the British government through a consortium led by Todd Shipyards on both the east and west coasts, the first keel of which, the Ocean Liberty, was laid 24 May 1941. The Firby, as Ocean Fame, was the eleventh built.

Ocean Fame BR 169056. Steel single screw freighter launched 22 May 1942 at East Portland, Maine, by the Todd-Bath Iron Shipbuilding Corporation for the Ministry of War Transport, London. 425.1' x 57 x 34.8; 7173 gt, 4278 nt. Triple expansion reciprocating steam engine, 24.5"-37-70 x 48; three Scotch boilers, 7440 sq ft heating surface, 220 psi wp; built by the General Machinery Corporation, Hamilton, Ohio. Sold 1947 to Ropner Shipping Co., Ltd., West Hartepool, England, and renamed Firby. Sold 1955 to N. G. Kyriakides Shipping Co., Ltd., London, and renamed Irene K. Sold 1959 to Winchester Shipping Co., Ltd. Renamed 1964 Winchester Queen. Arrived at Bilbao, Spain, 29 November 1966 for demolition by Hierros Arbulu SA.

Here's a photograph of the Firby from the W. and F. Allen Collection.

Great story Capt, love coming to this site and getting knowledge and entertainment !

Keep it coming, Cap! It's great reading...

I served my apprenticeship with this renowned company. At the tender age of sixteen I flew out to Australia (a very unusual experience in 1953). It was a BOAC Argonaut which was a four engine plane. We stopped each night and stayed in a hotel. Next morning after breakfast we boarded and set off again. It took five days to complete the trip.

The ship I joined was an "ocean" built ship built in the USA for wartime service. It was a coal burner and had been working on the Aussie coast for a few years and the crew we relieved flew home. The ship was on long term charter to the Australian Government and our main trips were carrying coal and iron ore.

Main port or home port was Newcastle NSW where we loaded coal from railroad trucks that were lifted on board by crane and dumped into the holds. It took a couple of days or more to take on a full load. From there we sailed to either Melbourne or Port Adelaide and discharged. Then it was on to Whyalla to load iron ore for either Newcastle or Port Kembla and do the whole thing again. For two years with very little variariation this is what we did.

Whyalla was an ore loading port though there was a steel works too. We used to hope that we had to wait and go to anchor as the fishing was outstanding and we took full advantage of it. It supplemented the meals as, being Australia, we were fed mutton very frequently. It was cheap as the sheep were raised mostly for their wool.

Loading was done from a long jetty and a fixed chute so the ship had to be moved to load each hold. A big workup and we were either shifting ship or battening down. With beams and hatch boards, there were two sizes and as they were made of hard wood with metal bands - bloody heavy to heave up over the coamings. Certainly had to be strong to do that. Next was the tarpaulins. In the summer it was only two but winter there was an extra one. It was tuck, table tuck for the three then the battens were put in around the edges. Chippy the carpenter put the wedges in and, as his helper, on many an occasion I knew to put the wedges in correctly. It was hypotenuse against the hatch and woe betide you if they were not in correctly. Later on I was allowed to hammer the wedges up tight.

It was all go loading there but as we were on charter to the Aussies we were paid overtime. Another perk was that all the crew were paid "dirty money" and, if my memory serves me correctly, it was one pound Aussie per day paid monthly. As my apprentice wages were 7 pounds ten shilling a month at first I was well off.

On the odd occasion that we were allowed ashore because of a loading breakdown, or if we were loading an empty hatch, we could walk the length of the jetty into town. Didn't do it if the wind was in the wrong direction as the dust blew off the belts and you got coated in a red layer long before reaching the end. Not much there when you did get ashore anyway.

Ships

Firby

“ My first ship Firby was an war time built 'Ocean class' vessel and was to say it was basic would be an understatement. The navigational equipment was only what was necessary - Magnetic compass D.F., echo sounder, and not much else. There was no automatic pilot or radar. Deck watches were three per watch and, except for the 'farmer' in each watch, you did your two hour trick at the wheel steering. The 'farmer' changed each watch and, for those that have not come across the term before, it was derived from the days when he could not steer.

to be contiued