Fluffy and Sleek Personalities continued.

The Trio

 

Hi! I'm Ben and I dislocated my hip some time ago and I have just had an operation to put it right.

 

I'm holding my leg up so you can see my scar better. Didn't the vet make a good job!

 

 

 

 

Remember me? I'm Smudge and I have grown up a bit since you last saw me. I'm becoming quite a beauty and don't I know it!

 

 

 

It's me, Susie again, and I know I am much superior to the other two but I have to put up with them!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Fluffy and Sleek Personalities

Meet Smudge and Susie

Some cats have endearing personalities. Here are some photos of my niece's Persian kitten, Smudge, and her proud Siamese, Susie. The Persian was just a lovely little kitten at the time of recording the images, now she is much more grown up and more images will follow in due course.

 

 

I am looking at the camera!



It will never boil there!

 

It's all a bit trying!

 

 

I'm waiting my turn!

 

It's all a bit confusing!!



RRS 'Discovery' -Feedback

No Comment?

 

 

At this morning's count some 650 hits have been registered on my blog. A modest number compared with some I admit but what intrigues me is that absolutely no comments have been registered. I wonder why? Anyone out there who might provide an answer would be welcome.

 

My server is provided by TT. Net since I live for most of the year in Fethiye, Turkey and I have noticed that from time to time some items on my BT homepage are unobtainable here. Perhaps the lack of comments may have something to do with that?

St Pauls Cathredral, London

Antarctic Centenary Celebration 29th March 2012

Given that I have been writing about the RRS 'Discovery' and the Antarctic for the past few months, I thought that readers wouldlike to know that I received an invitation to attend the above event along with members of Dundee Heritage Trust, which I did and fely very privilaged to be there among the wide range of people who gathered to Celebrate the Centenary of the British Antarctic (Terra Nova) Expedition 1910 - 1913 led by Captain Robert Falcon Scott CVO RN.

 

The atmosphere within the cathredral was sombre and those who spoke in the near hour long ceremony told of the heroics of the small band of men led by Scott who bravely took part in the Expedition. Scott and his colleagues did make it to the South Pole only to find that Roald Amundsen had got there before them. The return journey from the pole proved to be a step too far for Scott and his men, Dr Adrian Wilson, Captain Laurence Edward Oates, Lieutenant Henry Robertson Bowers and Petty Officer Edgar Evans who all perished on that fateful return journey during February and March 1912.

 

The service began in the presence of Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal and throughout at their allotted times, contributions were made by Sir David Attenborough; Falcon Scott, Grandson of Captain Robert Falcon Scott; Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope, The First Sea Lord; Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, who read the second lesson; Professor Julian Dowdeswell, Director of the Polar Research Institute University of Cambridge; Dr David Wilson, a Great Nephew of Dr Edward Wilson; Alderman Jeffery Evans, a grandson of Lieutenant Evans and Philippa Foster Black, Chairman of UKAHT.

 

For me the most moving moment was when Sir David Attenborough read the Commemoration, which was the last letter Scott wrote before he died and I record his words here:

 

'We arrived within 11 miles of our One Ton Camp with fuel for one last meal and food for two days. For four days we have been unable to leave the tent - the gale howling about us. We are weak, writing is difficult, but for my own sake I do not regret this journey, which has shown that Englishmen can endure hardships, help one another, and meet death with as great fortitude as ever in the past. We took risks, we knew we took them; things have come out against us, and therefore we have no cause for complaint, but bow to the will of providence, determined still to do our best to the last. But if we had been willing to give our lives to this enterprise, which is for the honour of our country, I appeal to our countrymen to see that those who depend on us are properly cared for. Had we lived, I should have had a tale to tell of the hardihood, endurance, and courage of my companions which would have stirred the heart of every Englishman. These rough notes and our dead bodies must tell the tale, but surely, surely, a great rich country like ours will see that those who are dependent on us are properly provided for'.

 

The RRS 'Discovery' and my involvement with that ship for many years was vividly brought back as I sat within the vastness that is St Pauls Cathredral among the Great and the Good. I have already written about the hardships endured by the men of the Discovery between 1901 and 1904 when Robert Falcon Scott led that Expedition and was Captain of the ship. Those hardships pale into nothing when one sits and vainly tries to imagine what Scott and his men suffered in those last days in the tent. Explorers were special people back then and it is right that they be remembered now more than 100 years later. Arctic and Antarctic explorers of today have the advantage of modern technology, modern logistics and comforts beyond the wildest dreams of those early men who first ventured forth to provide the world with further information about this, our own planet. Scott was not the last of that group of men who ventured into the Antarctic between 1901 and 1904 to die. Earnest Shackleton too died leading his Expedition in the Antarctic on the 5th of January 1922 of a heart attack in South Georgia. He had been Third Officer on board the Discovery over 20 years earlier.

 

It would appear that I am ending my story of the RRS 'Discovery' on a down-beat note. Nothing could be further from the truth because the ship lives on and her successors continued the work she started. The Scott Polar Research Institute is located in Cambridge, England and its web site is well worth a visit where one can linkin to those who continue the work in the Antarctic Continent. www.spri.cam.ac.uk

 

The Royal Research Ship 'Discovery' Part 23.

Before and After

 

 

It is always good to look back at what the conditions were like on board Discovery before the Project started in 2007 but it is far more rewarding to recall what was achieved in the two years since that year. This story would be incomplete if it did not recognise the amount of effort that the Main Contractor, Mackay Boatbuilders, Arbroath, Scotland, put into the Project. Harry Simpson, his son Paul and their employees have a background of running their boatyard in Arbroath to cater for a wide variety of marine customers. Their day to day work involves fishing boats, specialised boats, pleasure craft, canal craft, yachts and restoration work and much more. Their services are in demand, not only in Scotland but throughout the United Kingdom and they frequently travel far distances to satisfy their customer's needs. The marine work brings boats from all over to their yard, such is their reputation but the Discovery Project was special, special because both Harry and Paul had a long association with the ship and it had become almost one of the family. The skills required to restore historical wooden ships will never be lost entirely so long as MacKay Boat Builders operate in Arbroath and I hope that those who may read these words will visit its website www.mackayboatbuilders.co.uk and learn a little more about the company.

 

 

MacKay's Boatyard. Arbroath, Scotland.

 

 

I am nearing the end of this particular story of the Discovery and I thought it was about time the difference of two years of hard work and dedication can make to a grand old ship when all involved are working towards the one goal, conservation. The delight reflected on the visitor's faces when they viewed the newly enhanced spaces was all the reward that was necessary to those who had been involved. Here are a few before and after photographs that show what can be done on a limited budget and unlimited enthusiasm.

 

 

  Engine Room Before

Engine Room After



 

 Coal Bunker Before

Coal Bunker After

 

 

 Hold Space Before

Hold Space After

 

 

 Hull Before

Hull After

 

 

I have many more pictures on file as a reminder of how the Old Girl was returned to a happy state. Discovery today remains a star attraction on Dundee's Waterfront but it is what goes on behind the scenes that really matters. The conservation and restoration of the ship did not end on the day the Project ended, it will never end. It is a huge burden that Dundee Heritage Trust carries and will always carry so long as the ship remains in its custody. In these hard financial times it is far from easy to persuade the public to give generously to protect our Maritime Heritage. The ship needs the support of Discovery Point Antarctic Museum and the museum needs the ship; both have to survive and remain attractive to visitors. The Trust's turnover is over £1m per annum and in future it will need to generate much more than that to maintain interest in its assets.

 

Speaking of assets, how much is the RRS 'Discovery' worth? She is in the top list of Historical Ships and as such her worth cannot be set out in money terms. Her worth is in the value she gives to the community, be that community Local, National or International, she is a priceless asset and one that must be conserved for the education and enjoyment of future generations.

 

In these 23 parts I have written I hope I have created an interest in Historic Ship Conservation and Restoration. The feedback I have had has been positive and encouraging and made my efforts worthwhile. That is not quite the end of the story, my story that is, not the Discovery's as that will never end. There are rewards that come to people like me who get involved in history and my particular reward came earlier this year. I will tell you about that in my next article.



The Royal Research Ship 'Discovery'. Part 22.

Education and Involvement

During the planning stages of the Project it was decided early that the ship could not be closed to visitors at any time. The obvious reason for this was, of course, that revenues still had to be generated to ensure the survival, not only of the ship but the whole Discovery Point experience. Such a long and involved Project had to be planned then with the safety of the visiting public very much in mind and could not be looked upon in any negative sense whatsoever. Such a Project should be turned to the advantage of Discovery Point complex and never to its disadvantage. That is just what happened!

Free dry-dock tours were arranged after working hours; free illustrated lectures on the progress of the Project were given in the evenings; the ship guides were given a quarterly briefing on how to inform the visitors of what was exactly taking pace. The media were kept well informed and television stations were most useful in publicising the work being done. Tales about the fabled 'Dundee Leak' were retold. The 'Black Pudding Mix' got its fair share ofcoverage. All this and more added to the excitement of seeing parts of the ship never seen before by the visiting public. Here it has to be recorded that the staff at Discovery Point, the crew of the ship, the Main Contractor and many others gave of their time in the evenings to help keep the on-going story of the Discovery alive.

I had the good fortune to conduct the dry-dock tours and give lectures. It was wonderful to pass on information of times gone by to every age group. Dundee Heritage Trust formed its 'Junior Board' some years before in order to listen and act upon the views expressed by the younger generation. They were among the groups who participated in the dry-dock tours and their interest was very humbling to me, their enthusiasm could be seen and felt as the following pictures show.

The Junior Board ready for the tour

Explaining how the planks are fastened

Its very big!!

Dwarfed by the rudder

Adults from all walks of life took advantage of walking in the dry-dock around the Discovery, many questions were asked and it stretched my knowledge somewhat to provide the correct answers. It was the observations feedback that became truely interesting. The bottom strake of Greenheart sheathing became more than just a piece of timber. It was fashioned out of lengths of over 50 feet (>15m). Given that this timber is near indestructable, how was it shaped? What tools were used? How heavy was each plank? Most of all was the admiration felt for those who had constructed such a fine ship in a shipyard just over 500 yards (500m) away from where they stood.

The following pictures reflect the interest of the adult groups. Perhaps a point to note is that the weather in Dundee at the time of the tours was very kind and added to the experience.

All attention! Tour begins.

Eyes up! Look at that bow!

Explaining the finer detail.

Eyes up again! This time at the other end.

A question answered.

During the latter part of 2008 into the first three months of 2009, work was focussed on the interior of the ship especially in terms of providing as much educational information as possible without confusing the visitor. The Director of Discovery Point and her staff worked hard in the planning and design of new ideas to arouse the quriosity of all those who might visit the ship in future. Take the engine-room for example; obviously the engine had long since gone but a replica of the upper cylinders had been built during past restoration on the main deck level so a small viewing window at that level was installed to allow the concept of depth of the whole engine-room to be visualised.



A window to down below





Down in the starboard coal bunker a window in the deck allowed the visitor to see the pig-iron ballast ingots stowed in the bilge spaces below.

The pig-iron ingots lit up for a better view.

The above are just a flavour of the changes that were made and the next part of the story will provide more of the innovative methods that were used to make a visit to the ship much more attractive.

The Royal Research Ship 'Discovery'. Part 21.

Waste Water Ancient and Modern

I left off in the last part about to tackle the waste water issue on board the ship and perhaps I had better give a broader description of it before we started improvements. To start with the system had no historical value whatsoever. The original included 'heads' (a water closet) situated near the stern and another in the forecastle, both crude arrangements that discharged the waste directly overboard. Equally the galley, officer's cabin wash basins, bilge water and bath waste were discharged directly into the sea. That as fine between 1924 and to about perhaps 1946, although I cannot provide an exact date when changes happened; I suspect it was deemed less important than other matters concerning the day to day survival of the Discovery after 1932. Anyway, what we inherited was what had been installed over the past years. The discharge pipe from every bilge pump location was led to the pump-room and thence to an intermediate holding tank (mentioned in the last part of this story). The galley, officers and bathroom discharges had all been blanked off, in fact the bath had been removed a long time before. In order to provide kitchen, wash up and storage facilities to support the various revenue generating functions held on board, cabins on the port side forward of the wardroom had been converted to serve that purpose. Wastes  emanating from there were discharged directly into the intermediate holding tank in the pump-room. This in turn, when the level of waste water reached a predetermined level, was automatically pumped into the main discharge tank located forward in the chain locker mentioned earlier. Toilets and wash facilities were situated on the port side of the upper forecastle deck, the latter discharged directly into the main holding tank in the chain locker compartment far below. This tank had a fairly large capacity with a back up overflow arrangement and the capability of discharging the waste into the shore-side sewers automatically when the level of liquid triggered the discharge pump within the tank itself.

A mess of pipes in the corner of the pump-room.

Bilge pump discharge pipes from the starboard side of the ship in the pump-room

Bilge pump discharge pipes from the port side of the ship in the pump-room

It was financially impossible to install a completely new system. What we had to do was modify the old one and this we did by designing a new intermediate holding tank for the pump-room. It had to be made of stainless steel; completely sealed from the surrounding space and have a sealed automatic pump situated outside in order to discharge the waste water accumulated into the main holding tank in the chain locker forward. Having the pump located outside of the tank made maintenance much easier.

The new stainless steel intermediate holding tank installed in the pump-room.

New discharge pump and filter unit installed in the pump-room.

Next, the main holding tank in the chain locker was opened up, thoroughly cleaned and given a suitable protective coating both inside and out. In order to discharge the waste to the shore system the pump remained fitted to the interior of the main tank but was overhauled. It had the ability to break down the waste into solid particles of mot more than 10mm in diameter. At some time in the past a stench pipe (a pipe that allows the tank to ventilate gasses created by fermentation to air) had been fitted from the tank up through the forecastle decks then up the foremast where the gasses were vented to air. While investigating this fitting it was found that the gasses were being vented into the upper forecastle work space since the pipe up the foremast had been disconnected and destroyed in times past. Little wonder the crew had complained on occasions of a nasty smell in their work place! That was fixed and again gasses were vented to outside air space. So that the reader may be comforted, the amount of gas (mainly Methane) ventilated was very small indeed and when mixed with air it would become virtually undetectable.

The newly renovated overflow tank in the chain locker.

The newly renovated main holding tank in the chain locker

What was accomplished at the end of the day was that Discovery had an efficient, working, waste water system in place, one that would last for a long time to come provided it was maintained regularly.

Next. Education and Involvement.