The Doxford Engine Friends’ Association

THE DOXFORD ENGINE

FRIENDS' ASSOCIATION

September 2009 Newsletter (No. 17)

Here's our first 'proper' Newsletter for about a year. To be honest so much has happened that it's been a daunting task to put it all together, but also a very gratifying one. So here it is - a written record of another year in our Association's life, along with more fascinating emails and other contributions.

While assembling an account of a whole year's activity it becomes apparent just how many folk have been generous with their time, knowledge, skills and personal contacts in support of the Association. Whatever your contribution has been it's gratefully acknowledged and very much appreciated.

Finally, you will find a flyer from the production company The View from the North either enclosed (printed distribution) or also attached (email distribution). I've been asked to make this appeal known as widely as possible; if you would like to find out more by all means get in touch with Kathryn Hall direct. I brought the Memorynet website to their attention.

John Clayson

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Forthcoming Activities

· Social Meetings

Social Meetings are held in the Lounge at St Joseph’s Parish Centre, Rutland Street, Millfield, Sunderland, beginning at 7:00 for 7:30pm.

Directions: The centre is on the east side of Rutland Street, and has been converted from school premises. Travelling along Hylton Road from Millfield Metro, turn right into Rutland Street at Thursby’s garage. Go past the RAOB Club and soon after, on the right, you will see a low brick wall topped by metal railings. Turn in through the double gateway, where there is a car park, and enter the building through the door in the corner. When inside turn left, then right into a long corridor. The Lounge is at the far end of this corridor.

· Wednesday 7th October

Sarah Leach of Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums and Association member Jim Duncan will explain two initiatives which support the activities of the Association - the Heritage Cubes project and a new programme called Culture Shock.

· Wednesday 2nd December

Annual festive buffet supper for members and guests.

Events and Meetings since the last Newsletter

· 4th to 7th September 2008 - Visit to South West England: the Dorset Coast and Portsmouth Historic Dockyard

HM Coastguard Station, Weymouth – a fascinating insight into the work of this vital service.

Cheddar was just Gorgeous.

"If you end up here, you're sunk!"

Coastguard Rescue helicopter at Portland (an Agusta Westland AW139).

"Hilary, if I'm good can I have one for Christmas?"

HMS Warrior at Portsmouth Harbour. Warrior was restored at Hartlepool between 1979 and 1987.

Aboard Lydina leaving Weymouth.

"We didn't go as quick as this on trials in our day!"

photographs by Terry Whalebone

A marvellous time was had, despite some rather mixed weather. Hilary and Peter organised the entire programme and did us all proud – highlights included the Weymouth Coastguard Station, the Coastguard Rescue Helicopter Base at Portland, the control room and mechanism of the Weymouth Town Bridge (a twin bascule bridge over the harbour, which opens several times daily), a day at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, and an exhilarating cruise aboard Peter and Hilary's boat Lydina to Lulworth Cove. Not to mention some great meals out and on board!

Lydina passing through the Town Bridge in Weymouth Harbour to embark the waiting passengers. Earlier in the trip we visited the bridge control cabin, on the right, and looked at the machinery beneath.

Thanks to the wonders of modern electronic navigation we avoided the rocks at Lulworth Cove.

photographs by Keith Halliday

We are especially grateful to the following people for a warm welcome to their premises and for laying on some really special visits and tours:

· Simon Palmer (Operations Manager, Maritime Rescue Control Centre, Weymouth)

· Glen Stracey (Helicopter Pilot, Portland Coastguard)

· Brian Samweys (Weymouth Bridge Controller, Dorset County Council)

· Enzo (Enzo's Restaurant)

and, for crewing aboard Lydina, Peter and Hilary's friends Hayley and Andrew Killingback.

A little bit of Sunderland discovered in Weymouth was this patent stockless anchor by WL Byers & Co. Ltd., outside the Brewer's Quay 'Shopping Village'.

The swastika was used as a trade symbol by Byers many years before it became tainted by association with Nazi Germany.

Quiz champion George receives his prize.

photograph by Terry Whalebone

photograph by John Clayson

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· September 2008 - Sunderland East End Heritage Tours

Maurice arranged tours for groups of members and friends on several days to historic buildings including:

· the Donnison School which opened in 1798, a newly restored Georgian schoolroom that has become a community heritage site.

· Holy Trinity Church, built in 1719 and once used for meetings of Sunderland Town Council. Jack Crawford's grave is in the churchyard.

· Queen Street Masonic Temple, the oldest Masonic premises in the world still standing

The groups were made very welcome at the headquarters of Sunderland Maritime Heritage, and enjoyed a splendid buffet lunch at the Heart of Oak pub, which was built as a merchant's house in 1711. The tours were brilliantly organised and very well supported.

· Wednesday 1st October 2008 – Social Meeting

Andrew Clark described how he has worked with members of the Hendon Young People’s Project to produce the book and DVD River Tales – a story of Sunderland shipbuilding. Several of our members were involved in the programme with Andrew and the young people.

We celebrated two of our members' 90th birthdays with a special buffet supper. Charlton Innes and George Jackson were presented with gifts and certificates by our President, Hilary Doxford.

Hilary with Charlton and George, having presented them each with a certificate - and a tall box with something special inside!

photographs by Maurice Clyde

· Wednesday 3rd December 2008 – Social Meeting

This meeting was another very relaxed, convivial occasion, attended by around 60 members and friends. We enjoyed an excellent buffet, and tested the grey matter with a quiz.

Special thanks to Carole Atkinson for all the administrative work distributing the tickets, and to Jim Duncan for organising the food. Thanks also to Bill Forrester for regularly arranging the raffles which help to cover the costs of our meetings.

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· Wednesday 4th February 2009 – Social Meeting

John Jordan and Rodney Cartridge presented an illustrated talk about some of the risks and challenges of engineering design work.

This was the kind of insight into the work of the design and development team at Doxford's that could only be delivered by people who had been part of the team themselves. Not only that; it was evident that all the experience of Doxford engine designers right back to the 1920s had been imparted to later generations, so that there was an appreciation of the fundamental Doxford design principles to use as a foundation for adapting the design to meet the new challenges of the 1960s and 70s.

Developments discussed included:

· Lubrication System for the Centre Crosshead Pin

· Cylinder Liner Cooling System as applied to Tangentially Drilled Holes

· Scavenge Air Swirl, Fuel Injection and Piston Thermal Condition

· Fuel System

· The Contribution of Test, Measurement and Research performed during development of the Engine (particularly in relation to crankshaft torsional vibration and detuning)

· Some 'weird and wonderful contraptions' tested on the 67P single cylinder engine

Several members of the audience were heard afterwards to remark 'So that's why they did that!' It was a real eye-opener for all of us, no matter how much we already knew.

John and Rodney have subsequently written up their presentation, along with some supplementary material, and it is available to anyone who would like a copy at a cost of £5 to cover printing and a small donation to the Association.

This was the latest in a series of talks from members who have volunteered to stimulate interest and discussion at our meetings. We are always open for more – just let us know and we'll fit you into the programme.

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· 3rd March 2009 – Visit to Tyne & Wear Archives Service (TWAS)

This was a further specially arranged visit to enable Association members and their friends to see historic documents and photographs relating to the Doxford engine works. Archivist and former marine engineer Colin Boyd has been working on the shipbuilding records at TWAS, and he keeps discovering more items of interest all the time. So far as Doxford material is concerned, yet more has come to light since we visited last year, for example there were some recently re-discovered photos of Doxford engines being installed on the Tyne.

Thanks, Colin, for yet another fascinating visit to the Archives.

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· Wednesday 6th May 2009 – Social Meeting (including the Association’s 6th AGM)

Full information will be in the AGM minutes; four members of the Committee who had each come to the end of their three-year 'stint' were re-elected.

The AGM is an opportunity to express our gratitude to the Committee for their commitment through the year. Our meetings are fairly informal, but they are absolutely essential to the running of the Association - without them the programme of events and activities which is evident from reading this Newsletter just would not happen. We have several places open for co-opted members of the Committee, and I would encourage anyone who's interested to give it a try. I think the facts that all four retiring members stood for re-election and the committee meetings are always well attended speak for themselves.

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· Saturday 16th May - BAFM North East Area Conference

The British Association of Friends of Museums (BAFM) is a national group to which our Association is affiliated. The North East Area conference on 16th May was held at the Regional Resource Centre, Beamish, and the principal speaker was the well-known historian, author and broadcaster John Grundy. John is passionate about the history and identity of the North East, and we enjoyed his entertaining and provocative illustrated 'journey' through Beamish.

In the afternoon there was a visit to the Regional Museums Store and other 'behind the scenes' areas, including a guided tour of the Doxford engine led by members of the Association.

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· Friday 12th to Sunday 14th June 2009 – Cheshire Weekend: the Anson Engine Museum and the Manchester Ship Canal

Around 25 members and friends met in Cheshire for the second year running to enjoy a two-day break. Once again we were made very welcome at The Holly Bush Inn at Little Leigh, and Andy Thomson organised the sunshine.

Anson Engine Museum

With the aid of a superb 3-D model of the historic landscape including pits, roads, waggonways, canals and railways, Geoff explains the relationship between 'now' and 'then'. As you can see, sunbeams have been falling on Cheshire for well over a hundred years!

photograph by Maurice Clyde

Saturday centred on a visit to the Anson Engine Museum in Poynton, Cheshire. The museum opened in 1989 and they have built up a fascinating collection of gas and oil engines. Geoff Challinor, the museum’s chairman, is a member of our Association, and he provided an excellent guided tour of the highlights of the displays. These include

· the amazing Crossley free piston atmospheric vertical gas engine

· an 'Atkinson-cycle' engine which has an intriguing mechanical arrangement – it's a 4-stroke in which the intake, compression, power, and exhaust strokes of the four-stroke cycle occur in a single turn of the crankshaft. Due to the unique crankshaft design of the Atkinson, the expansion ratio differs from the compression ratio. By designing the linkage to allow a power stroke that is longer than the compression stroke the engine can achieve greater efficiency than the conventional Otto-cycle engine

· an impressive four-cylinder Gardner 4T5 engine which was warmed up for starting by playing blow lamps onto part of each cylinder head.

In 2007 the Anson Engine Museum became the custodian of the single-cylinder former Doxford test and development engine from South Tyneside College (see Newsletter No.14). The museum is currently working on the design of the new building that will be needed to house it. This is just another step along the development path for Geoff and his colleagues; the museum was established on a completely cleared former colliery site. A fine array of buildings and facilities now greets the visitor, and its respected standing is demonstrated by the many historic engines that they have on loan from museums up and down the country.

There's more on the Anson Engine Museum in Newsletter 16. The museum's opening times can be found on the website www.enginemuseum.org or by phoning 01625 874426.

Manchester Ship Canal Cruise

Arriving at Salford Quays in good time, the Mersey ferry mv Snowdrop awaited us. She was built in 1959 by Philip & Son Ltd. of Dartmouth as mv Woodchurch. Although many of our group had travelled on the ship canal before, it was usually below decks in a vessel's engine room.

We set sail in glorious sunshine for a six-hour trip, during which we learned about the history and operation of the Manchester Ship Canal and the towns and communities along its route, took in the surrounding scenery (both industrial and 'natural'), and spotted both wildlife and the occasional ship. Mv Snowdrop was smartly turned out, and the crew were attentive throughout.

On arrival at the Woodside Terminal at Birkenhead we visited the 'U-boat Story' attraction whose centrepiece, U-534, has been very skilfully sliced into four sections with glass screens at each end. The vessel had been salvaged in 1993 from the position off Denmark where it had been sunk in 1945 by air attack. It was a real revelation how complex the systems of this quite advanced U-boat were. You can read more about how the submarine was prepared for exhibition at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/7230011.stm .

Finally we embarked on another Mersey ferry for the short trip to Pier Head, Liverpool, where our coach awaited us.

It was a brilliant day out, and we all enjoyed the whole experience from start to finish. It's not often that you can return to work and explain to inquiring colleagues that you caught the sun on a cruise between Salford and Birkenhead, via Warrington!

The following morning Andy Thomson accompanied a small group of us to Frodsham Hill, where we enjoyed a breath of fresh air and a terrific panorama of the stretch of the River Mersey from nearby Runcorn and Ellesmere Port out to the landmarks of Liverpool, 13 miles distant.

Thanks to Andy, who kindly helped with local arrangements once again, and also to Keith and Carole Atkinson who helped with the organisation.

Near Cadishead. Sunshine all the way!

Sylvia McMurtrey was our guide. We marvelled at how she kept us entertained so enthusiastically for the whole six hours.

Leaving Barton Locks with the M60 Barton Viaduct behind.

At Warrington they are not short of bridges: Latchford High Level Bridge, Knutsford Road Swing Bridge and Latchford Railway Viaduct, with Latchford Locks beyond.

Moor Lane Swing Bridge - one of many. On the right are the hydraulic accumulator tower and the bridge operator's cabin.

photographs by John Clayson

Out on the Mersey.

Mv Whitchampion is an oil products tanker built in 2003.

Approaching Liverpool.

At the U-Boat Story, Woodside Terminal, Birkenhead, with a section of U-534 behind.

"When we warn the kids that these things are dangerous, they don't believe us!"

photographs by John Clayson

At Pier Head, Liverpool, in front of the Royal Liver Building (note – Tom and Enid Martin are on the bus, left background!).

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· Thursday 25th June 2009 – Hartlepool Historic Quay

This was an excellent visit to Hartlepool Marina's centrepiece and one of the region's most popular maritime attractions, the award-winning Historic Quay. It's a reproduction of an 18th century seaport portraying the exciting experience of what life was like at the time of Nelson and Trafalgar. Hartlepool Historic Quay is home to HMS Trincomalee, Europe's oldest floating warship. There was a guided tour of the vessel and a specially booked lunch.

The Museum of Hartlepool nearby follows the time-line of the town from Neolithic times to the present day. It incorporates the Wingfield Castle, a Hartlepool-built paddle steamer, afloat in the harbour.

Thanks to Maurice Clyde and Doug Percival for a superbly organised trip.

· Saturday 11th July – Open Day at the Regional Museums Store, including the Beamish Model Engineers’ Miniature Rack Railway and Workshops

Around 80 members, their families and friends came along to this event, and we are very grateful to the Beamish Model Engineering Group for their hospitality. Train rides were enjoyed by one and all, and it’s clear that since last year’s Open Day this ingenious and industrious team have made yet more progress.

Thanks are also due to the management and staff at Beamish, whose ready agreement and co-operation allows this event to take place, and to the small team of volunteers who kept things running smoothly on the organisational and catering fronts.

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Our Engine on TV again

December 2008 was the 20th anniversary of the closure of the last two Wear shipyards. BBC TV marked the event by producing two special Look North reports. Maurice Clyde was interviewed on the Sunderland quayside describing how the area has changed since the end of shipbuilding, and on Monday 17th November reporter Peter Harris visited the engine, filming Malcolm Craig, Bill Dixon, Jim Duncan and Keith Halliday, including more interviews.

The resulting film was broadcast on 2nd December, the first of two reports on the end of shipbuilding on the Wear. Although the clips used were quite short, the appearance of the engine amply demonstrated the work that's being put into its care and improvement.

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Another TV Star

The latest series of the well-known TV series Coast has paid a visit to the north east. In the programme broadcast on 1st and 3rd September the story of Sunderland's contribution to the story of the WW2 Liberty Ships was touched upon. Association member David Aris was interviewed by presenter Dick Strawbridge as they walked along Corporation Quay.

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· Newcomen Society meetings programme

The North East Branch of the Newcomen Society meets at Discovery Museum in Newcastle to hear talks of engineering and historical interest. Meetings are always on Tuesday evenings and the starting time is 5:30 for 6:00pm, finishing by 8:00pm.

17th November 2009Robert Stephenson – Mechanical Engineer by Michael Bailey

19th January 2010A Collector of 'Nothing' – the J.H. Holmes Collection of Historic Electric Lamps and Accessories by John Clayson

16th March 2010The Resurrection of Souter Point Lighthouse and Its History by Michael Ennis

Please feel free to come along – these meetings are open to everyone.

Work on the Engine

Since our last Newsletter there have been seven working groups, on Wednesday 12th November and Monday 8th December 2008, and Wednesdays 11th March, 22nd April, 3rd June, 22nd July and 2nd September 2009.

Work in hand includes the replacement of missing lubricating oil pipework, installation of a lub. oil recovery and filtration system, restoring rusted or corroded surfaces, and cleaning out the fuel system. Off the engine, a small team has converted a cabinet for the secure storage of lifting tackle, and another project is the careful dismantling of a steam windlass made by Emerson, Walker & Co. of Gateshead. This was once fitted to the Tyne floating crane Titan II and used for mooring.

Every hour of voluntary work that is contributed to the upkeep and improvement of the engine is recorded. This is matched with funding for supplies, or we can pay to have intensive work carried out on areas of the engine which are particularly badly deteriorated.

Working Groups will continue at around six-weekly intervals. The next is scheduled for Wednesday 21st October, from 10:00am until around 3:00pm. If you wish to get involved and have not been before please get in touch beforehand as we need to prepare and organise in advance. A sandwich lunch is provided, and there is sometimes a video or a DVD to watch at lunchtime. Contact John Clayson at Discovery Museum, Blandford Square, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4JA, phone 0191-277 2198, email john.clayson@twmuseums.org.uk.

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· Worthwhile Web Pages

The Sinking of a Sunderland Steamship

http://www.bbc.co.uk/wear/content/articles/2008/04/15/wreck_feature.shtml

“Built in 1897 by Short Brothers of Sunderland, the ss T.R Thompson came to grief ten miles off the Sussex coast, a victim of U-Boat 57. With BBC help, a descendent of one of the crew who perished has been traced.” That descendant is our member Norman Jack.

Please tell us about any interesting websites or pages that you come across.

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· Our Website: www.doxford-engine.com

One of the Association’s most impressive achievements so far has been the development of our website, which went online in spring 2004. The website is hosted by Paul Atkinson, son of Keith, who is doing us a big favour in running it so effectively. Thank you Paul.

We are regularly complimented on the content and quality of the website, and it is bringing in membership enquiries from all around the world.

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· DEFA Committee Meetings

At 2:30pm in the Meeting Room at Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens.

Wednesdays 23rd Sept and 18th November 2009.

Nissan Micra – in a museum already!

Members who have been working on the engine this summer were surprised to find that a brand new Micra had found its way into the Regional Museums Store, and was on show in front of the Doxford engine. Someone suggested that the driver, trying to reach the Beamish car park, had placed just a bit too much trust in a cheap sat nav system!

It might seem strange that a museum should collect something straight from the production line, but Sarah Cotton, Keeper of Contemporary Collecting for Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums explains:

The car has been acquired as part of our contemporary collecting programme. Collecting contemporary objects gives us the opportunity to document them along with detailed context. For example, we are conducting interviews with Nissan staff and we are gathering information about current issues in the car industry. The Micra represents the significance of Nissan to the economic, social and industrial history of Tyne & Wear. It also documents the popular mass-produced small car at the beginning of the 21st century.

This Micra 25 model was built in May 2009 at the Sunderland plant of Nissan Motor Manufacturing (UK), the largest car factory in the United Kingdom and the most productive in Europe. More than 2 million Micras have been made there since 1992 - on average that's more than 300 of these cars every single day. They have been exported to many countries around the world.

Micra 25 is a special edition model introduced in 2008 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Micra. The car will eventually be shown at Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens where the first car made at the Sunderland plant, a Nissan Bluebird, is already exhibited. Meantime it provides an interesting contrast with the Doxford engine, built in Sunderland just 30 years before the Micra. There are people at Nissan who began their engineering career at Doxford’s.

The car beside the production line at Nissan's Sunderland factory, just a few hours after it was built.

photograph by Les Golding

Visit by Harold, Alan and Luke Jackson

On 2nd September we were delighted to welcome three generations of Percy Jackson's family to the Regional Museums Store for a special visit to the preserved engine. Son Harold, grandson Alan and great grandson Luke travelled from the north west of England and met members of the Association who help to care for the engine. Harold and Alan both recalled visits to the Doxford Engine Works, and Harold clearly remembers his father bringing drawings and calculations home when challenging technical problems had to be solved.

It was great to be able to re-establish a link with the family of the man who led the team which designed the Doxford 'P' and 'J' engines.

Left and below left: Harold, Alan and Luke were shown over the engine by Keith Halliday.

photographs by Maurice Clyde

Below: Percy Jackson (on the left) at his retirement in 1964. An engraved wristwatch with which he was presented is being worn by Harold in the top picture.

Since the last Newsletter we have been saddened by the passing of members Bob Price and George Jackson.

Robert (Bob) Price

Bob, who was aged 82, had been a member since the early days of the Association. He passed away on Saturday 8th November 2008 after a long illness.

Bob is remembered at Doxford's for his outstanding skill as a centre lathe turner. During his apprenticeship he showed a particular aptitude for lathe work, and he remained on screwcutting lathes for most of his working life. A particular speciality of Bob's was the machining with care and accuracy of the large steel worm that engaged with the flywheel as part of each engine's turning gear.

An enthusiastic cyclist, Bob was a member of the Wearside Wheelers Cycle Club and he usually came to work on his bike. He was also a keen gardener.

Bob will be sadly missed by his wife Pat, their daughter Susanne and son Robert, and their grandson Myles.

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George G. Jackson

George Jackson

10th August 1918 - 11th July 2009

George Jackson 1918 to 2009: 90 years. To say a few words about George will be difficult as his life was filled with wonderful stories. In fact a lot of his stories would not go amiss in a Boy’s Own magazine.

From 12 years of age George would look forward to school holidays so that he could sail on his uncle’s ship, polishing brasses and learning how to steer the ship by compass and the stars as they travelled to ports along the Clyde and across to Ireland.

During the Second World War George was not called up into one of the services as he was more valuable to the country taking naval ships on sea trials. His company, shipbuilder Alexander Stephen & Company of Linthouse, Glasgow, was building many ships for the Royal Navy. He could remember the names of some of the twenty or more ships he went on trials with, telling stories of what had happened. Like the occasion when he pointed out to the Royal Navy that testing the machine guns at maximum elevation would result in the shooting down of the radio mast and so the Navy, not wanting to disobey an order, shot it down.

Or the time when a destroyer tried to cross the path of the Queen Mary steaming at full speed, the destroyer captain thinking his ship was much faster found out that it was not as it was cut in half. Yes, many stories like this he would tell.

It was also while at Alexander Stephen's that George met Betty, who was born in Riga in Latvia in 1922. She was the daughter of Scottish parents, John & Frances Reid, who had set up a timber business in Riga. She attended a German school, leaning to speak fluent German, Russian and Latvian as well as teaching herself to speak English. Her father was in the intelligence corps during WW1 and went missing for three years in 1918 while on a mission to Murmansk. He never ever spoke of those missing 3 years to any of the family. When the Second World War broke out the Russians moved them out with northing but the clothes they stood up in. They where transported to Vladivostok on the Trans-Siberian Railway before being put on a ship to Vancouver, Canada, from where they eventually arrived in Scotland some months later. In 1941 Betty was called up - not to use any of her fluent language skills but to the Pay Corps., possibly because she new nothing of pounds shillings and pence. After the war she joined Alexander Stephen's as a tracer, and it was there that she and George met.

In 1955 George was head-hunted by Doxford's to take charge of the drawing office as they were looking to develop new, more powerful ships' engines. The following year George and Betty were married, moving into a new house in Meadow Gardens, Sunderland.

George soon became well known for his knowledge of engines and he was the last remaining one of the design team which developed of the Doxford ‘J9’ engine. He was also well known for his outspokenness, and he did not suffer fools lightly, as over the years many directors became aware.

In 1964 Elspeth was born, who later presented George and Betty with two grandsons, Craig and Ross.

So there it is, a brief history of this very extraordinary man, George Jackson.

Maurice Clyde

George Jackson, first on the left, with the team which designed and built the prototype Doxford 'J' engine shortly before the launch of mv North Sands in 1964. The successful trials and early voyages of this vessel convinced shipowners to order the new design, extending engine development and production at the Doxford Engine Works for a further 15 years.

Letters and Emails

Stuart Cooper sent in this photo with the caption 'Too much ‘air?' What do you think?

Stuart is at the controls of a Clyde-built Rowan-Doxford engine (contract 1350), berthing at Irlam at 09:15 one happy morning.

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From Bill Forster (via our website):

I am writing an account of the life of my father, William Redvers Forster (1900-75). He completed an apprenticeship as a fitter at the Wallsend Slipway and Engineering Co. on the Tyne between 1916-1920 (interrupted by wartime service in the RAF as an Observer Gunner on anti-submarine patrol at Houton Bay, Scapa Flow), and he went to sea in 1921.

He was Chief Engineer on MV Sutherland, the first of the ‘Doxford Economy Ships’, and I would like to know whether it would be true to say that this ship was the origin / inspiration / predecessor of the wartime "Liberty Ships" and their related class of ships which kept Britain supplied during WW2.

As background see below:

His next ship, mv Sutherland, was the first of a new class known as the ‘Doxford Economy Ship’, which had a big impact on shipping and the course of his career. The Depression of the thirties led to the closure of many shipyards but Wm. Doxford and Sons of Sunderland came up with a new design of tramp ship costing more to build but with very low running costs.

The economy came from the wider beam, which provided more cargo space, and a slow running engine. Its success was assisted by the government ‘Scrap and Build’ scheme which enabled ship owners to obtain grants to pay for the cost of new ships at the rate of one new ton built for every two gross tons scrapped. The first order for the new design was received from Sir

A.M. Sutherland of B.J. Sutherland, Newcastle, and was appropriately named Sutherland. Within ten months seventeen ‘economy’ ships were built or being built. They were also produced under licence by other shipyards in Britain and on the continent.

Dad was appointed as 2nd Engineer of the Sutherland on the 20th January 1935 in time for her sea trials on the 29th. ‘The Motor Ship’ and other shipping journals carried reports of the sea trials, ‘scarcely a trace of vibration was noticed, quietness of operation being a performance feature of the main engine’. Dad is centre in the photograph with, I think, John Metcalfe, 1st Engineer on the left. The officer on the right appears to be in RN uniform and, therefore, could not be Captain H. Morgan.

After the sea trials the Sutherland sailed for the Tyne to load with coal for Oran. The ‘Master’ (Captain), H. Morgan, was only 33 but the 1st Engineer, John Metcalfe, was 50 whilst Dad was 34. There were also 3rd and 4th engineers and four ‘assistant engineers’ on the Crew List of 29. Margaret Metcalfe, wife of the ‘Chief’, was down as a stewardess. The Chief was only paid £23 per month (the company evidently also ‘economised’ on wages) compared with the £58 paid to the Chief Engineer of an Eagle Oil tanker. The maiden voyage took them to Oran, Pondicherry and Cuddalore (India) and back to Dunkirk and South Shields. After four voyages as 2nd Engineer, two to the River Plate (Bahia Blanca, Rosario, Buenos Aires) he took over as Chief at Hull on 26 March 1936 for two more voyages and stayed on for a seventh voyage after the ship was sold to Rio Cape Line Ltd. (part of Prince Line Ltd.) in November and renamed Black Prince. He left on 15th February 1937. It was sunk in 1940 by enemy action.

Hoping you can assist me,

Bill Forster

If anyone can help Bill we can put you in touch, as we have his phone number and email address.

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From Mike Smith in Australia (via Alfons Verheijden in Belgium):

MV Rangitane – Port engine crankshaft Repair

Greetings Alfons,

I joined Rangitane in February 1961 and was there for two years. I left her in dry dock in Wilton's yard in Rotterdam where she had been taken to have the port crankshaft replaced. It was cracked I think around no 5 unit in the port engine and we had gone out to NZ and back running with No 5 unit blanked off. They did the repair in the middle of winter (Feb 63) and had her back on the berth in the Royal Albert in around five weeks including a dry docking!

Regards

Mike Smith

Retired Master Mariner

Dear Sir,

Can you tell me more about this problem? I'm a retired Chief Engineer and I am interested in Doxford Engines

Kind regards

Alfons

Greetings Alfons,

Well, as a Master I am afraid I am a little light with the engineering detail. However my father was an Engineer who built Doxford’s for 29 years and was MD of North Eastern Marine for a while in the '50s.

It was during the crankcase inspections on arrival back in London at the end of a voyage that they found the crack in the web of no 5 unit port engine. They removed all the running gear leaving the liner in place of course and strapped the web so that it would not get any worse. We ran with 5 cylinders all the way to NZ and back and only lost about 0.5 of a knot average overall. We did have a critical speed between 82 and 88 rpm however other than that and slightly odd exhaust note at slow speed you would never know. I really think that the Doxford with its in built balance would be the only engine that could do this.

The repair was fascinating to watch. We came alongside Wilton's yard at 0800 and they were in there straight away. The boiler was removed from the funnel, they then stripped down the aft three units of the port engine. Once the entablature was standing alone they lifted it up and hung it off. The engines lay under the fore and aft alleyways in the passenger accommodation on C & B decks. D deck finished at the aft end of the engine room. They cut holes in the boat deck, A, B, and C decks over the aft end of the engine, and with a floating crane they lifted the entablature clear of the bed plate and hung it off. They then had rails built on the bottom plates between the engines and lifted the aft section of the crankshaft out onto the rails, rolled it fwd and out of the funnel. They then reversed the procedure and at the end of week four she was in the drydock with the engine being re-assembled. I left then but she was on the berth in the Royal Albert Dock pretty well on time and ran like a Swiss watch.

It was done in January 1963 in the snow and cold and they kept all services running on the ship throughout. It was one of the best bits of engineering I have ever seen.

Regards

Mike Smith

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From Durwin Davis, USA (via our website):

I would like to know if there are any marine engineers left that sailed on the Sun-Doxford engined ships from the Sun shipyards in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania. I guess these vessels were built during WW2 ('38-'45)? I sailed on every type of scurvy scow available: 'A' type marine boilers, Elliot steam turbines w/Falk gears (brass, double-helical), Sulzer 90RND 9 cyl. 30Kbhp.

Please let us know if you would like to get in touch with Durwin.

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From Ken Wilkin, Canada (via our website):

I served my apprenticeship as fitter & turner in the Oil Engine Shop 1945-1950, then went to sea as a marine engineer. I lost touch with my workmate Trevor Walton and wondered if he is, or was, a member? Here's his photo taken in 1949.

Interested in hearing from you as I am planning a trip next year to the North East of England.

ps: Maurice has since traced Trevor Walton's brother, Eric, in Australia, and has learned that sadly Trevor passed away some years ago. The ship behind Trevor in the photo will be either British Fortune, British Liberty or British Loyalty, which were launched in June, September and November 1948.

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From Rob Arens (via our website):

Our diving team has found the wreck of the Clan Urquhard near Schiermonnikoog (Netherlands). Do you have information about this ship, or if you don't have any, can you tell me where I can find more.

Thanks and regards.

Rob Arens

Hi Rob,

Thanks you for for enquiring about the Clan Urquhart which ends in a 't' and not a 'd'.

If your spelling is correct I do not have any information on this ship. If it is the Clan Urquhart then I can tell you it was a Doxford Turret ship built under licence for Cayzer, Irvine & Co., Glasgow in 1899 with a 3-cylinder steam engine. In 1929 it was sold to Emil R. Rotzlaff (Germany) and renamed Generaldirektor Sonnenschein. In 1931 it was sold to W. Kunstmann (Germany). In 1933 it was broken up, so the bell must have been salvaged from the breaker and was being carried on another ship?

Kindest regards,

Maurice Clyde

Hi Maurice,

Ship's bell inscribed 'Clan Urquhart 1899 Glasgow', recently recovered form a wreck off The Netherlands

Thanks for your information.

Sorry - it is the Clan Urquhart, with a 't'. Here is a photo of the bell (where the 't' is just around the corner)We will try this diving season to find more evidence. It would help us a lot if we can get a copy of the ground plan (I'm afraid this is not the right translation) or photos of the ship so we can identify more details. Despite we have found the bell, we can not be sure it is the Clan Urquhart, although we are sure the hull is a turret form. Do you know if it is common that if a ship is sold or scrapped, to bring the bell back to the owner/shipping company? In that case, it could be another (turret) ship.

Kindest regards,

Rob Arens

In reply, Maurice sent the photograph below:

Doxford turret ship Haigh Hall, newly launched on 16th June 1906. Construction of the Queen Alexandra Bridge is well under way.

Maurice,

What a beautiful photo is this; thanks! Also your other information will help us.

What I see is that the hull of the turret ships are almost identical, but the structure above the cargo rooms are very different.

When you have more....please!

Thanks,

Rob

For Sale from the Association

The Association has the following items for sale. All proceeds, after expenses, go to Association funds in support of our activities.

Photograph Album on CD. An album of 60 colour photographs taken in the Engine Works in 1957-58 and scanned onto a CD. Many of the pictures show people at work, and most parts of the works are covered. Jim Duncan’s father saved the album and Jim kindly allowed it to be scanned so, by the wonders of the digital age, this souvenir of the works in its heyday is now available to members for £5 (non-members £7). You’ll need a reasonably up-to-date computer with Microsoft PowerPoint and/or image file viewing software (preferably both).

Plant Layout Drawing. This is a copy of an original plan. The position of every machine is shown, and there is a key giving the maker, type and age of each item of plant. The drawing was probably prepared in the 1970s. It’s another item from Jim Duncan’s archive, and it has been expertly copied for us by Russell Lowdon. Size A0 (48 x 33 inches). Price £2.

Doxford 58JS3 Engine ‘SO500’. The story of the engine preserved at Beamish. 40 pages, including many colour illustrations. Price £5.

MV North Sands / 76J9 engine Film on video and DVD. A film made in 1964 by Maurice Clyde showing how the first Doxford ‘J’ engine was built, from drawing board to test bed and installation, together with the construction and launch of the North Sands, her fitting out, dry docking and departure from the Tyne on her maiden voyage. There is a short clip of Percy Jackson, Doxford’s Chief Designer. The film was made in colour on standard 8mm film and has been transferred to video and DVD, with commentary and background music. Price £5 (non-members £7).

T-Shirts. See next page.

How to make your purchase

In person: the above items are available for purchase at most Association meetings and events.

By post: please send orders with payment (payable in Sterling to ‘DEFA’) to: John Clayson, Discovery Museum, Blandford Square, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4JA.

By Internet: the Association does not have facilities for transactions over the Internet. However, by visiting http://www.ansonshop.co.uk/ and clicking on ‘Doxford’ under ‘Categories’, you can purchase most of the items listed above through the Anson Museum’s webshop, and the profits are shared between the Anson Museum and the Association.

Sale Proceeds

Proceeds from sales of the above items help to fund new developments and sustain and improve the website.

For your interest here are the numbers of each item sold so far:

CD Photograph Album125 copies sold

Plant Layout Drawing 31 copies sold

History of the 58JS3 engine 87 copies sold

North Sands / 76J9 engine film on DVD*/video134 copies sold

* available since late 2004

· Have You Got the T-Shirt?

We now have a supply of specially printed good-quality T-shirts for sale. Available in four sizes (M, L, XL and XXL) they are available to buy at meetings and events, and also by email order from Bill Steel at bill.steel@sunderlandcommunitynetwork.org.uk . Please indicate favoured style (‘DEFA logo’ or ‘58JS3 engine’) and size. Bill will respond, hopefully confirming that we have stock and with information about the postage charge and how to pay.

The T-shirts are currently available in two styles (illustrated above) and four sizes (M, L, XL and XXL), price £10 (members £8.50). Note that the lower half of each T-shirt has been turned under to save space on the photo!

Top: Doxford Engine Friends’ Association logo.

Bottom: 58JS3 engine.

For those of you who receive printed copies of the Newsletter the T-shirts are white and the design is in colour.

Newsletter Distribution

Newsletters are sent by email to members who have provided an email address. This method of distribution is simpler and less costly in time and money, which helps us to keep the subscription at such an affordable rate. However, it can take a while to download unless you have a broadband connection, and some members have experienced other problems.

If you have difficulty downloading or viewing the Newsletter try asking your computer to save, rather than to open, the document as it downloads (if you are offered these as options).

If all else fails let us know (e.g. by ticking the box on the form) and we will send your copy by post. We will then only use your email address for brief messages such as meeting reminders.

Subscriptions for 2009

If you haven’t yet sent your renewal - or if you want to join the Association for the first time - please use the form below. Please also use the form to let us know of any change of address, or if you have recently become contactable by email.

Please remember that membership is open to absolutely anyone who is interested, (whether they have been associated with Doxford’s or not). We are especially keen to encourage younger people with an interest in engineering, or in the local history of Wearside.

New - Life Membership for retired people at a minimum of 10 x the annual membership rate i.e. currently £50. You can send more if you wish!

Membership Application and Renewal Form

(please also use this form during the year to tell us about any change of address)

Please renew my membership / enrol me as a new member / of the Association for the year 2009. I enclose a cheque for £5 payable to ‘DEFA’.

or

I am retired and wish to become a Life Member. I enclose a cheque for £50 (or more) payable to ‘DEFA’.

Name………………………………………………

Address…………………………………………………………………………………..

………………………………………………postcode………………………...

Phone………………………. Email*………………………………………..

* I have a dial-up connection, so please do not send DEFA Newsletters (size 1-2Mb) to me by email (tick box) (

Please return the completed form with your cheque to:

DEFA Membership Secretary, c/o John Clayson, Discovery Museum, Blandford Square, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4JA.

Please indicate if you need a receipt (otherwise one will not be sent) (

Doxford 58JS3 engine at the Regional Museums Store

First Opposed Piston Engine,

mv Yngaren, 1921

DANGEROUS ROCKS

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