BBC NEWS | UK | Northern Ireland | Remembering 'Great White Whale' Remembering 'Great White Whale' The cruise liner was known as the Great White Whale Bill Harrison followed the course of the Canberra throughout its long history with a sense of pride. From his hard bench in the drawing offices of Harland and Wolff, he helped give birth to the vessel which would become one of the world's most famous luxury liners. Yet the ship saw several transformations - from carrying migrants to Australia, changing to a cruiser and then into a troop carrier and hospital ship during the Falklands War. The BBC is marking the departure of the last ship - The Anvil Point - to be built at Harland and Wolff with a special Day To Remember on Friday 21 March. Bill started working in the drawing office of Harland and Wolff as an apprentice and spent all his working life in the shipyard. Some of the drawings must have been 6 or 8ft long, not the easiest things to use on a ship on a wet winter's morning Bill Harrison In the early days there were large benches stretching the full width of the office, with up to four draftsmen working at each, he said.

"They were level and broad, because in those days the drawings were very big. "Some of the drawings must have been 6 or 8ft long, not the easiest things to use on a ship on a wet winter's morning - the drawings were spread out and pinned down." Bill was intimately connected with ship No.1621 - the Canberra - and recalls his days in the drawing office designing the ship. "I was involved in that in the early design stages and right through to the delivery, something which took a fair bit out of my life at that time. "It was a ship in which I personally had a lot of interest and when it was finished a lot of pride." Ship came back from the Falklands War a heroine Launched from Queen's Island in Belfast in 1960, she was the biggest passenger ship built since the Second World War. While she came back from the Falklands War a heroine, the cruise liner - known as the Great White Whale - was broken up in 1998. It had been languishing in a graveyard of ships in Asia for months.

Having been sold for scrap in 1997, the once majestic liner sailed to its final resting place, 30 miles from the Pakistani port city of Karachi. But the vessel was so big that as she came in to dock, she beached on a sandbank and became stuck there. Her breakers cut her up before bringing the pieces back to shore. 'Awarded MBE' Where most ships take three months to break, the Canberra brought a bonanza for the local labour market and eight months after she arrived, was still only half dismantled. Bill Harrison remembers the day of the Canberra's maiden voyage four decades ago. Breakers cut her up before bringing the pieces back to shore "I was on board the ship when it was being launched. We had some technical measurements to make with the deflections of the ship as it went down to sea. "It's a free agent then. The ship bends and moves and one of the things we had to do was measure that movement." It was a procedure Bill carried out many times until he ended his career as Technical Manager of Harland and Wolff. He was later awarded an MBE for his work.

NAVIGATION-Cruising and Maritime Themes: SS "CANBERRA", the Great White Whale Monday, January 2, 2012 SS "CANBERRA", the Great White Whale The first posts of 2012 are about SS "CANBERRA" one of my all time favourites. The story of CANBERRA started in 1956 when P & O asked British Shipbuilders to tender for a new liner to be operated between the UK and AUSTRALIA, it was later that year that P & O announced that HARLAND & WOLFF would build the new ship, the keel was laid in 1957 and she was lanched in 1960, CANBERRA started her maiden voyage on the 2sd of June 1961, she was 45.270 GRT and had a top speed of over 29 knots.

Later when the ship was full time employed on cruising the top speed was reduced to 23.5 knots, for many CANBERRA's finest hour was when she served on the Falklands conflict where she was sent to the heart of the conflict, she was by then nicknamed the "Great White Whale". After returning from the Falklands she resumed cruising and served P & O until 1997 when she was withdrawn from service, much to the despair of her legion of loyal followers, she was a British favourite with a reputation almost impossible to match, I have never sailed on CANBERRA never even been on board, but I have seen and photographed her in many occasions and will never forget her, my fondest memory of the vessel was in 1995 when I went to Southampton to see the brand new ORIANA, I was very pleased with the new ship but she was completely overshadowed by the amazing CANBERRA's profile when she skipped her moorings half an hour later. She left unnoticed in October of 1997 to Gadani Beach in Pakistan to be scrapped under her own steam a sad but dignified ending for such a unique and beautiful liner.

Photos of CANBERRA in Lisbon during the eighties Posted by Amazon.co.uk:Customer Reviews: A Great White Whale of a Time During the Falklands War A Great White Whale of a Time During the Falklands War 5.0 out of 5 stars 6 Format: Paperback | Verified Purchase ‘A great white whale of a time’ offers a unique insight into life on board the SS Canberra during the 1982 Falklands Conflict involving Argentina and Great Britain. The personal anecdotes are from the author, Alan Johansen, who during the conflict worked as a night steward amongst members of the British military whom he became close too and developed great respect for. On starting the book I was not entirely sure what to expect as I had little knowledge of the inner working of the conflict and the role it played in our history. I soon realised that this was not solely an in depth read about military perspective and battle strategy but rather an insightful and emotional journey of a man who initially had no real clue of the tense, problematic and sometimes profound experiences that would shape the rest of his life. I felt that the book immersed me into Alan’s perception of his environment on board the Canberra and his ship mates characters were described with admiration and fondness.

It soon became clear who his favourites were on board and an especially important individual appeared to be his new found confidante Corporal Stuart McLaughlin (3rd Para). The book really portrayed for me the up and down emotions experienced by Alan and his crew mates, and the importance of forming connections when in a unique situation so far from home and civilisation. It also became apparent that the ship itself was subject to its own perils as the book goes on to reveal the target of attack that it becomes, hence its apt nickname! With specific focus on the relationships formed on board and the panic and general confusion that each member were forced to endure, I really felt at times that I was there experiencing the ordeal with Alan. I think that anybody who gives this book their full attention will be touched and possibly saddened by the sometimes raw and personal insights of the author’s experiences. However, it also offers a good insight into the realities of war and the affects that it has on individuals many years after the events have taken place. If you are at all interested in real life experience of trauma and the psychological and emotional rollercoaster of a human being at a difficult time then I think you will enjoy this read.

The book also offers some interesting information on how the war unfolded in front of these men and the specific role the Canberra was forced to play. Despite the often tense tone the book gives a unique humour when describing certain events to the reader and I think you will find both the book and author quite charming. I very much enjoyed this book and will highly recommend. 0Comment | 4 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Report abuse Please write at least one word You must purchase at least one item from Amazon to post a comment A problem occurred while submitting your comment. Please try again later. Showing 0 of 0 comments Sort by: Format: Paperback | Verified Purchase My wife an I met Alan and his neighbor while walking along the river-canal in Gloucester this year. We heard from him about this book - so I ordered it. I was 23 years old during the Falkland conflict and as a Swiss, I am very interested in reading about the war and the reasons behind the occupation by the Argentines. Amongst others, I red the book of Rick Joley "Doctor for friend and foe", Hugh Bicheno "Razors Edge" and Jerry Pook "RAF Harrier ground attack".

Even though these book are splendid, they lack the view Alan Johansen offers: An honest account of a young man, thrown into a conflict and war. What striked me most is the humbleness and openness Alan approaches his experience, without becoming "mushy". In my opinion a must read for everyone, who wants to get a feel how the war was perceived by a young man and civilian worker. Thank you Alan for this book. Valentin 0Comment | 4 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Report abuse Please write at least one word You must purchase at least one item from Amazon to post a comment A problem occurred while submitting your comment. Please try again later. Format: Paperback | Verified Purchase A great insight into what it was like on the outer edge of the Falklands War. We at home had no idea that so many ships were requisitioned for carrying troops, supplies and casualties. Alan paints a vivid picture of what life was like aboard one such ship, and how close they became to some of the soldiers. So much trauma affects the rest of their lives. Well done. 0Comment | 3 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

Yes No Report abuse Please write at least one word You must purchase at least one item from Amazon to post a comment A problem occurred while submitting your comment. Please try again later. Format: Paperback | Verified Purchase I enjoyed this book so much I am reading it over again .I am absolutely amazed the Canberra returned in one piece after such an ordeal . At times I felt I was there with them as Alan's portrayal of events flowed with a convincing ease . A thoroughly enjoyable read written by a very compassionate and caring man . I knew very little of the importance of the Merchant Navy during the Falklands war as they were rarely mentioned , but with out those brave civilian seamen aboard ships taken up from trade I doubt very much the Armed Forces would of been capable of carrying out such an operation 8,000 miles from the UK ?. The Merchant Navy did not receive the recognition they deserved during WW2 , nothing has changed . Brave men , Brilliant Book . A Great White Whale of a Time During the Falklands War: Amazon.co.uk: Alan Johansen: 9780993227103: Books A Great White Whale of a Time During the Falklands War Currently unavailable.

We don't know when or if this item will be back in stock. Customers also viewed these available items Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1 This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading. Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. Apple To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number. or Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here , or download a FREE Kindle Reading App . Product details Publisher: Johansen and Johansen Publications (April 2015) ISBN-10: 0993227104 Ad feedback Product Description This book is dedicated to the unsung heroes of the Merchant Navy, Sailors with no military training, also Corp Stuart McLaughlin 3 Para. Alan Johansen a Night Steward on board SS CANBERRA during The Falklands War, Spring 1982.

Canberra, after surviving Air attacks, wave after wave in San Carlos waters, 21st May 1982, affectionately became known as THE GREAT WHITE WHALE. The Canberra was pivotal to the Success of operations. She safely disembarked 5,000 troops amongst The Falkland Islands and returned over 4,000 POW's to Argentina. The human element is portrayed in the book, the reality of war and its effects on the mind and body. The emotions over a prolonged period in the confines of a ship, under constant threat. A true portrayal of life on board ship as crew, at a difficult time. SS CANBERRA requisitioned, embarked upon Auxiliary tasks, both alien to ship and crew, with an avid sense of duty, awe and resolve. What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item? By MRS E H SAUNDERSON on 21 Jun. 2015 Format: Paperback Verified Purchase ‘A great white whale of a time’ offers a unique insight into life on board the SS Canberra during the 1982 Falklands Conflict involving Argentina and Great Britain.

The personal anecdotes are from the author, Alan Johansen, who during the conflict worked as a night steward amongst members of the British military whom he became close too and developed great respect for. On starting the book I was not entirely sure what to expect as I had little knowledge of the inner working of the conflict and the role it played in our history. I soon realised that this was not solely an in depth read about military perspective and battle strategy but rather an insightful and emotional journey of a man who initially had no real clue of the tense, problematic and sometimes profound experiences that would shape the rest of his life. I felt that the book immersed me into Alan’s perception of his environment on board the Canberra and his ship mates characters were described with admiration and fondness. It soon became clear who his favourites were on board and an especially important individual appeared to be his new found confidante Corporal Stuart McLaughlin (3rd Para). The book really portrayed for me the up and down emotions experienced by Alan and his crew mates, and the importance of forming connections when in a unique situation so far from home and civilisation.

It also became apparent that the ship itself was subject to its own perils as the book goes on to reveal the target of attack that it becomes, hence its apt nickname! With specific focus on the relationships formed on board and the panic and general confusion that each member were forced to endure, I really felt at times that I was there experiencing the ordeal with Alan. Read more › P&O marks 175 years on the ocean waves - BBC News BBC News P&O marks 175 years on the ocean waves 30 June 2012 Read more about sharing. Close share panel Image caption The company's former flagship, Canberra, had a 36-year career, sailing more than three million miles and carrying nearly a million passengers From its humble beginnings delivering Royal Mail to becoming the largest shipping company in the world, P&O has become a major name in the world of shipping. It all started 175 years ago, in 1837. During its years on the ocean waves, the company has carried royalty and Mahatma Gandhi, been targeted by German U boats, sent its "great white whale" to duty and even established its own bank.

When the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O) first started running mail and passenger services to exotic ports its fleet was made up of 60 steamships and 52 tenders and tugs. In the opening decade of the 20th Century the company had more than 1,000 ships in its various companies. Image caption P&O acquired Blue Anchor Line and entered the emigrant trade Southampton has long been P&O Cruises' home port. Its ships Tagus and Great Liverpool were the first to dock in city's new outer dock in 1842. A set of steps in the dock, now Ocean Village Marina, are still known as "the P&O steps". Carol Marlow, managing director at P&O Cruises, said: "When you've been based in a city since 1842, you get to feel part of the community." The company said the secret behind its longevity is the company's unique "P&O-ness". Ms Marlow said: "We tailor our ships and cruise holidays to suit British tastes, ensuring that passengers feel like they have a home away from home.

It's about friendly, attentive service, familiarity, reassurance and a fabulous holiday." Grand Event spectator map [262kb] Over the years P&O ships have hosted many royal parties and celebrities. Gandhi sailed from Mumbai to Marseilles on board P&O's Clyde in 1881. Fifty years later he repeated the journey aboard Rajputana. Orient Line's Ophir was chartered as a royal yacht for the 1901 Australian tour of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, later George V and Queen Mary. The glamorous surroundings of Canberra were used for several scenes of the James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever, starring Sean Connery. It has not all been plain sailing, though. The company lost 85 ships in the First World War and 179 ships in the Second World War. One loss during WWI was the P&O liner SS Persia which became the first passenger ship to be torpedoed by a German U boat without warning. The ship was south of Crete on its way to India with 500 passengers on board. Among them were Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, and Eleanor Thornton, his secretary and mistress.

Lord Montagu survived, but Eleanor went down with the ship, along with over 300 other passengers. Streaked in rust Image caption Canberra kept its colour scheme during the Falklands war and was nicknamed the great white whale One of its most famous ships was Canberra which had a 36-year career, sailing more than three million miles and carrying nearly a million passengers. Following a world cruise, Canberra was requisitioned for trooping during the Falklands campaign. After a two-day conversion in Southampton, in which a helicopter flight deck was put over the observation deck and swimming pool, the ship sailed for the Atlantic. The ship spent 94 days with the task force, steamed more than 25,000 nautical miles, and landed most of the ground forces who went into action on the Falkland Islands. Canberra returned to Southampton streaked in rust, carrying 2,000 troops, in July 1982, greeted by thousands of people who had gathered at the port to welcome them home. The ship's career ended on 30 September, 1997, when it arrived in its home port of Southampton for the final time.

The shipping line will mark its 175th year by sailing its seven cruise ships - Oceana, Adonia, Azura, Oriana, Aurora, Arcadia and Ventura - into Southampton together on Tuesday 3 July. THE GREAT BRITISH LINER – THE SS CANBERRA – THE LAST GASP OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE | Cruising The Past Contact & Comments THE GREAT BRITISH LINER – THE SS CANBERRA – THE LAST GASP OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE Posted by: Michael L. Grace December 23, 2009 in STEAMSHIP LINES Comments Off on THE GREAT BRITISH LINER – THE SS CANBERRA – THE LAST GASP OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE CRUISING THE PAST: THE SS CANBERRA – THE LAST GASP OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE A great BBC youtube video of the SS CANBERRA returning from the Falklands. For 37 years the SS Canberra was a very familiar sight in Southampton’s Western Docks and in ports the world over, particularly Sydney which, it could be said, has been her second home.

In April 1982 the unthinkable happened when Britain went to war in hopefully the last colonial campaign in her history and for the first time in 42 years a P&O liner was requisitioned for service as a troop transport. During the three months of the Falklands campaign she made headlines the world over, and she became a household name as she continued her peacetime role. However, her career had not always been so secure and for a few months in 1972 it seemed she was destined prematurely for the scrapyard. Had that come about she would probably be remembered today as P&O’s `great white elephant’, the liner which it had been thought would shape the future but, instead, had fallen victim to the age of the jet airliner and steeply rising oil prices. The P&O liner Canberra (in my opinion one of the most beautiful ships to come out of Harland & Wolff) when the ship was leaving Belfast for Southampton, to begin her maiden voyage. Arrival in Adelaide, Australia.

THE SS CANBERRA AND THE FALKLANDS After the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands in 1982, which initiated the Falklands War, the Ministry of Defence requisitioned the “Canberra” as use as a troopship. Nicknamed the “Great White Whale”, the “Canberra” proved vital in transporting the Parachute Regiment and Royal Marines to the islands more than 9,000 miles from the UK. Whilst the “Queen Elizabeth 2” was held to be too vulnerable to enter the war zone, “Canberra” was sent to the heart of the conflict. “Canberra” anchored in San Carlos Water on 21 May as part of the landings by British forces to retake the islands. Although her size and white colour made her an unmissable target for the Argentine Air Force, the “Canberra”, if sunk, would not have been completely submerged in the shallow waters at San Carlos. However, the liner was not badly hit during the landings as the Argentine pilots tended to attack the Royal Navy frigates and destroyers instead of the supply and troop ships.

SS CANBERRA SAILING WAY FROM SYDNEY When the war ended, Canberra was used to repatriate the Argentine Army, before returning to Southampton to a rapturous welcome. After a lengthy refit, Canberra returned to civilian service as a cruise ship. Her role in the Falklands War made her very popular with the British public, and ticket sales after her return were elevated for many years as a result. SS CANBERRA BEING SCRAPPED Last voyage for Canberra, the Great White Whale of the Falklands | The Independent Last voyage for Canberra, the Great White Whale of the Falklands Tuesday 25 June 1996 23:02 BST Click to follow The Independent Online The Great White Whale is preparing for her final voyage after 35 years of service on the waves. She carried a generation of emigrants to Australia; took British soldiers to battle; and hosted honeymooners on cruises around the world. The owners of the Canberra, as the cruiser is officially known, have decided not to make costly safety changes to bring her up to modern standards. Instead she will retire after a last lap around the world in the autumn, and a career spanning more than 3 million miles of sea.

Her fate is not entirely certain, but P&O Cruises, which commissioned the ship nearly four decades ago, is anxious the Canberra should avoid the scrap heap. It is negotiating alternative uses for her when she returns to Southampton for her retirement next spring. "Canberra is now an elderly lady and although she remains a much loved ship, no vessel can continue indefinitely," said Gwyn Hughes, the managing director. "We very much hope the vessel will not be scrapped. Various organisations have approached us about possible uses for the ship. These include her becoming a floating hotel or a visitor centre." The Canberra, dubbed the Whale by the troops who sailed in her during the Falklands conflict, cost pounds 17m to build. She made her maiden voyage to Australia in 1961, carrying Britons who had saved up pounds 10 a ticket for the promise of a new life. It was a short-lived success, and her career nearly ended prematurely in 1970, when the arrival of the Jumbo jet opened up the skies for faster travel. Six Jumbos could carry as many people to Australia in a day as the Canberra could take in three weeks.

She was saved by a resurgence of interest in cruises among elderly couples and newly weds. Rather than scrap the Canberra, P&O refitted her with a casino and transformed into a cruise ship. A timely boost to stirling inspired British holiday makers to book cruises places. But it was for her role in the Falklands war in 1982 that she is best remembered, when she was called up as a troop ship, carrying 6,500 soldiers and 3,000 prisoners of war, and a hospital. The man who commanded her through the conflict, Captain Dennis Scott- Masson, said: "We are all mortal. There has to be a time when she comes to the end of her life. For a ship like that to last for 35 years is quite remarkable." More about: tev Canberra - P&O Cruise Ship If there's no menu on the left click on the dog to take you back to frames. tev Canberra Canberra was launched by Dame Pattie Menzies, wife of the Australian Prime Minister, on March 16, 1960 and the ship arrived in Southampton for the first time in the May of the following year.

During her early days she had more than her share of teething troubles, principally with boilers and condensers, and an engine room mishap resulting in a fire in 1963 meant that she had to cut short a voyage to Australia and return to Belfast for repairs. After that Canberra settled down, first on the Australian route and later as a permanent cruise liner. The highlight of her programme was a world cruise from January to April each year. Canberra's finest hour came when she was called up for national service as a troopship during the 1982 Falkland Islands conflict when servicemen and women christened her the Great White Whale. Here she is flying her pennants. Canberraï¿½s final voyage, shown above, was in 1997. and hereï¿½s another great shot of her. Courtesy of Captain Mike Carr Iï¿½m not sure who these guyï¿½s are. Harbo adds; I guess this was from the scrap run as all the Mates are in Khakis. L-R: ??, ??, Martin Dacombe, Mike Carr, Phil Bowler, ??, ??

Courtesy of Captain Mike Carr And hereï¿½s some great final shots of the magnificent ship herself. Courtesy of Captain Mike Carr Courtesy of Captain Mike Carr On the very first night on my very first cruise on Canberra I was sitting in this very room talking to a lovely lady when all the lights went out for a few seconds and I thought nothing of it until a waiter came across to me and said ï¿½Thatï¿½s the signal for an Engine Room Emergency, during the blackout you were supposed to slip away inconspicuously, youï¿½re not supposed to be here now, but donï¿½t run as we donï¿½t want to alarm the passengers do weï¿½. I guess it was nice for someone to tell me. Courtesy of Captain Mike Carr Oops! These two photos of the Canberra Boiler Room are from Ken Miller and will bring back memories for some. Hereï¿½s a great shot of The Bogie taken by Marty Elliot from the Oriana in the bay of Biscay. Dave Harbinson found this amazing footage of Canberra being launched in Belfast. Hereï¿½s a great shot of the old girl in Sydney Harbour.

Above and below are great shots of Canberra taken in Southampton. Courtesy of John Thow What an eerie shot of the lightening looking like itï¿½s hitting the starboard funnel. Great shot JT. Canberra aground at St. George, Grenada, 12th -15th July 1973. I've realised nothing has been said about Canberra's involvement in the Falklands in this section so I was pleased to receive the next two photos from Roger Lownsborough so I could rectify that. Here she is looking well used and tired but still alert and ready to serve. and here earning her stripes as she off-loads troops in San Carlos. Courtesy of Tony Simpson Here is a photo of the great white whale taken just off Port Stanley during the 1982 conflict (taken by Tony from aboard the hospital ship Uganda). Courtesy of Iain Reeves Job done ... here she is being moved (by tug power) into KGV dock at Southampton during the post Falklands refit. Courtesy of Richard Reubin Canberra in dry dock December 1978.

This photo was submitted to and published in the Southampton Evening Echo for which they paid Richard the princely sum of ï¿½5-00. The photograph was entirely processed and printed in the hospital darkroom onboard Canberra. Courtesy of Glyn Dodson Glyn recalls; I never sailed on Canberra, in fact I was only ever on her once while she was alongside in Southampton in October 1973. During my two week pre-sea training with P&O in Southampton I was given orders on the Wednesday of week 1 to join Canberra on completion of the course. I duly went to Miller Rayners that Saturday and bought my Blues, Whites, Mess Kit and 4 boiler suites and on the Sunday I went with a couple of guys from the course (tanker division) to view 'my ship' which was in Southampton. To the 'oooohhhs and aaahhhs' of myself and colleagues we walked her decks and rooms, fascinated at the ship and the world I was going to enter. On the Monday, back on the course, I was given orders NOT to join Canberra, I was gutted.

Tuesday I was ordered to Uganda only to have that cancelled the following day and Thursday was ordered to Himalaya, flying out on the Sunday from Gatwick with Dan Air to Fiji. By now my course colleagues thought Passenger Division was some sort of joke and couldn't organise a p*** up in a brewery, but I finally did fly out and join Himalaya. The next 17 brilliant photos of Canberra's Engine Room, Public Rooms and the Old Girl herself have been sent in by Glyn. Richard Reubin asked if I could add descriptions and what the equipment does so with the help of Don Cole, Alan Mackenzie and John Rockell here goes; Courtesy of Glyn Dodson Ballast Pumps in Pump Room (starboard side, after end, outboard) Fuel oil transfer or "stripping" pumps used to transfer the fuel to different tanks to keep the ship straight (balanced). Situated in the pump room which also housed fresh water pumps, sanitary water pumps, the forward sprinkler pump, oily-water separators and some of the grey and black water collection tanks.

Courtesy of Glyn Dodson Starboard Engine Telegraph (just outboard of the Main Engine Console) The telegraph is connected to an identical telegraph on the bridge and is used by the Deck Officers to "request" engine speeds. They could be hydraulically linked to a lever at the control stand so that the operator didn't have to move from the manoeuvring position to answer the telegraph orders. The labelled Electro-Feeder Pump Starter was used to supply boiler feed water to flash up again following a black-out. The gauges in the centre were fuel oil pressure, water pressure etc and the large circular gauge, above the clock, was the main superheated steam pressure gauge. This is the one we had to watch carefully when increasing speed during manoeuvring as too rapid an increase would result in a (possibly catastrophic!) drop in steam pressure which could lead to a black-out. The grey box on the right was a Crockatt Salinometer used to monitor the salt content in ppm (parts per million) of the boiler feed water.

Rocky adds that it is interesting to see that the condenser is pulling a good 28 inches of vacuum and on the gauge below, most importantly, there is only 55 minutes to go before the end of the watch! The main Manoeuvring or Control Console (Engine Room) The levers are, moving from the outer most in; a) To change motor direction. They changed the electrical phase rotation and thus the propeller direction - ahead or astern. b) "Throttle". To admit more or less steam into the turbine driving the alternator. c) The excitation lever which started the propulsion motor as an induction motor then at it's second position boosted excitation to pull it into "sync" when the lever was then moved to the third position which set the motor running as a synchronous motor at a ratio of 1:21 to the alternator speed. That is to say the alternator turned at 2100 rpm when the prop shaft turned at 100rpm. The red bar in front of the inner levers was to remind the engineer not to stop the motors without putting the jacking pumps on.

These pumps force oil into the bearings and maintain a fluid film which might be lost with the weight of the massive rotor pressing down as it stopped turning. Alan adds; The console is shown in the photo whilst the ship was at sea, full-away. The indicators show that both main alternator sets were online, port supplying the port PEM (Propulsion Electric Motor) and starboard, the s'board PEM. The large green units either side, abaft the Console were the main turbo-alternator sets themselves, supplying the PEMs at 6kV, the output frequency being varied to vary the rpm of the PEMs (synchronous motors). Courtesy of Glyn Dodson Pump Room Control Console The vertical gauges indicated tank levels and operated on a mercury pressure principle, a bit like a barometer. They're called Pneumercator Gauges. Many of the tank filling and suction valves could be opened from this position so that the operator could control the operation from one position. Common now but a novel idea in 1961. The large squarish gauges in the centre were a modern replacement for a number of the originals.

Courtesy of Glyn Dodson Engine Room Alarm Panel (forward of the Main Console) This is the original E/R Alarm Panel. One of Alan's projects, completed during his time as SETO in the early 90's, was to collect all the add-on alarms shown and integrate them into a small, neat alarm console which was mounted on the side of an air-duct just to starboard of the old panel (out of shot in this picture). Courtesy of Glyn Dodson V Block Fridge Compressors (The Refrigeration Flat) This is where the main Air-Conditioning plant was located but the machines in the picture are the small "Vee-Blocks" which were the little refrigeration compressors used to chill the cold store rooms. Courtesy of Glyn Dodson Port Main Turbo-Alternator The left side shows the Turbine casing (white) with main steam feed pipe in. The right side is the Alternator (green) which is driven by the Turbine. The Alternator provides the electrical power that drives the motors which drive the propellers. Rocky adds; The alternator is directly coupled to the turbine through a flexible coupling.

The Alternator Rotor has one pair of poles which were fed DC power to produce three phase alternating current in the Stator. The Motor actually consists of two half-motors. Each half motor had 21 pairs of poles on it's rotor with a stator wired so that one cycle of the alternator produced a movement of 1/21st of a revolution of the motor. This meant that the turbo-alternator set had to turn 21 times to turn the motor one revolution i.e. 2100 alternator rpm = 100 motor or prop-shaft rpm. I believe 147rpm was actually achieved on trials but the best I ever saw was about 122. Courtesy of Glyn Dodson Number 2 Boiler. (Boiler Room looking starboard, No.2 Boiler being mounted in the forward starboard quarter of the Boiler Room) The Boilers produce the steam to drive the Turbines. Rocky recalls that originally the furnace fronts had 8 registers but these were reduced to four bigger ones and changed to steam assisted. Courtesy of Glyn Dodson Aft Steering Gear.

(Steering Gear Compartment) This is the Emergency Helm mounted at one side of the Steering Machinery itself used if the Bridge control fails. Courtesy of Glyn Dodson Starboard Main Motor, Shaft, Bearing & Thrust Block (Motor Room) This shows the Motor on the left (PEM) and the Thrust Block on the right and supporting Bearing in the middle. The shaft then passed through a watertight bulkhead into the Shaft Tunnel. The shaft at that point was just under 24" diameter. Courtesy of Glyn Dodson Lube Oil Filters (aft end of the main E/R on the lower level) In the foreground are the main lube oil filters and behind those and slightly to the right are the lube oil coolers. Courtesy of Glyn Dodson No 3 Turbo-Alternator. (TA Flat) These were the alternators which supplied the ship's main switchboard with power at 440V which then was distributed to Masterboard Rooms (sub-stations) around the ship. The TAs also included DC generators (nearest the camera) used to supply DC excitation current for the main propulsion sets and PEMs.

Courtesy of Glyn Dodson The Bridge This is the Port aft corner of the Wheelhouse showing Telegraphs and fire-control and monitoring panels in the background. The grey telephones were "Loudaphones", sound-powered telephones used to communicate with the Engine Room and various other parts of the ship in an emergency. They would function in blackout conditions when the main Exchange might be down. Courtesy of Glyn Dodson The Forward Tunnel (looking aft to the forward Stabiliser Compartment) This is the Forward Tunnel showing the "Pilgrim" valves used for Fuel Oil and water transfer between the various double-bottom tanks which are operated from the pump room. It's the walkway from the engineers lift to the Engine Room and yes, that is carpet. Many thanks to Don, Alan & Rocky for taking the time to undertake that task and I'm very pleased to tell you that they all agreed with every shot. Thanks also go to Ken Miller who was busy at the time but offered to do it when time permitted if no one else did. Canberra in drydock, Bremerhaven, October/November 1984. Courtesy of Geoff Kimber Geoff writes; Photos show those wretched ï¿½Aï¿½ brackets.

Sometimes the A brackets used to leak dreadfully. I recall heaving drums and drums of Vickers Hydrox up ladders on the night time 12-4 as we didnï¿½t want to get the crew up. To this day I blame that episode on back problems I have had in later life, culminating in having an operation on a prolapsed disc. Courtesy of Geoff Kimber Prior to this refit the boiler casings were leaking huge amounts of exhaust gas into the boiler room making it just about uninhabitable. In the last few days before refit it looked like there was more gas coming out of the deck level plenum chamber than out of the stacks. Heaven knows how the 4thï¿½s and firemen endured it (I think some were literally coughing up blood) - you could not see across the boiler room plates. It wouldnï¿½t have happened in these days of ï¿½elf & safety.

Geoff Kimber writes; Canberra suffered a major failure of the starboard main alternator during the Aussie cruising season of 1984/85; this is mentioned in various pages of the website, but here is a bit more on the incident as I recall it, with some photos. I was 3rd on the 4-8 morning watch with Mike Eltham. At around 06:00 an alarm lamp lit up on the main engine control console, something like ï¿½Alternator Earth Faultï¿½. I donï¿½t recall any wailing claxon or any sort of audible alarm, just this very dim white lamp. I called Mike over and we were both puzzled, having never seen this before. We checked over a few things and couldnï¿½t find anything else untoward. As the time was now approaching the wake-up call time for the senior engineers and day workers we decided to mention it to the Chief & 1st Electrician when we called them so they would come straight down. During this time we then became aware of a faint whiff of hot/burning insulation - but this was a subject of debate - it seems some of us had more sensitive noses than others.

Anyhow the manuals were retrieved from the archives and the dust blown off. We handed over to the 8-12 whilst the Chief, 1st, 2nd, and assorted electricians puzzled over it and Telexes were sent to head office. I think it must have been the first full day of the cruise after departure Sydney as we spent the whole day at sea. When we went back down for the afternoon 4-8 there was a definite smell of burning which no-one could deny, but after extensive investigations it had been decided to keep going. The day workers knocked off and we went about the usual routines. Then, sometime around 19:00, there was a very loud bang from the area of the starboard engine and a large puff of dirty smoke came out of the top of the alternator. The starboard turbine whizzed up in speed and then tripped. The ship could be felt to wheel over a bit as power was suddenly taken off the starboard prop. Multiple alarms went off and the boiler relief valves popped. Amongst the various things to do was to hit the red panic button.

For quite a long time after hitting the button we were aware that no-one was actually appearing; we then realised they were all doing their duty at the Captainï¿½s bloody cocktail party. Luckily the mate on the bridge had been enjoying the late evening sun on the bridge wing and had heard the boiler relief valves blow, so knew something was amiss, plus being aware of a sudden correction required on the steering to compensate for the loss of the starboard propeller. He had the sense to realise everyone was a cocktails and would be ï¿½blissfullyï¿½ unaware of what was happening, so a cadet was despatched to raise the alarm, and a call made to the bar to get the waiters to locate all the engineering department and Captain. So after what seemed like a rather long time, all the guys started to appear - half in mess kit and half in boilersuits. By that time Mike and I had refreshed our memory on how to switch over to have the port alternator set to power both port and starboard main motors and were all ready to go with that by the time we got some help, so it was all sorted out pretty quickly. Amazingly we did not black out!

The on-watch electrician happened to be at the main board at the time and did some fancy footwork rebalancing the load; and the 4th got the boilers under control with some help from the junior we despatched to help him. The coming days were interesting. That cruise had to be re-routed slightly as top speed was obviously affected. What was, and still is, quite amazing and a real tribute to the plant designers that even after this catastrophic failure, with itï¿½s in-built redundancy, the ship could proceed on one engine for several weeks, just restricting the top speed I think to around 18 knots, and with reduced manoeuvrability where effectively both propellers were electrically locked together as though the ship now had one prop. How many ships out there have ever been able to carry on with one single turbine? The alternator rotor was rolled out of the stator on to a fabricated ï¿½railwayï¿½ of 2 steel girders; the rotor sitting on a substantial rail buggy retrieved from the store room. With the rotor out, the full extent of the damage could be seen - a hole the size of a football had been blown into the stator.

I recall the alternator did vibrate in service a bit more than the port set: it would seem that constant vibration and magnetic ï¿½dragï¿½ had pulled and loosened the laminations of the windings such that in the early stages of the failure (morning 4-8) the copper had cut through laminate insulation, thus going to earth. This earth and subsequent burning progressed during the day such that 12 hours later there was a direct phase to phase short - resulting in a trip. My memories of the technicalities are a bit hazy now - but this is how I recall it. No doubt someone will put me right. Courtesy of Geoff Kimber A squad of 4 ï¿½windersï¿½ were flown out from GEC in Stafford to do the remedial work. This was a very long and laborious job which basically required the stator re-winding and took something like 8 to 12 weeks. This meant the whole of the Aussie cruising season continued with one turbine/alternator set. The winders commented that in normal power station applications, this sort of alternator would at least be inspected via removal of the rotor every 5 years.

Canberra at the time was about 24 years old and no-one was aware of the rotors ever having been withdrawn. Courtesy of Geoff Kimber On the above two photos note the engine control settings showing the port alternator set driving both motors. Tut tut - who removed the deflectors from the blowers?! Sorry guys I do not recall who was on watch with us at the time - so if you are out there please chip in with your memories. I recall Norman Pound was Chief and Dai Thomas was 1st Electrician. Bert McAughtrie I think you were 2nd and in charge of the railway buggy?! Courtesy of Roger Lownsborough Roger recalls; Above is the broadcast/public address system installed on Canberra, known to the Radio Officers as the SRE - Sound Reproduction Equipment. Located in a separate room that formed part of the Radio Office, it was the scourge of all who sailed in Canberra. Designed by Mr. D. Pipe, a genius from Tannoy, it was installed in Canberra in 1961, and remained in continuous service until 1997 when, having played Freddie Lloyd's bagpipe farewell as she raced for the shore at Gadani Beach, the breakers were finally pulled.

Driving 8,000 loudspeakers with over 3,600 Watts of amplification the relentless announcements blasted out; "This is the Bureauï¿½..", "This is the Bridgeï¿½.", "This is the Radio Officeï¿½", "This is the Bureauï¿½" The distorted twanging Hawaiian guitars played from an ever so slightly stretched tape made dinner conversation difficult on Island Night. In port, sunrise and sunset bugles were played from a tape in the Radio Office and dinner was announced by the chimes of a dulcimer played from the telephone exchange down on D Deck. Almost every port departure was accompanied by music played through the loudspeakers around the open decks, often a recording of the Band of the Royal Marines (we regularly used the 'Monty Python's Flying Circus' signature tune 'The Liberty Bell' as the first track). On one occasion, CRO Huw Williams thought calypso music was more befitting for our departure from a port in the Caribbean - unfortunately, the lyrics of the first track started with, "Who put pepper in the Vaseline - I cannot stand the pain..

"Shortly after the start of the record Commodore Fred Woolley instructed the music be stoppedï¿½ immediately!! Each day at twelve noon, some poor soul on the bridge would whack a small CO2 fire extinguisher with the edge of a ruler to ring eight bells while the Officer of the watch held a microphone close by - Canberra did not have a ship's bell on the bridge. The ship's main alarm bell that sounded from all of the loudspeakers around the ship was a small bell on the bridge with a Reslo microphone dangling alongside it ! In all of the passenger and crew cabins, two channels of sound were relayed, taped music on one and static-riddled fading and whistling radio broadcasts from the BBC World Service, Radio Australia or the Voice of America on the other. The only respite from broadcast announcements in cabins was by carefully placing the channel selector in mid-position, this was the only way that night-workers could have an undisturbed sleep. Day workers were lucky, the broadcasts were turned off between 23:00 and 07:00.

The original amplifiers used big, glowing KT88 valves, and the heat in the SRE room would have made it an ideal place to grow pineapples - despite the best efforts of the air conditioning and an air extraction system. They were replaced in the late 1970's by much cooler semiconductor amplifiers. Above is a brilliant old shot of Canberra's Crows Nest. Courtesy of Roger Lownsborough The above and below photos were taken from the radar platform while alongside in Southampton. In the aft view, the diminutive female figure seen striding back to her cabin was children's hostess, Liz Nixon. Courtesy of Mike Williams Off she goes mooring rope trailing ... I presume that would have to be reeled in before they could start the props? Courtesy of Mike Williams This was originally listed as an Oriana pool and quite rightly pointed out by Simon Lockyer that it was not. Simon suggested it maybe on Canberra and Alan Mackenzie, Mike Williams and Veronica McCusker all confirmed that. I've placed the photo here because it can be seen in the series of photos above. Alan and Veronica both named it as the Alice Springs Pool.

Alan Mackenzie adds; The Alice Springs Pool on Canberra, a well-known haunt of the 12-4 after coming off watch in the afternoon! Also clearly in shot are the ghastly automatic sliding doors, fitted in the late 1980s, at the behest of some bright spark in the shoreside technical department. No doubt fine for high-street Tescos, these doors, totally un-marinized, were an absolute disaster at sea. They were forever breaking down, the mechanisms and electronics rapidly corroded by the salt air and so light they were always blowing open with the air-pressure differential inside/outside the enclosed deckhouse, particularly on windy days. (Why are ships' exterior doors ALWAYS heavy???). Eventually, after much condemnation in successive voyage-reports, they were replaced by a slightly more robust version that were a little better but, overall, they were a menace! Courtesy of Veronica McCusker Veronica kindly sent in the this of the same pool photo taken in 1970 while she was onboard as a passenger. Ready to leave Sydney for the last time in 1997. Another brilliant shot of the same event.

Courtesy of Tony Simpson Tony writes; These were taken whilst we were sailing in the Solent in 1995 during the celebrations to mark the 50 year anniversary of the D day landings in 1945. This is a painted copy of the above photo done (with Tony Simpson's permission) by British artist John Twinning. Prints of the painting (in two sizes) are now available for sale on John's website, click HERE to see the options and prices. Courtesy of Tony Simpson The QE2 can be seen in the background. Courtesy of Brian Hudson Brian adds; This was taken late 1965 anchored in Nagasaki Harbour. In the background is a shipyard with some tankers in various stages of completion. This was the era of Japan's recovery after the war, and her domination of shipbuilding at that time. Courtesy of David Merchant David writes; I took this photo, and the one below, in early 1969, Canberra had just left Circular Quay, I was a PRS on Himalaya and we were going in to take her place.

Courtesy of Malcolm Turner Malcolm writes; Whilst at a local village street market - May bank holiday Monday, I picked up the enclosed picture for a mere ï¿½22 (it turns out that I was actually on her at the time - her 25th anniversary cruise - 2nd June 1986) - of more interest were the 2 photos in an envelope taped to the back of the frame... (seen below). Courtesy of Malcolm Turner ...I hope these bring back a few memories for the guys who were on her at the time down the Falklands --- lucky for me I was drinking VB on the Oriana. ss Canberra and the Canberra bomber. Courtesy of Nigel Curry Nigel writes; Canberra aground off Grenada in July 1973. A tragic occasion when a wire from one of the ocean going tugs snapped and flew back into the ship crashing through a window in the Chinese laundry and causing the death of a laundryman. I took these photos while onboard a cruise launch, and you can see the tugs pulling strongly, to pull Canberra off the reef.

Courtesy of Paul Carney Paul writes; In the pictures of arrival Southampton I can just be seen between the funnels letting the red, white and blue smoke bombs off as we approached Mayflower Park. My other job was to make sure no sparks, form the pyrotechnics we had set up, went down into the plenum chamber underneath. Arrival was a little of a let down at first as it was very foggy going up the Solent and you could only hear all the foghorn's around us. Finally though it lifted in time for those gathered on the banks of Southampton water to see the "old girl". We did set up one of the funnel smoke cameras up to video our arrival, but I think (in the excitement of the occasion) Freddie Lloyd (SETO) forgot to start the VCR and it never got done. The plane flying over the bridge wing is a "Canberra". Canberra's last departure from Sydney. Courtesy of Paul Carney Paul writes; That's me and Christine on the deck, as Deputy Chief I was fortunate that I did very few standby's. Canberra final cruise Tech Dept.

Courtesy of Captain Mike Carr These shots were taken by Captain Mike Carr who was the ï¿½Old Manï¿½ for the scrap run and they were sent to me by Don Cole. Thank you both of you especially Mike for capturing some priceless memories. Canberra was withdrawn from service and sent to be scrapped but she did not give up without a fight as she became firmly stuck on a sandbar just off the breaker's yard at Gaddani Beach, Pakistan. Courtesy of Captain Mike Carr And this shot shows how far away from the beach she got stuck. Courtesy of Captain Mike Carr Hereï¿½s the crew arriving by lifeboat onto the beach. Courtesy of Captain Mike Carr Packing up ready to go home. Having been on the Nevasa scrap run I can feel the emotion in this picture. This is absolutely horrible but it has to be shown I guess. No further comment in necessary. ï¿½ Amberfluid Web Design SS Canberra - Graces Guide Grace's Guide British Industrial History Grace's Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain.

This web publication contains 121,941 pages of information and 183,433 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them. SS Canberra March 1960. Described as 'Ship of the Century'. 1960. 1961. Crow's nest at the forward end of games deck. 1961. View looking aft of the gallery on "E" deck. 1961. View of port side of laundry on "E" deck, aft. 1961. Tourist-class restaurant on "E" deck. 1961. Cricketers' Tavern on port side of the promenade deck. 1961. General view from forward of the William Fawcett Room on the promenade deck. 1961. Looking forward in the first-class restaurant on "E" deck. 1961. looking forward in the Meridian Room on the promenade deck showing the spiral staircase which rises to the crow's nest. 1961. Main Boiler cross-section view.

Owned by the P&O Co , the SS Canberra was an ocean liner operational on cruises from 1961 to 1997. She was built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast at a cost of £17,000,000. The ship was named on 17 March 1958, after the federal capital of Australia, Canberra. She was launched on 16 March 1960, sponsored by Dame Pattie Menzies, GBE, wife of the then Prime Minister of Australia. She entered service in May 1961, and took her maiden voyage starting in June. During the 1982 Falklands War, she served as a troop ship. Nicknamed the Great White Whale, the Canberra proved vital in transporting the Parachute Regiment and Royal Marines to the islands more than 9,000 nautical miles (17,000 km) from the UK. A remarkable feature of the ships design was the turbo-electric propulsion system. Instead of being mechanically coupled to her propeller shafts, the steam turbines drove large electric alternators which provided power to electric motors which drove the vessel's twin propellers.

They were the most powerful steam turbo-electric units ever installed in a passenger ship; at 42,500 hp (31,700 kW) per shaft, they surpassed SS Normandie's 40,000 hp (30,000 kW) on each of her four shafts. This would give her a speed of about 27.25 knots (50.47 km/h). She also had a bow propeller for maneuvering in port and docking maneuvers. She was also the first British passenger liner to use alternating current as power. After a lengthy refit, Canberra returned to civilian service as a cruise ship. Her role in the Falklands War made her very popular with the British public, but age and high running costs eventually caught up with her. She had a much higher fuel consumption than most modern cruise ships, so she was decommissioned in September 1997 and sent for scrapping.

Question: Which ship, during the Falklands conflict was nicknamed 'The Great White Whale'?
Answer: CANBERRA