Part of the Acorn Archive

Hearts of Oak

Athel Line Ships

Athelviscount

ATHELVISCOUNT in New Zealand

Based on text kindly supplied by Michael Foster.

A New Zealand crew brought her from Durban, loading an import cargo of white oils at Abadan and Ras Tanura in the Persian Gulf and arriving at Wellington on 28 August 1965. After discharging the remainder of her cargo at Mount Maunganui and Auckland, she arrived at Marsden Point on 8 September to load her first New Zealand coastal cargo. In the course of her first 78 cargoes she was able to carry premium parcels that ranged from 4400 tons to 13000 tons over a virtually continuous range of sizes. Her gasoil parcels, the next largest grade, ranged from 1000 to 9000 tons. She was capable of carrying 18,800 tons in total.

24 February 1966, on a South Island voyage, the Lyttelton Harbour Board decided that ATHELVISCOUNT would not be allowed to berth in darkness, due to her lack of power in going astern. She had certainly had another slow passage down the coast, despite all the coaxing by the engineers. At Dunedin the Chief Engineer decided to get the main condenser opened up and cleaned out. This operation produced two 44 gallon drums of mussels. Their removal gave the ship about an extra knot of speed.

Christmas Eve 1967 ATHELVISCOUNT stranded on a sandbank at the entrance to the port of Tauranga. Special arrangements had to be made to bring the tug AUCKLANDER from the port of Auckland to free her and she was refloated in the early hours of Christmas morning without damage.

23 March 1968 she had a major engine room fire just after leaving the wharf at Dunedin, caused when a fuel line joint failed and released a spray of fuel. It was in a spot where access to cut the fuel flow was difficult if not impossible and only very prompt and efficient action by the Chief Engineer and one of his officers had the fire out quickly. It was described as "short-lived but spectacular". There was not a trace of good paint remaining from the boiler room floor level to the very top of the funnel" and the aluminium ventilation fan and its controls were melted. It took 35 men 34 hours to repaint the area.

February 1975 ATHELVISCOUNT had an engine breakdown at sea. Captain David Lochhead was in command. They were 5 miles off Cape Palliser, heading for Wellington, when electric power failed about midday and the engines stopped. Anchoring was impossible in Cook Strait and a southerly gale was forecast. Tide and wind were holding the ship’s position but the change of tide in a few hours would probably set towards the land. It was an uncertain situation and the master radioed to request towage. The tug KUPE cleared Wellington heads at 1645. Towage arrangements could then be made by direct VHF radio contact with the tug. The towage connection with KUPE was secured by 1810, less than 30 minutes from her arrival. KUPE moved off to windward to take up the sea tow as she could take up the slack more smoothly by moving slowly into the wind. The weight of the tow was taken on at 1825, KUPE turning in a long slow curve onto the course for Cape Palliser. The tidal flow had changed and now helped the tow to make 7 knots towards port. The long tow line was shortened near the heads as a long line would have been dangerous in the narrower waterway. It was by then after 2100 and the tow up harbour was under way by 2230. The tug TOIA was also ordered out to assist if necessary and was in attendance by 2250, able to help if any problem developed. It was a slow tow to Point Howard Wharf. There the towing wire was recovered and ATHELVISCOUNT was berthed with the normal lines by 0200 on 27 February.

1976 she enjoyed a week in Nelson over Christmas for underwater hull cleaning. Her sea intakes were 80 - 90% choked by barnacles and mussels, with mussels up to 13cm in length. Most of the underwater hull had a thick mat of the shellfish. Compressed air scrubbing was not very effective and a light garden spade was found to be the best tool. The ship’s staff included three good divers who volunteered their assistance in the work. Clearing the intakes allowed the auxiliary machinery to be cooled properly. With inadequate cooling water it had been working at high temperatures. The Chief Engineer reported that propeller slip had been reduced by 2-3% and speed was probably increased by at least a knot. This could mean over 12 hours on a long voyage, or some 25 tonnes of bunker fuel.

She was sent to Timaru with fuel oil for the Chandris liner AUSTRALIS which had been laid up there since 23 December 1977. On 22 April 1978 the ATHELVISCOUNT berthed on the other side of the wharf in order to make a ship-to-ship transfer via the wharf lines. She was to supply 3000 tonnes, but problems arose, and the quantity finished up just short of 1000 tonnes. AUSTRALIS sailed on 23 April for Auckland where she completed her bunkering before sailing for New York. ATHELVISCOUNT also headed north and the rest of the HFO cargo was safely discharged at Wellington.

In the course of her time on the New Zealand coast the ATHELVISCOUNT loaded a grand total of 8,417,330 tonnes. From 1965 to 1975 she was primarily a white oil ship though in six of those years she also carried small quantities of fuel oils in her bunker tanks. In 1976 she was switched into the black oil trade and half her 761,000 tonnes of cargo in that year were loadings of condensate from New Plymouth. She had one full year in black/condensate service, 1977, and that was her best year with 896,000 tonnes. 1978 was only a part year for her. She left coastal service in June 1978 after discharging a final cargo of Kapuni condensate at Marsden Point.

Athelviscount(2)

Photograph Courtesy of Joe McMillan

Raymond Forward

Thanks to Michael Foster