Marine, Aeronautical and Coast Station Radio Officers
More Radio Rooms
Radio room: Lincoln/GXND. R/O Roger Hardy says “In the mid 1950’s the P & O Group decided to go into the tanker trade and spread the new tonnage amongst the Companies within the group. New Zealand Shipping/ Federal Steam were given three, the Lincoln/GXND, Derby and the Kent/GHJX which, having ‘County’ names, sailed under Federal colours. I was fortunate to join both the Lincoln and the Kent as new ships in John Brown’s yard on Clydebank, and sign their articles for sea trials, before they were handed over to the Company. All the Company’s ships were fitted with Marconi kit and the three tankers were on permanent charter to BP.”
Lincoln/GXND in dry dock in Falmouth.
Radio Room: Kent/GHJX. At 12,780 tons gross the Lincoln was quite small even for those days but was interesting in that, always loading in the Gulf, she took cargoes all over the world whereas the Derby and Kent, at 31,790 tons gross, were on a milk run loading in the Gulf or Banias in Syria for discharge at the Isle of Grain.
ss Derby/?? at anchor off The Medway. The radio rooms were spacious and well equipped with workshops and stores leading off and the two larger ones also had glass windowed telephone booths adjacent as they fitted with HF radiotelephone equipment (Worldspan?) the Kent also had what was then the very latest true motion radar.
Marconi Radio Room 1900’s. From the Marconi Museum at the New Street works in Chelmsford.
Marconi Radio Room 1920’s. From the New Street Museum in Chelmsford.
Marconi Radio Room 1940’s. From the Marconi New Street Chelmsford Museum.
Aeronautical equipment from the New Street Museum in Chelmsford. ROA stalwart Charles Shelton provides the following information: The Aeronautical T1154/R1155 equipment is a working model; designed and built by Marconi, some 80,000 were supplied during WWII and beyond. Indeed BOAC and BEA operated them in Avro Yorks and Vickers Vikings until specific civil aircraft became available. Yours truly is on the “bath tub” key! N.B. The T1154 coloured tuning knobs will be familiar to marine R/Os…..
How could you resist? Taken from the Handbook for Radio Operators 1961 edition. Priced 6s from HMSO offices. Those were the days.
A selection of Marconi adverts trying to get passenger ship punters to part with their money.
Sugar Refiner/GXPK. R/O was Robin Powell.
Radio Room of Tate & Lyle’s Sugar Refiner/GXPK. The sight of Robin’s wavy braid will delight some I am sure.
Sugar Refiner/GXPK loading sugar in Trinidad.
Sugar Refiner/GXPK rolling her way home nicely.
ROA stalwart Charles Shelton and ex R/O Peter Watkins at Sandford Mill. Another wavy braid man. How many people does it take to tune an Oceanspan?
Peter Watkins in replica radio room with equipment many members will recognise.
Peter Watkins as a part of the group that created the Sandford Mill radio room.
Peter Watkins on an early Marconi Argonaut VHF.
The credentials of a Maritime Radio Officer (Peter Watkins)
An early Marconi radar which I do not recognise personally but I assume is an early Radiolocator. A rather burnt PPI by the look of it. Is that an echo sounder on the left hand wall? Marconi experts needed.
A self explanatory notice describing how equipment was left to Sandford Mill by former ROA member, the late Donald Imber.
The Donald Imber Collection. I have sailed with some of that kit but by no menas all of it. There are no prizes but I am sure members will come forward and name all of it.
LPG tanker Lincolnshire/ GOVX 1972 – 2002
Geoff Valentine hard at work clearing endless cargo QTC’s
Bibby Line Container vessel acquired when Bristol City Line bought out. At the time of launching they were powered by 25000 BHP Sulzer engines, the largest in the British Fleet at that time.
Dart America / GOOB radio Room – workshop at the rear.
Bibby Line Bulk Carrier “Berkshire/GYZK” Christmas Day 1979 awaiting berthing instructions at Dairen China.
Bibby Bulk Carrier Berkshire/GYZK – Note the Decca radar scanner on-top of the Forward Starboard Sampson post– The original Raymarc radar scanner sat between the posts. You needed a good head for heights to go up there!
Berkshire/GYZK Main TX – Redifon G341B – 1.2Kw
Berkshire/GYZK All Redifon. Reserve TX G474 Reserve RX G475 Main RX R408
Lincolnshire/GOVX Radio Room All Redifon Equipment
First Met Mike Carter at Brookes Bar IMR Radio College Manchester. Looks abit different now but as the Roars Net Guy these days – well Done Mike.
Clive Evans 16/11/2015
Very disappointed to see Mr Valentine is not wearing a shirt. Obviously Bibby Line standards were slipping by this time and not the Rig Of the Day that one would expect from a future ROA Web Team member. Certainly would not have happened in the companies I worked for.
nostagia again. and yes jim hasnt changed
First Met Mike Carter at Brookes Bar IMR Radio College Manchester. Looks abit different now but as the Roars Net Guy these days – well Done Mike.
Clive Evans 16/11/2015
Very disappointed to see Mr Valentine is not wearing a shirt. Obviously Bibby Line standards were slipping by this time and not the Rig Of the Day that one would expect from a future ROA Web Team member. Certainly would not have happened in the companies I worked for.