On Sun, 12 Oct 2008 22:20:18 +0100, "Tuppence"
wrote:


Hi Ralph,


Was away for a couple of days so unable to see your reply until now.

I have perused your web sites and I see, that like myself, you are a former
ship's engineer and hospital engineer. Unlike yourself my apprenticeship was
land based in a non marine related industry.


You are, of course, correct about all the shipping companies who had their
head offices in Liverpool. I add to your list Elder Dempster (same building
as Blue Funnel?) with whom I had an aquaintance in the 1960s having been for
short time a junior engineer on the Kohima, Egori, and Bhamo.

I also worked for Athel Line (MV Athelduchess) and Charlton Steam Shipping
Co of London (by then a subsidary of Chandris). The bulk of my sea going
time being with the latter company including 3 trips on MV Charlton Mira (10
months, 12 months, & 14 months). I also worked on other Chandris vessels
under various flags including delivery of Chandris acquisitions to Piraeus
in Greece, amongst these being the British India vessel Daressa.

Worked also in the drawing offices of John Thompson (Watertube Boilers) Ltd
until merged with Clarke Chapman when their Belfast drawing Office closed.

I retired in December 2000 after 25 years in the Health Service, the final
20 years as an engineer at the Royal Group of Hospitals with the title of
'Units Engineer', 'Senior Engineer', and finally 'Estates Officer III' (same
job but the title kept morphing at each reorganisation). The old title of
'Hospital Engineer' died many years ago in one the various reorganisations
to which governments see fit to subject the Health Service.

Regards,

Tuppence



P.s.

As an Engineer Surveyor you might be interested to know that the boilers at
'The Royal' are 3 Thompson Coalmaster twin furnace common combustion chamber
boilers each rated at 30,000 lbs/hour F&A and 2 Robey Lincoln oil fired
single furnace boilers each rated at 35,000 lbs/hour F&A. The Thompson
boilers were converted to oil firing (retaining the same rating) in the mid
1990s and in 1999 all boilers were further converted to natural gas firing.
Statutary inspections, during my time, were carried out by Royal Insurance,
later Royal & Sun Alliance.

I started surveying in the old National Vulcan which was Sun Alliance
so ended up in the RSA post merger.

Do not start me on the way that company went!!!

Hence early retirement.................

Keith