Mountbatten Medallic History of Great Britain and the Sea Medal: S.S. Bakuin Pioneer British Oi…

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Mountbatten Medallic History of Great Britain and the Sea Medal: S.S. Bakuin Pioneer British Oil-Tanker

AssociatedAssociated with Lord Mountbatten of Burma (Frogmore House, Windsor, England, 1900 - 1979)

Medallist John Pinches, Medallists

DateMay 2004

Object NameMedal

MediumSterling Silver

ClassificationsMedals

LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub

Object numberABDMS072500.71

Keywords

Commemorative

About MeThe carriage of liquids in the era of the wooden sailing ship was only accomplished by the use of expensive containers which required a great deal of space: both factors contributed to the heavy cost of transport. The introduction of iron as a shipbuilding material, however, led to many experiments and new developments in the carriage of liquids in the 1840s. Such innovations were not at first adopted in the carriage of petroleum, since considerations of safety over the obvious hazards of this new fuel persuaded shippers to persist in the use of the wooden barrel long after the carriage of petroleum had become commonplace in the 1860s. The oceanic carriage of petroleum began just after the opening of the eastern American oilfields, but soon the Black Sea became the centre of experiment both in the sea transport of the new commodity, and in its use as a fuel for steam raising in the ship herself.

Numerous efforts were made in the 1870s and 1880s to design a steamer capable of the bulk shipment of petroleum. Among the pioneers was s.s. Bakuin which heralded a new era, since this vessel was among the very first to carry petroleum next to the skin of the ship and to be furnished with appropriate safety measures.

In January 1886, Alfred Suart of London, a pioneer in the discovery and development of the Caucasian oilfields, and soon to manage a fleet of tank steamers, negotiated a contract with the West Hartlepool shipbuilder William Gray and Company for the construction of an iron steam screw tanker for the carriage of petroleum in bulk, to carry a total deadweight of 2,260 tons.

The vessel, named Bakuin, was completed in the year 1886, her tonnage 1,669 gross, 1,093 net. The contract was unusual since William Gray agreed to build the vessel 'at cost' and Suart agreed to pay five percent additionally, representing the shipbuilder's profit. The contract specified that the vessel was to have a guaranteed speed often knots laden, and was to be given triple expansion engines capable of 900 indicated horsepower, to be constructed in Gray's associated West Hartlepool Company and Central Marine Engineering Works. In order to minimize the hazards of fire and explosion, the machinery was placed aft, and the vessel was equipped throughout with electric light. Elaborate arrangements were made to ensure oil-tight tanks and to allow for the expansion of the cargo in transit.

The vessel was a considerable success and the basic design proved to be the model for steam-propelled oil-tankers for many years, although naturally enough, with the increased demand for petroleum, subsequent tankers were designed to carry very much more cargo than was the pioneer. Thus a new era was ushered in: the tanker was hereafter to play an increasingly significant role in oceanic transport throughout the world.

The Mountbatten Medallic History of Great Britain and the Sea, John Pinches Medallists Ltd.