The Kent History Forum
Life Stories and Personal Memories => Personal Memories => Topic started by: castle261 on July 08, 2020, 10:48:08 AM
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I put this out - on the other site.
While waiting by No 2 basin - I was on 472 - a 20 ton crane - I noticed this lorry came & parked
under me - with a load of - what looked like boxes - I got my sketching pad - drew the lorry +
boxes - I had just finished - I was asked to take the boxes off - there were six or eight of them -
these boxes were 10 x 6 x 6 - with a door that opened in the middle - heavy steel banding across
the door with a strong padlocks - these we now know as CHACON`S -
looking online a few years ago - I came across the name & how it came about.
Two men working in the Dockyard invented the word from
Chatham CHA - CON - Containers they were the fore runner of the steel containers you see today.
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There's a picture of one here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomascogley/6202734887 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomascogley/6202734887)
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These ones were in the late 1950`s - no windows - Wonder HOW - they sent the keys ?
( Under lock & key - on board the ship ?)
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Term is still in use: https://www.mrbox.co.uk/container-gallery/emergency-fire-response-equipment-chacon/ (https://www.mrbox.co.uk/container-gallery/emergency-fire-response-equipment-chacon/)
I'd guess that key distribution would depend upon the sensitivity of the contents: galley fittings and the keys were give to the driver; missile components might warrant a courier; nuclear - goodness knows!
FYI (and a little OT) containerisation is not new. Brunel emplyed a system of loose bodies that could be mounted across broad gauge stock or along standard gauge waggons. Going further back, consider the humble barrel - uniform sizes designed to be stacked whatever their contents.
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Now this is what I was told by a mr Bert Hill storeman in the old saw mill,ref char cons,
When ships entered the yard for work to be done ,much of the ships stores went to the lay apart store area to be held securely Untill required again ,this took time and organization,so it was decided to pack small items in canvas bags ,someone came up with the idea to use wooden boxes to store the bags ,then the powers that be said""let's put lids on the boxes"to stop pilfering mateys misappropriateing stuff,wooden boxes unfortunately were easy pray to resourceful mateys,l"let's make them of steel"said the boys in blue,-:char cons.
Pretty weak,I know but that's the story as I remember it🙈
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Those dockyard mateys were into everything if it wasn't tied down tight. I know this to be true as I had 2 rellies work there for many years. Both long departed this mortal coil or I wouldn't dare say it.:)
AlanTH
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Reminds me of the dockyard matey and wheelbarrow yarn :)
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Not so good as the sailor with the cat - coming out of Main Gate - of the Dockyard ---- Smiffy
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Not sure I'm familiar with that one...
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Ever watch the film"watch my stern"a lot of shots of Chatham yard and ships,if so,did you remember the reel of wire /Peter cellars bit ,so tru to what went on somtimes.
Now I speak from personal experience,spent a very boring Easter bank holiday on duty,we ended up with a welding gang trying to spear plastic cups in the basins,our spears were welding rods,no idea the cost of a rod ,we must have thrown dozens in. Often coverd welders working on the hull of nukes in side the designated safty zones,unused rods were seldom returned to the stores ,lose them in the basin was the order of the day,if truth is known there was a colossal amount of waste in the nuclear complex that could have been avoidid.
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Same in every government dept I imagine Colin
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I will tell a tale- Oh yes I will
This is about a cat name bill
The sailor used his wits now
To get the cat out- but how
`Tis a tale thats often told
We must tell it - tell it bold
I will start now-shall I wait
Must tell before its too late
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Smiler,I can only coment on things I actually witnessed,when RNAD lodge hill/Upnor closed helped destroy hundreds of placer primers from Mk Eight depth charges,beautifully made hydrostatic firing mechanism,the boxes Thay were contained in were a lovely bit of carpentry alone,each one went under the hammer,the boxes were burnt on lodge hill burning ground ,ll the scrap went to a firm called Mclynchesi think. The attitude at the time was,the pistols were only built for one thing ,and had no other use .allso witness to a whole range of wasted tax payers mony when the yard closed,every item that left the nuclear complex had to be scanned aAnd declared "clean"that that was not was sent for "processing "I leave it up you what "processing "ment
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Smiler. So very true, they didn't have to pay for it so! In my career I dealt with many govt.- local or national- & they were all the same. Mind you, getting rid of nuclear waste was not easy, especially if contaminated. At various times I was involved with Harwell, Aldermaston, Sellafield, etc. In the early days- 1964/65, they weren't too aware of the problems but later ( I was involved with Pond 5 at Sellafield in the late 60'/early 70's, & the solution) the long term problems really reared their head!
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Not certain of the type or length of you involvement with pond 5 at selafild, but I'm surprised and greatfull your still with us,that was.a bitch of a contamination problem,no need to tell you that,every rule in the book broken,I wonder what the situation is today in all those places,?were the problems solved permanently,will we ever know.
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Colin. I worked for a Danish pump manufacturer- Grundfos- who made borehole pumps in stainless steel. They would also make these in S16N for seawater & other contaminated water. I was a sales engineer & visited their engineering dept. a few times every year( most were chemical engineers, not mechanical like me) & they'd discovered this contaminated water leaking into the sea & traced it back to a crack in Pond 5. Obviously the pond had to be drained asap & the spent fuel rods therein moved- one helluver task! Anyway, when all done, they had to make sure any future leakage was scotched before anything serious happened so I suggested drilling test boreholes all round the site & installing our smallest in S16N to test on a regular basis. Optimistically I hoped they'd put a pump in each hole but they drilled 9 bores & just bought 3, 2 sampling on opposite sides of the site & being moved every month plus a spare. So, I'm glad to say I didn't get contaminated. Sorry everyone- again!- for going a bit off topic but hope it wasn't too boring.
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Thank you Dave,my apologies to all for going of subject don't blame Dave my fault entierly,it won't happen again,