"...We're in danger of loosing the ship" ... those were the words spoken over the phone by the Chief Engineer John Grant (hope I've got the name right) to the master on the bridge while on a North Atlantic crossing late in the year 1980 or 1981 ( can't remember which year exactly). The events that caused the chief to advise the master to do this started to unfold late in the afternoon while shelled creatures of all varieties were being removed from the tubes of the condenser for the No 2 TG. Two days out of Southampton on her way to NY a steady loss of vacuum on the condensers was an indicator that the tubes inside were getting blocked, having just spent a week alongside in Southampton opposite the power station where there was warm water it was reasoned that the shelled things had crawled inside the ships cooling seawater intakes. As the power plant and operation of the ship couldn't tolerate a loss of vacuum in the generator turbine system the little nasties had to be cleaned out. The chosen method for cleaning was to open up the condenser to expose the tubes, to do this the countless bolts around the very large door were removed and the door swung away on the overhead rail it was attached to - the door had a significant weight and bulk that warranted it being on a rail.... anyway once the door was swung away someone cracked the overboard seawater valve and in doing so a controlled inrush of the North Atlantic swept in and removed the obstructions. Two of the TG condensers had already been cleaned in this way with no problems, the doors were bolted up and the TG's brought back on line.
On this day with the condenser door swung clear, as before, the instruction to "crack the valve" was given. Sadly the valve collapsed and to everyone's horror vast uncontrolled volumes of the North Atlantic started to gush from the tubes and flood the bilges. Those present started to push the door closed, but, the forces against the push were considerable and the door could not be closed. The word went out for help and those in the Wardroom came to the engine room (and this is when the Chief appeared) to assist. As a note the temperature of the seawater that was soaking everyone was in the low 50's... it was cold. Eventually the door was secured but not before the bilges had filled to above the plates and the Chief had asked the master to move the ship out of the weather adding "That if you don't were in great danger of loosing the ship"... I was in the control room when the call was made so I can vouch for the wording.
Towards the end of the incident and on the lighter side one of the housekeeping officers called "Flash" turned up in the control room with a crew in wellington boots and vacuums "to clean up the flood"... it made the engineers laugh if nothing else.
The offending valve was eventually removed and brought and placed on the Wardroom bar with a note "There but for the Grace of God go I".... the valve and the note lasted no more than an hour as when the Chief got word of it he stormed into the Wardroom and removed it.
These are the things that the guests on board never know about, for them life goes on obliviously
