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The Last Engine

Back Row

Willie Kane (Erection Manager), Joe Blakie & Jim Kilpatrick (Coppersmiths), & Larry Sorrell (fitter).

 

Front Row (The Proposed Service Group)

Tom McKenzie, Sam Creelman, Jim Allan, Eddie McKenzie, Billy Mooney,

Odd Turvall (Kaværner Production Manager), Paul Clark, (Chargehand)

 Jim Carroll (Foreman), Tommy Murphy, Neil Langdon & Alan McGilp.

Plus Iain Crawford (Foreman), usually at Govan during Engine installations.

 

 

 

British Shipbuilders Slow Speed Engine Building, dwindled down to George Clark’s at Wallsend and John G. Kincaid at Greenock, combining to become Clark – Kincaid at Greenock with Britparts at Port-Glasgow handling spare parts supply.

 

This little engine building empire was eventually sold to H.L.D. Holdings for a token payment £ 3.00 by British Shipbuilders, Then H.L.D. Holdings in turn sold out to the Kaværner Group in 1990 for considerably more! The last move was supposed to improve the chances of the now Kaværner Kincaid company’s survival. - - - - Pass!

 

At the beginning of 1990, when I joined H.L.D. from Scott - Lithgow as the Senior Design Engineer (to design the diesel side of power stations and thereafter commission the installation) –  after two days I was working for Kaværner Kincaid.

 

The work in hand was as follows:-  the second of two B & W engines still to be accompanied on Sea Trials, plus  Four Sulzer Engines all  for Kaværner Govan. The first Sulzer Engine was ready to be shop tested.

 

          Engine     Ship         Hull          Hull 

             No.      Name          No.      Build Date

            514       Pu He          267           1990

            516       Helice          301           1991

            517       Havis           302           1993

            518       Helios          303           1992

            519       Havfrost      304           1991

 

Approximately a year later when I took over the Engine Erecting, Testing and Delivering etc. (as the Design Function I was previously responsible for was deemed to be no longer required by the new Company.) The work in hand was now as follows:-

 

516 was ready for Dock Trials and Sea Trials at Govan, on Helice.

517 was being installed in Hull No.304

518 after Shop Test, was ready to be stripped for delivery to Govan Shipyard.

519 was about to be erected and Shop Tested.

 

William Kane

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