KENILWORTH

[northeast]

... and the boat is, as well

For Ron2, Rowhedge Ironworks was an old-established shipyard but built steel and wooden hulled vessels,1904-1965.

[Hornbeam]

I have come across Rowhedge on mainly Trawler builds N.E. but was a bit surprised that according to the Historic Ships Register this vessel is built of Iron. You would have a job looking for a Rivet Gang these days. Iron is a good material in the marine world Boilers were built of it, there was only a couple of Companies that made first class Iron that was suitable.

[northeast]

NHS do indeed record her as an iron hull, but the Merchant Navy List says steel and I just don't believe that a small motor ferry would have been built in 1936 other than in steel or wood. Perhaps we can send someone down to tap her hull!

[Hornbeam]

It does seem a bit odd bearing in mind her year of build, perhaps Rowhedge Iron Works found a load of "Any old Iron" in the back of the Stockyard which had been long forgotten about and decided to use it. Iron Hulls have a longevity that steel does not have as with Boilers, the oldest Boilers I came across were on the TCC Fleet and of course made out of the best quality Iron, there was no Boiler treatments as such it was all down to the Salinity Test (a somewhat hazardous procedure opening and closing the sample Cock on the back of the Boiler praying that it does not snap off ) along with a partial blow down and a refresh with fresh water courtesy of the "Knockmaroon"
However the old Iron Boilers lasted the lifetime of the vessel unlike the Steel Boilers on the "Waverley" which again need renewing apparently and that's with using modern Boiler treatments.

[northeast]

Next you'll be telling us that flat-iron colliers must have been made of iron? The only iron is in the name of the shipbuilder.

[Hornbeam]

Next you'll be telling us that flat-iron colliers must have been made of iron? The only iron is in the name of the shipbuilder.

Mmm, I thought the Flat Iron Colliers were Cargo carrying Submarines they seemed to spend most of their voyage under the waves rather than on top of. When you say you want someone to tap the Hull of the vessel concerned which tap do you want Hot or Cold?

[magoonigal]

Often wondered about that. The common conception is that they were cargo carrying submarines, but if you compare the freeboard/air draught of a flatiron against the modern low airdraught vessels of today, that don't appear to be like submarines. Whats going on.

Is it because the Colliers were longer and cut through the waves in a different way, to the modern sea/river vessels which tend to be shorter??

[Hornbeam]

Paul, you have hit on a very valid point when building a vessel, that is vessel length verses wave pitch and one of the first questions the owner is asked in regards to the proposed trading route of the newbuild, many a ship has come to grief and indeed there is a vessel on u-tube that snapped in half in the Black Sea because she had been built for Canal operating.
The more local illustration of the problem was with the design of the WW2 Corvette which were designed for Coastal Convoy work in particular the North Sea unfortunately needs must meant they were used in the North Atlantic for which their length was totally unsuitable making their 'A' Gun Crew very wet when at action stations bearing in mind they were not in a Turret and use of the 'Heads' by the Crew subject to Negative G. An increase in the length of the vessel mainly solved the problem although the Corvette was still an uncomfortable Berth for its Crew.
The old Tramps that I sailed on were more of a 'Utility' design bearing in mind their routings were world wide, crossing the North Atlantic in Winter was certainly an experience not forgotten, God knows how they coped going to Murmansk.

[Whickham]

I think wetness might have more to do with the forebody lines and bow flare than the ship's length, but then I can't remember any of my Naval Architecture.

[Hornbeam]

As I am sure bearing in mind your background you know the importance of wave pitch at sea calculations, where even the Great Lakes have an unusual wave pattern which was taken into account when Smiths also built vessels for Manchester Liners, due to the mismatch in Hull length with the Corvette having been designed for coastal convoys when they went into the North Atlantic they kept burying their Bows into the Waves, the extra length and the additional buoyancy it gave improved the situation. I worked alongside some of the design team of the Corvette. The subject came up after the loss of the unfortunate "Derbyshire" and her Bow design. If she had been built with a raised Forecastle perhaps they might have stood a better chance. OBO's were an abomination as well as being downright dangerous. What seems to be forgotten is that she was not a Furness Design at all but Swans taken and rejigged from their Supertanker builds, Frame 65 doesn't come into the "Derbyshire" loss.