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Photograph of Sandy Kinghorn playing his concertina

Sandy Kinghorn

Sandy belongs to: Cullercoats RNLI & The Coble and Keelboat Society

Sandy was born in North Shields. At the age of 16 he began his maritime training and went to sea at 18. He is Lifeboat Visits Officer for Cullercoats RNLI and a member of the Coble and Keelboat Society.

Sandy was interviewed by Carl Greenwood on 9 December 2005. The interview took place at Discovery Museum People's Gallery and lasted 46 minutes and 7 seconds.

Photograph of Sandy Kinghorn playing his concertina
Photograph of Sandy Kinghorn playing his concertina

The Doxford Song

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"This song was sung on the twin six cylinder Doxford Engine ship Adelaide Star on her final voyages 1975 from New Zealand to the UK"

This song was sung on the twin six cylinder Doxford Engine ship Adelaide Star on her final voyages 1975 from New Zealand to the UK.

You must have heard of Charlie Parsons and Dr Sulzer too?

You all know of the M.A.N and the B. & W.

But the best marine propulsion, I’m sure you will agree,

Comes from a place called Sunderland,

Where it’s made by William D.

My name is William Doxford, I come from Sunderland,

They say I make the finest engines built in all the land,

The top ends clang, the bottom ends prang, the engine chugs away,

You’ve only got to stop this engine every other day,

Now the Chiefs and Seconds and Thirds and Fourths who take my ships to sea,

They all are very happy, they all are proud of me,

They all declare that William Doxford’s engine stands alone,

They all work 24 hours a day to keep the pistons going,

The Captain stands upon his bridge, his mind is quite at rest,

He knows that with his Doxford engine he has the very best,

He turns to Sparks and says to him, “Let’s send an E.T.A.”

The only things they can’t put on it are the date and day,

We’re drifting across the Pacific (stopped!) as happy as happy can be,

With everyone singing the praises of Sunderland’s William D.

But, I think we’ll get to Liverpool, in fact I know we shall,

We’ve crossed the broad Pacific and the Panama Canal,

The Engineers have sweated tears from Bluff to Curacao

But we have got two Doxfords, which didn’t want to go!

We were nine days in Curacao, while the Engineers pushed the white metal back up into the bearings,

Now, we’re rolling across the Atlantic, at a comfortable 10 and a half(instead of 16 and a half)

The old man is going quite frantic, while the passengers try not to laugh,

(As far as they are concerned, the longer the trip, the cheaper the fare)

A quarter century has passed, it’s time for her to die,

She’s going to Masan at last and home from there we will fly,

They’ll make her into razor blades and stereophonic gear,

While evermore this phantom song will haunt them in Korea!

Visitor Comments

Doxford Engines

From the first ships engine they all used a common rail fuel injection system, now almost universal in not only marine engines. Shows they got it right.

By Roly Border On 8 September 2006

The Doxford Engine Song!

I sailed on the America Star in 1995 as a cadet -

I thought it was hilarious - Alan Wise the Chief Engineer at the time sung it while in the officers bar! The tune is to Mac Namaras Band ..an old Bing Crosby Hit.... WWII I think..

By Darrell Bell On 22 May 2007

Sandy has 19 memories in the memorynet:

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Music and Poetry | Travel

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