Volume 14 Issue 2 July 2003
Errata
PMTC Student David Willows was incorrectly identified as David Bellows in the report on the Branch AGM in the previous issue. The Editor apologizes for any inconvenience or misunderstanding that this may have caused.
Captain John Lewis, MNI was inadvertently left out in the list of Director’s 2003 in the March 2003 issue.
SUMMER BBQ’s
MAINLAND - 1600 hrs 26 July, 2003 Potluck BBQ Food and Beverage - Please RSVP - Capt Albert Lee albellee@yahoo.com
VANCOUVER ISLAND - 1600 hrs 09 August, 2003 - 4577 Boulderwood, Victoria - BBQ salmon (request $20 to cover costs) - Potluck salads and beverages. Please RSVP - Capt Dave Smiley / Capt Jim Steele jim.steele@bcferries.com
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second of three stories from Captain Batchelor on the Vancouver Mission to Seafarers. The Vancouver Mission is celebrating its centenary providing solace and a kind heart to visiting mariners to the great Port of Vancouver. The mission is always looking for volunteers for a variety of “jobs” including driving, working in the clubs – downtown and Roberts Bank. Members wishing to help out can call to Barbara Giraud of Rev. Richard Roberts at the downtown club, 604 253 4421 for downtown club or for Roberts Bank. Branch member Captain David Batchelor, MNI can also be reached at 604-943-4938 home or 604-528-1221 cellular.
60th Anniversary Battle of the Atlantic, Liverpool
It was October 2002 when I first contacted Veterans Affairs to inquire of the Government¹s plans to recognize the 60th Anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic, as it was going to be the last one celebrated. I was informed that so far nothing doing, but to check every couple of weeks or so. There was nothing coming out of the Government until finally at the turn of the year I was informed that the RCN were going to handle the arrangements. Nothing transpired for a further month and being afraid that if matters were left much longer the chances of a flight was getting slimmer, so decided to book a trip under my own steam.
I arrived in Liverpool on May 1st to stay at the Holiday Inn in Albert Dock, a scene of many past visits both during and after WWII. The first big event was the Celebration Dinner at the famous Adelphi Hotel, a hotel that could not have been afforded when an Apprentice in the early Forties. The event was strictly limited to 250 ticket holders with proceeds to The Seafarers Charity. My dinner merchant navy companions were Bob Fairley of Owen Sound , Doug MacMartin (a Parliament Hill hunger striker) from Cornwall, Ontario, and a Canadian lady stationed in Geneva.
Saturday May 4, 2003
Navy ships of Dutch, Belgian, Russian, French, German, Norwegian and Polish flag were open for visit. A Presentation of the Battle of the Atlantic was shown at the Western Approaches Museum. In the evening a grand concert in the Philharmonic Hall by the Royal Marines Band, questionably the best in the world.
Sunday May 4, 2003.
Commemorating the Battle of the Atlantic I had
acquired 10 tickets for the CMNVA from the RN Officer in charge, but only 6
showed up so the remainder were handed out to the crowd.
A Norman Anglican Cathedral set the dramatic stage for a commemorative service
steeped in honour and tradition as thousands of people gathered to commemorate
the 60th Anniversary. Roughly 2500 people participated in the service inside the
massive church and another 1500 listened outside. Sitting high on a hill
overlooking the Mersey River and the Liverpool Harbour, the Cathedral looks as
if it has stood as a sentinel for centuries. One imagines that it was here 60
years ago to act as a refuge to the thousands of sailors and airmen who came and
went from this Maritime city. However, the Cathedral was only completed in 1978.
Started in 1904, two World Wars got in the way of its completion, the irony of
which was not lost during the occasion. I passed it so many times whilst up for
2nd Mate in CE44 and Master in CE51.
The official procession of dignitaries included military representatives from all over the world. As well, there were visiting Clergy and Chaplains attending on behalf of several countries and many regiments. The Canadian delegation of Veterans was impressed with the vaulted ceilings that stretched high above them and the massive six-inch oaken doors that closed behind the procession. The voice of Admiral Sir Alan West, KCB, DSC, ADC, The First Sea Lord to the British Navy, rang out through the perfect acoustics as he recited the Naval Prayer. Although a solemn occasion one could not help be awed by the beauty of the voices of the Cathedral Choir as they sang Psalm 107, verses 23 to 30. They that go down to the sea in ships; etc.
During the Psalm, The Record of the Battle of the Atlantic was carried to the high altar and was set beside the Books of Remembrance of the Coastal Command and Maritime Air Association and the Books of Remembrance of the Merchant Navy. The First Lesson was by Capt. S.T. Culshaw, The Master, Hon. Co. of Master Mariners who read some favourite words of Admiral Sir Max Horton, Commander in Chief Western Approaches 1942-1945. The Venerable B K Hammett, Chaplain of the Fleet, addressed the congregation saying more than 100 thousand men and women lost their lives all around the world during the Battle of the Atlantic....a number that we today find staggering. However, he says we cannot forget the potential that these people might have brought into the world had they lived. He told the members that the pain of loss never leaves you and that there are men and women who still hear in the night the cries of their friends, brothers, husbands, and sons. He closed his address by saying we have a duty to make those individuals known unto God by honouring their memories. The message was driven home as the Cathedral Choir sang out the Act of Remembrance.
Following the Last Post, two minutes of silence, and The Reveille the Bishop of Liverpool, the Right Reverend James Jones blessed the crowd.
Outside the Cathedral the mood turned very upbeat as thousands of present-day military men and women joined the Veterans for a massive march. The Canadians stepped lively as they kept a brisk pace and showed the nearly 20 thousand people outside that they are still as sharp as ever. However the Merchant Navy were still tail-end Charlies.
Following the march, a plaque was unveiled at the
Cenotaph at St George's Hall to commemorate the Battle of the Atlantic. Once
again the Lord Mayor of Liverpool feted the Canadians, this time at a luncheon.
There were lots of cheers and hurrahs as stories were told, toasts made,
friendships rekindled, and new ones made. It was a fitting end in a city that
made
them feel most welcome.
Monday May 5th.
All the ships were open again and the Maritime
Museum was not to be missed. There are many fine displays on several floors and
during this time volunteer WWII archivists would bring up on their computers any
ship that had been lost at the request of the public who had a relative or
friend onboard them. For a donation of one pound you got the printout including
the photo and the loss details. I myself met a lady, the daughter of a man who
was adrift with me and she was so pleased to hear me tell of him, as he had died
7 years previously and never revealed his experiences. It was quite emotional.
That afternoon a fantastic display of a RAF Harrier ( a VTOL) gave a
great show on landing vertically on HMS Invincible anchored a few hundred yards
off the beach. This was followed by Royal Marine Commando¹s simulating a
hostage rescue from a Œterrorist¹ fishing vessel by lowering themselves from a
helicopter.
Generally it was not as big a show as the 50th Anniversary in 1993, but nevertheless a good time was had by all. The official Government pilgrimage was a bit of a hurried up affair with no time to recover from jetlag, The Vancouver delegation landed at Heathrow early morning and were then bussed to Liverpool to attend the Celebration Dinner on arrival that night. The powers that be bungled it and they have a lot to answer for. I was lucky as they only got 3 days, but I was able to visit EDEN CAMP a former POW camp in Malton, Yorkshire. A 32 hut museum covering all aspects of WWII from both sides. You will need all day.
Alan Shard, FNI.
BC Branch
Merchant
Navy Veterans Day to be a Reality
Ottawa, Ontario, June 12, 2003- Paul Bonwlck Member of Parliament for Simcoe-Grey is pleased to announce that his Merchant Navy Day Bill C-411, received unanimous support in the House of Commons today and has been passed by the House of Commons. Bill C-411 would establish September 3rd as Merchant Navy Veterans Day in Canada.
Bonwick rose on a point of order today and asked and asked for unanimous consent from all parties in order to have the bill passed and adopted at all three stages in t the House of Commons and Immediately referred to the Senate . Bonwick was pleased to receive unanimous consent in a non-partisan fashion from all parties.
It is a day for all Merchant Navy Veterans to celebrate and for Canadians to .recognize their efforts. Clearly Parliamentarians, appreciate all the efforts that were made by the Merchant Navy Veterans, said Bonwick.
September 3rd, 1939, Hannah Baird, a merchant seawoman serving on the s.s. Athenia was the first Canadian casualty of the Second World War. This is why the date September 3rd has been chosen to honour Canada's Merchant Navy Veterans. In 1945, at the end of the WWII, Canada's Merchant Navy comprised over 180 ships and 12000 personnel.
Bonwick is hopeful that the Senate will deal with the Bill in a timely fashion, allowing the Bill to receive Royall Assent before September 2003.
Poor watchkeeping risks lives: MAIB
INADEQUATE watchkeeping is causing
"unnecessary collisions and groundings, with subsequent pollution and avoidable
deaths," warns Stephen Meyer, chief inspector at the UK's Marine Accident
Investigation Branch in his 2002 annual report, published today. In his
foreword, he points out that the STCW Convention says that the officer of the
watch requires a dedicated look out on the bridge except in specific conditions
but "it is obvious … that this principle is not being observed." He also
contrasts the maritime industry's safety culture unfavourably with that of the
airline industry. One master, he says, "was recently fired as soon as he stepped
ashore on the apparent basis of 'let's not confuse the issue by establishing the
facts'." In addition, "on occasion our aim … has been frustrated by legal
challenge concerning the effect of publication on court proceedings. …This
problem is not found in the aviation world."
- Lloyd's Register - Fairplay 30 June 2003.
NI Survey Reveals Colregs Ignorance
IGNORANCE and disregard of the collision regulations (Colregs) is rife, according to findings just published by the Nautical Institute. Ten months of research into international seafarers’ experience of how the regulations are applied marked the start of a project by the institute to improve the application of the Colregs. The research was based on feedback from seafarers and project leader Capt Iain Irving said in a statement that “almost everybody who responded obeyed the rules, but hardly anybody else did!” But the questionnaire included three scenarios, each with four possible actions for respondents to consider. Only 25 per cent of these were completed correctly, NI project manager David Patraiko told Fairplay, which is no better than might be expected by random selection. He is now looking for feedback from the industry to consider further research. - Lloyd's Register - Fairplay 03 July 2003
EDITORS NOTE: Though perhaps somewhat tongue in cheek, the following correspondence was received by the editor and seem very appropriate considering the previous articles:
While proceeding SE in Colbourne Passage yesterday in my yacht, I gradually became aware of a massive magnetic attraction caused by my bow that dragged all oncoming craft from my port bow to my starboard bow and down my starboard side, despite the fact that I was on the starboard side of the channel. So sure of this magnetic attraction that I was, upon approaching the terminal, I slowed down and waited for the Queen of Saanich to depart before continuing, lest I drag her off her intended course.
A further manifestation of this magnetic force on other small vessels was noted as they passed close down my starboard side, in that the person allegedly in control suffered a type of seizure of the upper body causing them to wave and smile at me as they passed.
I am thinking of making a report to CHS, suggesting that a notation on the chart be made to warn mariners of this powerful, but happily localized phenomenon.
Has this been your experience or is my vessel somehow the only one with this peculiar attractive force?
EDITOR’S REPLY: Rest assured, yours is not the only vessel to have experienced such peculiar forces. A somewhat similar force has been seen to present itself when I have been in command of vessels engaged in research and survey work. My experience has been that as soon as restricted in ability to manoeuvre shapes are hoisted, the vessel’s attractive force is increased dramatically, attracting numerous other vessels. Similar seizures have been noted from persons on vessels affected by the unexplained attractive force. However my experience does not seem to indicate geographical dependence, as the events occur regardless of location. As well, both pleasure and small fishing vessels seem to be affected. I have attempted to gain access to a Canada Innovation Grant to study this increased attractive force, but have thus far been unsuccessful in convincing the appropriate funding agencies.
Biggest Containership Ever To Sail The St.
Lawrence Arrives At The Port.
MONTREAL, July 11 /CNW Telbec/ - The brand-new OOCL
Montreal containership docked at Racine Terminal in the east end of Montreal
yesterday at 6 p.m. The 55,994-gross-registered-ton vessel is 294 metres long,
32.2 metres wide, and has a nominal carrying capacity of more than 4,100 TEUs
(20-foot containers or the equivalent). It is the biggest containership ever to
sail the St. Lawrence.
Built
specially for the river, the vessel has a draft of 10.7 metres, the same draft
as 2,300-TEU vessels already in service.
Operated by the OOCL shipping line, the new vessel will sail regularly between
Montreal and the European ports of Thamesport (United Kingdom), Antwerp
(Belgium) and Le Havre (France). Two sisterships of the OOCL Montreal, the
Canmar Venture and Canmar Spirit, operated by Canada Maritime, a division of CP
Ships, will arrive in Montreal in August and September.
OOCL and Canada Maritime jointly operate the St. Lawrence Coordinated Service, which offers weekly departures from Montreal to numerous European ports and vice versa.
"It
is an honour to have the name of our city and port on such a splendid vessel,"
said Dominic J. Taddeo, president and chief executive officer of the Montreal
Port Authority. "We are delighted to be the home port to the OOCL Montreal, and
she will always be a special vessel for us. This is yet another act of
confidence in the Port of Montreal and its future."
The Port of Montreal is heading toward another record year in the container
sector. At the conclusion of the first half of the year, container traffic had
increased 5.8 per cent compared with the first six months of 2002.
Total traffic was up close to 10 per cent as of June 30. Traffic was up in every cargo category with the exception of grain, still affected by the drought that hit the Prairies last year. - Canada NewsWire 11 July 2003
California seeks cruise fuel ban
The state of California is seeking to ban certain fuel oils used by cruise ships in a bid to further cut air emissions.
A new bill in the state's assembly would, if adopted, require all cruise ships operating within 25 miles of the Californian shoreline to use only diesel fuel prescribed under state regulation. Effectively this means Environmental Protection Agency-approved on-road diesel. If passed the measures would be in place from 1 January 2005.
The proposals are proving controversial as some experts believe on-road diesel may be unsafe in medium-speed engines due to the fuel's low flashpoint. There is also some debate over whether operational matters onboard ships involved in inter-state and foreign commerce should be regulated at state level. Many believe this is the preserve of the US Coast Guard. The proposal would apply to all ships with capacity over 250 passengers.
The bill was introduced by Assemblyman Joe Simitian.
It also calls for a total ban on onboard incineration within 90 miles of the California coastline, effective 1 January 2004. - Tradewinds 14 July 2003
Concordia confirms Croatia orders
Concordia Maritime is extending the Max concept of vessels with double propulsion and steering systems by confirming orders for four 49,000-dwt products carriers with the Brodosplit Shipyard in Croatia.
The contract, which has been reported in TradeWinds over recent months, also gives the Swedish owner options for two similar vessels.
The contract value has not been announced by Concordia, but is about $35m per ship to give a total of $140m, rising to $210m if both options are converted into firm orders.
Concordia have designated the new double hulled vessels the P-Max series and says they have reduced draught and higher speed than conventional modern MR products carriers.
The vessels also offer 70,000 cbm of cargo capacity, which is almost 30% more than other large MR tankers.
The P-Max ships will have two engines operating in rooms divided by a watertight firewall, dual systems for each motor, as well as double drive shafts, propellers and rudders.
Concordia said the shallow draught meant less dredging may be needed for the P-Max ships, producing economic and environmental benefits, while the redundant system concept of the Max ships enhanced the overall safe operating concept.
Charterers have yet to be lined up for the P-Max ships, which are due for delivery from 2005.
"These are highly flexible vessels with lots of opportunities. We are having discussions with charterers and cargo owners,” said Concordia president, Lars Carlsson.
“Concordia is convinced that the features built into the P-Max will make a positive difference to both safety and environmental protection, something that both charterers and the public will demand in future years,” he added.
Concordia and its parent Stena group already have two V-Max vlccs built by Hyundai as well as two C-Max products/LPG carriers of 10,000-dwt built in Poland in service.
There has also been interest in a suezmax variant of the Max concept, presumably to be called the S-Max.
The 183 metres long, 40 metre beam, P-Max will be built to Swedish/Finnish ice class 1B, with the double hull strengthened to Det Norske Veritas' enhanced fatigue class notation plus two.
Capt. Stan Bowles FNI - Chairperson
Telephone (604) 929-2667 - Fax (604) 929-2746 E-mail sbowles@direct.ca
Capt. Zak Farid FNI - Vice-chair, Vancouver Island
Telephone (250) 652 - 3886 Fax. (250) 652 - 8087 E-mail zak_farid@telus.net
Capt. Geoff Drewery MNI - Vice-chair, Mainland
Telephone (604) 435-2561 E-mail drewery@telus.net
Capt. Jim Steele MNI - Secretary
Telephone (250) 978-1217 Fax (250) 360-1799 E-mail Jim.Steele@bcferries.com
Capt. Andy Patterson MNI - Treasurer
Telephone (604) 463-4707 Fax (604) 275-2915 E-mail Andy.Patterson@bcferries.com
Directors 2003
| Captain Brian Johnston FNI | Captain Jamie Marshall MNI |
| Captain Alan Shard FNI | Captain Achim Ruether MNI |
| Captain Brian Silvester FNI | Captain Albert Lee MNI |
| LCdr Gerry Stanford FNI | Mr. David Hodgson AMNI |
| Captain Bob Kitching MNI | Captain John Clarkson MNI |
| Captain John Lewis MNI | Captain Chris Frappell MNI |
| Captain David Snider MNI | Mr. Richard Smith AMNI |
Keeping track of Branch Member’s activities, accomplishments and achievements can be a challenging task. Any members who would like to see their own or others accomplishments identified in the BowWave, please feel free to email the editor sniderda@shaw.ca or fax 250 652 6205
Advertising in the BowWave
At a recent Director’s Meeting, the Editor’s request for consideration and approval to accept limited advertising in the BowWave was approved. Future editions will allow for interested parties to place small advertisements no greater than ¼ page in size for a nominal fee of $25. At this time only digital ready copy advertisements will be accepted due to time graphic production constraints of a part time amateur publication. All advertisements must be delivered to the Editor in digital ready copy. Advertisements will only be placed once payment to the Treasurer, Captain Andy Patterson is confirmed.
Branch Web Site - www.nauticalinstitute.ca
Captain Stan Bowles, FNI has done a stand up job bringing the BC Branch into the cyber century with his continuing work on the Branch’s website. The “one stop shopping mart” for all information Branch related, as well as a host of other information of interest to members. Don’t only log onto the site at www.nauticalinstitute.ca members should considering making the Branch site your home page on your internet browser.
To do this, access the site by entering the site by clicking on www.nauticalinstitute.ca or by typing www.nauticalinstitute.ca into your browser’s “go to” address bar. Once on the site, click on “Tools” at the top of your browser. Then click on “Internet Options”. Click the tab “General” then click “Use Current”. This will direct you to the Branch Web Site each time you log on to the internet.
Members Mail and Email Addresses
Members are encouraged to assist the Branch Executive in maintaining the most up to date contact information. Please either check out the Branch website section on members and follow instructions to update information if your posted contact information is incorrect or out of date or contact the Branch Secretary, Captain Jim Steele at Jim.Steele@bcferries.com or phone (250) 978-1217. We are particularly interested in getting email addresses and phone contact lists updated. Email post of the BowWave, Seminar announcements enables the Branch to reduce the high cost of mailouts.