|
|
|
|
|
Ferry van Eeuwen
|
|
ss Kylix I sailed on this ship for only 2 months in 1963 and left the ship in Hamburg. The reason was that I had decided that new opportunities ashore for a change. So after the ss Kylix I got a number of ships which were making coastal trips after returning from the long haul. I had sent my letter of resignation and started going to school again in September 1963. And that after sailing for nine years on board ships. I kind of step in the unknown almost. As a seasoned seaman in school again with 18 and 19 year olds! But that worked out fine. I was an interesting 'case' to my fellow students, they respected me for my decision and we had lots of fun as it turned out. I had to tell a lot of my experiences which stories they enjoyed not having been around much yet.
The ss Kylix, call sign PFLY, was delivered as a 'General Purpose' tanker in December 1955 by de Nederlandsche Dok & Scheepsbouw Maatschappij (NDSM) in Amsterdam as new build 452. (12100grt, 169x21m; 14,5kn). On 6th September 1984 the vessel arrived at a scrap yard at San Esteban in Spain. The ss Kylix was the last of a series of 16 Dutch general purpose tankers built between 1954 and 1957 by Dutch yards for Shell Tankers Netherlands BV. It was part of a post war new building program, to which also a number of the streamlined version of the K-series can be added, like the ss Abida, ss Acila. On top of that English yards were building the same type of tankers for British Shell. All in all and also including chartered vessels of the same type ( I remember the Dutch ss Munttoren) 66 tankers were built and owned or chartered by Dutch and British Shell. The Kylix was broken in 1984. Sister ships: KABYLIA, KALINGA , KALYDON, KARA, KATELYSIA, KELLIA, KENIA, KERMIA, KHASIELLA, KOPIONELLA, KORATIA, KORENIA, KOROVINA, KOSICIA, KOSMATELLA, KREBSIA and KRYPTOS owned by Shell Tankers (pre-1955 La Corona). Broken up in Spain 1984. Identical: AMELAND, KAAP HOORN, MUNTTOREN, WESTERTOREN.
Left alone some minor differences the following standard measures of the K-series were: Length overall 169,4 m, width 21,16 m, maximum draught 9,35 m. The ships were propulsed by a 8250 shp Pametrada turbine engine. With a fully loaded vessel the speed was 14,5 knots and when in ballast 15 knots. The fuel consumption was about 50 tons per day. It was also equipped with 4 turbine powered cargo pumps.
The ships such as the Kylix were equipped with 33 cargo tanks, 11 on the starboard side, 11 amidships and 11 on the port side. A total of 25.220 cubic meters cargo could be loaded. For charging and discharging the cargo four cargo pumps were available with a capacity of 500 tons per hour each. The total bunker capacity was 1650 ton. In the fore ship was room for shipping of drums which could be handled with a 5 ton winch. Another 5 ton winch was available for handling the cargo hoses. The winches fore and aft were powered by steam. The accommodation was for a crew of 55 total. The K-class tankers have carried a great variety of cargo: white spirit, black products, crude oil, lub oil and a number of ships were suitable for transporting waxy distillations and bitumen.
|
