Intresting pics of a real workshop

[Jazzscot]

http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/guides/Wi ... ng_Process

[warby221]

That brings back some memories
I served my time and worked at Vickers shipbuilding in barrow for 14 years
Looked just the same
And they got it right when they said serving your apprenticeship was time served
It was just like a prison same machines and a right sh*t hole :mad2 :mad2
Best thing that ever happened to me was when I was made redundant

[Jazzscot]

I was really impressed with the scale of everything, feckin huge man

[Pete.L]

WOW!
Now that's what I call heavy duty.

Pete.l

[kevg]

That brings back some memories
I served my time and worked at Vickers shipbuilding in barrow for 14 years
Looked just the same
And they got it right when they said serving your apprenticeship was time served
It was just like a prison same machines and a right sh*t hole :mad2 :mad2
Best thing that ever happened to me was when I was made redundant

that takes me back to my work as well, i spent 17 years in Govan Shipbuilders (1985 - 2003 ish), which became Kvaerner and then Marconi Marine and finally BAE systems, i worked in Yarrows on the type 23 frigates and also Vickers for 6 months on HMS Ocean after it left Govan. i was a mechy fitter and spent a year of my apprenticeship in the machine shop, working in making engine holding down bolts etc, i also spent about 6 or 7 months in the engine squad on the ships, assembling a couple of engines that size, they weighed 1000 tonnes each, the crank shaft was 100 tonnes and the pistons were about 2 1/2 feet in diameter, the engine produced 26,000 bhp or there abouts. they were manufactured in Clark Kincaides in Greenock, that company was bought over and asset stripped by Kvaerner because they wanted the rights to make the engines that Kincaides owned.

the yards seem to be taking off again,. getting plenty of apprentices in again but they don't do a proper apprenticeship any more, i did 4 years with day release, they do blocks at college and only three years if they are lucky, they don't learn as much and their heeds are all full of broken bottles these days, they don't really care much, Clyde built used to mean something in the world, it did to me;( i had plenty of practice drinking to in the yard... ) but after their time is out you see a big change in some of them, they stop being wee boys and mature a bit, lol.

ho hum, i must be getting old......

[sirch345]

Brilliant link, good find

Chris.

[Fireman on a Storm]

Can you imagine the field day health and safety would have in those factories today!

[Wicky]

The flamecutters look like fun! Asbestos boots required


How do those engines compare to Paxmans? I grew up next to the factory in Colchester, and quite a few classmates who did well at metal work and TD went onto work there.

[Jonesey]

I bet they could make some wicked CCT's!!

[warby221]

Well Kev
Here’s a tail that you’ll probably appreciate from when I was an apprentice
I was using an old hydraulic water powered press probably from the 30’s/40’s
Pressing out some parts for a job and you had to get your head in to such a position to see when it was done that a load of stagnant stale hydraulic water would p*ss out on your head. :mad2 :mad2 :mad2
I was swearing my head off at it when I noticed a group of jap’s that were on a walk a round with some of the bosses looking amazed at the fact that we still used machines that they considered museum pieces
And probably me jumping up and down

With out any hesitation my journeyman walks up to them and in a sarcastic voice says
Take a f*cking good look coz you’ll never have one of them in Japan
That’s a water cooled plater there

Loved the old guys I worked with they just didn’t give a f*uck
Best thing about the place was the daft old sod’s

[stormingjoe]

eeeeeyyy, when I wor lad!

[kevg]

Yup, everyone was a comedian, we had one time there was a big walk round from some industry big wigs, can't remember why, maybe Malcolm Rifkin or some other politicians, anyway, i was standing on deck of one of the boats on the slips and saw the VIP party coming across the yard, i turned round to look the other way and spotted three of my squad doing the highland fling across the deck, not a care in the world. when one of them turned round he had the butt cut out his boiler suit and nea clothes on underneath.

Or the Thursday curry day in the canteen...this was a special one as the chief Gary Rhodes was making it, he was serving his concoction and one of the old bears who is a die hard mince and tatties man says to him, " None of yer fancy shite pal, just fill ma fukin' plate up", the afore mentioned Mr Rhodes face was a picture, they edited that bit out of the tv program.

Plenty of near death experiences as well, must have been about three deaths a year in the yard when i started, that kind of reflects the health and safety side of it at the time, nothing had really changed when i left, just seemed to be less guys getting killed. falling down holes in the dark or falling from heights, or being crushed by steelwork was always a good ones, when i was walking along staging poles 60 feet up with out a harness which weren't used by anyone you never even thought about falling, you just got on and did your job.

The odd attempted murder with heavy things being thrown off the ships at managers that weren't liked, lol.

The general good mood of everyone no matter how bad the situation, the yard was nearly closed or being sold every few years when i was there but is still surviving

[pariah]

Ahhh, when things were actually made in Britian and not the peoples Republic of

[METALDAN]

The guy in the 5th picture is thinking "my riveter is never gonna fit that link"