Derek Denny
Derek belongs to: The Doxford Engine Friends Association
Derek served an apprenticeship at North East Marine before going to sea. He returned to work in the Doxford Drawing Office then transferred to the Technical Office. He worked there until engine building stopped and moved to the Installation Drawing Office in the shipyard until it closed.
Derek was interviewed by Carl Greenwood on 26 January 2005. The interview took place at Sunderland Museum and lasted 24 minutes and 47 seconds.
The closure of Doxford's
"And consequently, of course, as we all know shipbuilding came to an end"
Consequently, of course, as we all know shipbuilding came to an end and I think it was January 1989 when I was finished at the shipyard, and that is the end of that era literally, as far as my, practically whole life was concerned. As I remember, my father was at Doxford Engine’s in the new crank shop in 1939 and of course growing up with him talking about things and many things, it was a complete change. I was then out of machine, marine engineering and into another line of work.
It was very sad time for the shipyards to close, considering they had been rebuilt, I think, in the late 70s for this modern shipyard, the building dock which was a great innovation from the old outdoor, open, working outside building the ships to a covered in yard. It should have been a real winner for Doxford’s and for shipbuilding, but the powers that be down in London decided that there was to be no more ship building on the Wear, for whatever reasons one will never know.
Visitor Comments
The closure of Doxford's
L.S.
I would like to respond to the article from Mr Derek Denny.
It was a very sad time for the shipyards to close, considering they had been rebuilt, I think, in the late 70s for this modern shipyard, the building dock which was a great innovation from the old outdoor, open, working outside building the ships to a covered in yard. It should have been a real winner for Doxford’s and for shipbuilding, but the powers that be down in London decided that there was to be no more ship building on the Wear, for whatever reasons one will never know.
It was indeed very sad that more and more shipyards in Western Europe – not only in the U.K - had to be closed because we were too expensive compared with the Japanese shipbuilding industries and later on the Korean.
But as a DOXFORD lover it was also very sad that DOXFORD lost the competition with other Engine builders such as Sulzer, MAN and B&W for reason:
- Owing to the DOXFORD crankshaft and main bearing distances not suitable for great powers.
- To many moving parts which means maintenance and on modern ships as Oil tankers and Container vessels there in no time for it.
- And the DOXFORD Engine was to high owing to the opposed pistons.
I was 2nd- and Chief Engineer on cargo ships equipped with DOXFORD Engines. The duration in port was between 1-3 weeks so we had plenty of time to do the maintenance properly and also offer engine parts for Continuous Survey Machinery.
Alfons Verheijden
(Retired Chief Engineer “Van Ommeren Shipping, Rotterdam)
By Alfons Verheijden On 8 September 2006
Derek has 10 memories in the memorynet:
Derek's memories with a Change theme:
The Doxford's technical office and sea trials- Moving to Doxford installation office
- The closure of Doxford's
Main gates to the Doxford Engine Works
Derek's other memories:
This memory has these themes:
Change | The North East | Work
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