Jack Lester : QE2 early Design team and results

[Jack Lester]

 Brocklebanks had an Industrial  Chemist based in Cunard buildings for many years .I was fortunate to be a Chemist there from 1960-1972 working with and for Cunard, Brocklebanks ,Port Line ,Mosd Tankers at a time when so many ships were building but especially Atlantic Causeway ,Atlantic Conveyor and of course ,the fantastic most beautiful of all the Queens ,QE2!!!
Cunard New Building team were a super collection of  Engineers ,Architects ,electricians Catering based on the 5th floor Cunard building,our laboratory on the 6th and later in the lower ground floor.
I was very involved with the precommission cleaning of the high pressure Foster Wheeler boilers followed on for many years working with ships Engineers on sea trials and in service water treatment for those boilers.
A group of people not very often mentioned in any QE2 reports yet their design was so special and you can still see similarities in the new Qeens ,but they don't have QE2s classical lines!!!nbI did have the honour of providing Messrs Kameen,Woods and Stonebanks ,the main top team,with coffee and biscuits when decisions re QE2 were not decided How lucky was I to be involved with such wonderful ships and people!!!!

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

Hello Jack, and very welcome to the QE2 Story Forum!

You have lived through some fascinating times, and I am hugely looking forward to reading more stories and more details. I can sense that you have many QE2 related memories, and I very much hope you will be happy to share them here.

If you have photos you would like to show us, they would be wonderful too. If you have any problems with any of this, you are always welcome to contact us at admin@theqe2story.com for advice or help.

[Lynda Bradford]

Welcome to the Forum Jack . Like me forum members will be very interested in hearing more about your work on the QE2 boilers and the people you worked with during your years working with Cunard. 

[June Ingram]

Welcome, Jack, to The QE2 Story Forum.  We are very pleased to have you join us and this is definitely the "QE2 place to be" !  Your experiences sound marvelous and how wonderful to have been involved in all of the things you describe.  I, as I am sure we all do, look very much forward to hearing more about all the things you did and all of the things you saw, and all of the people you met.  And yes, do you have photos ?  Please explore all of the fascinating information that is here and we look forward to you adding to that information.  All of us here adore our beloved QE2 !  June   

[Alan Snelson]

Hello Jack and welcome.

Were the Cunard Chemists based in Liverpool or in the Southampton offices?

Looking forward to more of your recollections. Did you get many opportunities to travel on QE2 or any of the other Cunarders?

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

Jack Lester has asked me to upload the following contribution for him :

Cunard-Brocklebank employed their own Industrial Chemist for many years, FCV Holmes, later with H Critchley, then Critchley / Jack Lester, later Jim Foulger with Jack and then Jim on his own. NB Jim died quite suddenly and for a man who was a fitness fanatic, liked by all, it was a shock.

The chemists had a laboratory on the 6th floor and later, the lower ground floor of Cunard Building. They provided reagents and equipment to carry out the testing of boilers and cooling systems on all ships of Cunard, Port Line, Brocklebank, Moss Tankers, including necessary instructions, ship visits, analyses of deposits. Advice and recommendations also on paint (analysis), fuel treatments for boilers and engines, to Superintendants of all group.

Liased with many Brocklebank staff on the stowage of dangerous chemicals and their compliance with many Government and other regulations, but most important, the safety of the ship and staff!!

A great job, full of interest, working with superb people on ships and ashore.

Additional involvement was to represent The Chamber of Shipping on various committees such as The Carriage of Dangerous Goods (The Blue Book) British Standards, Boiler treatment / testing, Engine Cooling, water treatment/ testing. All essential involvement to aid everyone in the Marine Industry.

Helped us as we met the top people in our industry. NB must not forget, so close to our beautiful QE 2 !!!!!!

Boilers on line well before trials, essential treatment and testing covered by a John Browns employee, SANNY WALLACE! Not many will remember him but I do and his efforts were so important. No boilers? Rest of work worthless? So, remember SANNY, I hope his family knew of his importance to our ship's propulsion system.

I typed out a story last night of a control room incident at the yard but couldn't get the system to accept. Will try again or perhaps email it to you.

NB My last visit to the ship was in Southampton to give a presentation to shipowners and later on board our beautiful friend to aid all overcome a serious auxiliary boiler problem (Worldwide!!). Visit at request of Chief of Lloyds Surveyors who remembered me when we were younger at Brocklebanks - small world in the marine industry.

Thank you, Jack, for your memories -- and for the great work done for QE2 and other ships! Looking forward to reading about the control room incident and the serious auxiliary boiler problem... if you prefer to email, we can upload them here for you .

[Lynda Bradford]

Interesting story, many thanks to Jack for sharing with us. 

I had never thought about the importance of the work of the Industrial Chemist in relation to shipping, but I should have as my husband was an Industrial Chemist, so I can relate to what Jack has written. 

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

Jack has responded some more :

Seems I have misled you re boilers? The boilers on QE 2 were NOT a problem! The class of boilers on some ships had failed disastrously, thus the Marine Industry were aware and concerned.

My presentation was to ensure owners fully understood the problem, its cause and how good treatments could minimise failures. I explained all of this to reps of the owners and also to engineers on board in Southampton. So, her auxiliary boilers were OK.

Regards Jack

Thank you very much, Jack. It will be interesting to hear more stories of your eventful maritime life!

[June Ingram]

Thank you very much, Jack, for your fascinating stories and information.  Please do share more as you can.