NORTH EAST MARINE ENGINE BUILDERS

[Hornbeam]

Great stuff Ron M and Thank You, my 'expertise' I am afraid starts and ends with Sailing on two vessels fitted with Doxfords, from reading other contributions on this site there are members who are more expert on Doxfords than I. It is certainly possible that the Doxford engine was built by another company, Harland & Wolff of Belfast built B&W engines and then after Test Bed Trials deconstructed the Units for reconstruction at the Shipyard building the vessel using local labour under the watchful eyes of a H&W Guarantee Chief who sailed on both Trials.
Doxford in their early days when trying to convince Shipowners to change from Steam to Diesel (Diesel Enginerooms costing 50% more) went to great lengths to secure a Sale, not only did the Doxford Engineer do both Trials but stayed on the vessel for a year to work on the M.E. if required and of course report any problems to H.O. There were other incentives offered offered by Doxfords but some Shipowners were not convinced and were still ordering Triple Expansions with L.P. Turbines well into the 1950's built on the Wear including my very own 'Baron Ardrossan'.

[Hornbeam]

Thank You also Fitter for your searching. Much obliged to you both, the other reason why the Doxford man stayed onboard was of course to train 'Steam Queens' on this new fangled way of propelling a vessel although their Steam background came in handy on vessels powered by Diesels but with Steam Auxiliaries a combination which went on till the late 1960's Ron@?

[fitter]

Doxford Engine Licensees that built their engines.

Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock, Pennsylvania were Doxfords first licensees, Henry Ford being their first customer.
Ansaldo, Italy
Barclay Curle, John Brown, Alexander Stephen, Burntilsland, Ailsa, David Rowan (Fairfield Rowan), Scotts, John Lewis in Scotland
Hawthorn Leslie, Swan Hunter, NEM, Wallsend Slipway, Vickers Armstrong on the Tyne
William Gray, Hartrlepool
Taikoo (Swires)HongKong
Marinens Hovedverft, Rosenberg Mekaniske Verkstad Norway
Wilton Fijenoord, Netherland drydock, Holland
Commonwealth Engine Works, Australia
Les Ateliers de Provence, France,
Canadian Vickers
There were also more than a dozen Doxford Agents that could manufacture Parts or repair engines under licence

[Hornbeam]

Yes, yes, a miracle I have managed to post a picture and underwater too, only my third after numerous attempts in the past, mind you it cost me a new phone +VAT , this is the top Piston which maybe? from a Doxford but bearing in mind we are discussing the Far East it could be a "Lookee Likee"

[fitter]

I can see the resemblance of an upper piston swinging link but don't recognise the two circular objects in the foreground. The Left hand one looks like a Pipe flange and the right hand one more like a circular cover. Obviously if a ship had been, perhaps, torpedoed, there could well have been some "rearrangement" and "redistribution" of bits of machinery. however, the apparent similarity may well be a pipe and pipe clip. That's a question / suggestion, not a statement because I'm still learning that it's better to keep my gob shut and let folks think I'm an idiot, rather than open my gob and prove them right.
Shame the full name of the ship wasn't known. There's something fascinating about shipwrecks. I wish I'd had the chance to do wreck diving but at my age I'd be more of a wreck than a diver.

[Hornbeam]

She was certainly well battered by the Americans. The vessel Ron M found seems the likely one but engine wise? Certainly she has an interesting back story along with her unfortunate N.Z. Crew.

[fitter]

Scottish ships site has Hauraki, Wm. Denny, yard no 1039, completed 1922, For Union Steamship Co of New Zealand. twin screw 2 x 8 cyl 4 stroke oil engines by North British Engine Works, whiteinch.
Captured by Japanese 12.07.42 renamed Hoki Maru or Hoki
sunk by US carrier based aircraft 07.22N 151.45 E, Tol Harbour, Truk Atoll, Caroline Islands, 17.02.44
The 4 stroke engine and 8 cylinders would definitely rule it out as being a Doxford

Ships in Focus "New Zealand & Federal Lines" lists 2 Haurakis:
One built in 1947 by John Brown was broken up in 1973
The other, also John Brown in 1947 was originally Haparangi, but later renamed Hauraki, discounting them

So I agree with Ron that the most likely contender would be Denny's ship but its not a Doxford.
This is the union Steamship Record:
Registration No 146533
Built 1922 by William Denny and Bros Ltd Dumbarton Scotland
Gross tonnage 7113
Dimensions Length 137.25 metres, Beam 17.74 metres, Draught 9.57 metres
Service speed 12.5 knots
Engine specifications Twin screw oil, 2 x 8 cylinder 4 stroke SA 936 nhp
Engine builder North British Diesel Engineering Works Whitehall
Built for Union Steamship Company of New Zealand Ltd

All of the details of its capture and sinking are identical to those above so this is the ship that Ron identified but its not a Doxford.

[Hornbeam]

Bearing in mind Doxford were not the only Diesel engine builders scrambling for business in this new form of ships propulsion I wonder if it is a Junkers Marine Engine, from reading various papers there appeared to be a number of foreign engine Builders that joined together to make a marketable Marine Engine like Nobel, Junkers and Dr Diesel himself before he did a Robert Maxwell.

[fitter]

I have somewhere a Barclay Curle engine list. I'll look on there.

[Hornbeam]

Just wondering if any Site members know of any other Marine Engine with this configuration, bearing in mind this vessel was built before WW2 did Doxford build smaller versions as Auxiliary Engines for driving generators. Appreciate it a long shot but you never know if they built smaller versions to encourage Shipowners to buy the full size version if they were happy with the reliability.