Show your ships (PICS)

[Kapitan]

Show the ships you have served on, many here would like to see who was on what so to start the ball rolling heres mine:

Name: M / V Dart 8
Length: 180 meters
Width: 27 meters
Tonnage: 23,000 tonnes but full load can go up to 26,000 tonnes
Speed: 22 knots
Screw arangement: one single four veriable pitch screw and also one azimuth thruster with single rudder.

Built in 1980 by kawasaki heavy industry, she was bought by china sea shipping in the 90's finaly being converted in 1999 for the use on Dart lines Dartford to Zeebrugge route.

Dart 8 is one of three sisters of the Cosco class to which Dart 9 and 10 (Massila) is part of.
She has a crew of 21 and can carry 12 Drivers, the vessel has a
ice class 1 c rating so she is an ocean going vessel.

Battle honours:
In 2003 the M.O.D (Ministry of Defence) commandeard this vessel for use in the Iraq war, to which she and her two sisters were ferrying supplies to the war, which normaly consisted of Helicopters landrovers tanks and anything that could fit on the deck or in the holds.



This is a picture of Dart 8 turning around to dock on the thames europort dock, this is where i join her.


This is Dart 8's stern ramp fully down showing her gapeing hole where cargo goes in and out.


While i was wating to book in so as i can officaly enter the ship, i caught the unloading of her main deck, its worth to note theres two more decks below my feet and one above my head.


While doing inspection rounds i snapped this shot looking aft you can see the bridge and funnel, the big white wall houses half of the entire ventelation systems on the ship the other half being at the other end.


The main deck taken from the bridge, this is taken just before loading so that is why it is empty, and directly infront it the county of Kent more precisely Dartford.


The ramp is up and off we go albeit 4 hours late, i can remember this trip well in all we were 11 hours late into Zeebrugge.


This is the Knock john tower number 7, she was built in the war as an off shore defence its now deralict, picture is taken from the starboard bridge wing it took roughly 3 hours to reach her she sits some 11 miles out into the thames estuary.


And of course cant go anywhere without this ! this is my MCA certificate it enables me to work on any british ship in the world it states that im employable to any shipping line and also im medicaly fit.

Normaly you would have one every two years but i was 17 when i took this and they must re do it again in december even though its been only a year.