Heinrich Arp was a cargo ship that was built in 1923 by shipyard F Schichau, Elbling, Weimar Republic for German owners «Heinrich F C Arp» (S. Öllgaard & Thoersen), Hamburg. In May 1945, she was seized by the Allies at Hamburg, passed to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and renamed Empire Connemara. In May 1946, she was transferred to the Soviet Union and renamed Liza Chaikina ().
Description The ship was built in 1923 by F Schichau, Elbling.
The ship was long, with a beam of . She had a depth of . The ship had a GRT of 1,428 and a NRT of 813.
The ship was propelled by a triple expansion steam engine, which had cylinders of , and diameter by stroke. The engine was built by Schichau.
History
German period of the ship (1924-1945). Heinrich Arp was built for H F C Arp Dampschiffs Reederei, Hamburg. She was placed under the management of S Ollgaard & Thoersen, Hamburg. Her port of registry was Hamburg and the Code Letters RDWL were allocated.
Since 1933, the ship was registered in the German shipping company «Dampschiffs-Reederei, Heinrich F C Arp». In 1934, her Code Letters were changed to DHKV.
Allies period of the ship (1945-1946). In May 1945, Heinrich Arp was seized by the Allies at Hamburg. She was passed to the MoWT and renamed Empire Connemara.
Soviet Union period of the ship (1946-1963). Name change The ship was in Clyde River when on 3 May 1946 she was transferred, as per repatriation, to the Soviet Union and renamed Liza Chaikina in honor of Soviet Union partisan Liza Chaikina.
German ships were redelivered from Great Britain to the Soviet Union in 1945 and 1946 as per the repatriation program, but only one ship was named in honor of Liza Chaikina, a woman who was not a very famous Soviet partisan. Liza is the Russian short name for Elizabeth. The family name Chaikina () translated to English is daughter of seagull due to on Russian "Чайка" is a seagull and last letters "ина" means a daughter. It was a Soviet Union reference to the future Queen Elizabeth II and it was also a code nickname for Russian Intelligence services. See the article about the Soviet movie Tamer of Tigers.
From Clyde River to new home port Kholmsk. The ship was in port on the Clyde River in 1946 when she was transferred to the Soviet Union on the 3rd as per the terms of repatriation. The Soviet team of transfer took out the ship under new name Лиза Чайкина and finally destination port in the USSR should have been Odessa, Black Sea. During the voyage from Clyde River to Odessa the ship visited the following ports: from 20 to 25 May the ship stopped in Swansea; from 27 to 30 May the ship stopped in Plymouth; on 16 June the ship passed Istanbul, Bosphorus; arrived in Odessa in June, 1946.
In Odessa port the ship was sign on Sakhalin State Shipping Company, passed permanent repair, received bunker supply. In September 1946, Лиза Чайкина sailed from Odessa in September and visited following ports during the voyage: on 9 September 1946 the ship passed Bosphorus and Istanbul; from 15 to 18 September the ship passed Suez Canal; from 25 to 28 September the ship visited Aden; from 10 to 18 October the ship visited Colombo; from 27 to 29 October the ship visited Singapore; from 25 to 29 November 1946 the ship visited Hong Kong; the ship arrived in Vladivostok where she passed medium repair; the ship arrived in new home port Kholmsk as she was sign on Sakhalin State Sea Shipping Company. Kruiznik.ru >> Всё о круизах >> Круизы. Путешествия. Теплоходы. Форум о круизах сообщества Круизник.РУ >> Пароходы Сахалина и Камчатки. Старые снимки 1950-х.
The ceremony of the christening on the steamer Лиза Чайкина Source: Story Christened (The story of «grand-dad») regarding the steamer Лиза Чайкина. Author: ex-crewmember of this ship Sergei Vorobyov. Russian language.
One interesting story Christened regarding the steamer Лиза Чайкина was written by Sergei Vorobyov in Russian language as per story of "granddad",Granddad, grandfather or grandpa - Soviet Union seamen jargon that means the chief engineer rank due to the oldest crew member on the Soviet ships was a chief engineer usually. ex-crewmember of this ship. The part of more interesting text from this story is translated here: Christened (The story of "granddad")
I started my job in the Far East in 1940s. I was signed on the old riveted steamer «Лиза Чайкина». When I joined the ship I was young alumnus of the Nautical College and was signed off on the staff assistant stoker. Operations are simple and the same as "steamed turnip":Russian jargon that means that the operation is very easy and the same as to boiled (steamed) turnip preparation. it was necessary to feed the steam boiler with coal. During four hours you feed, eight hours in the rest. And, on the circle. Assistant task: to haul the coal to the furnace...
Once my shiftworker, such a healthy "ambal"Ambala - Russian jargon that means strong, tall and heavyset man; bully (init: longshoreman). from Kohtla-Järve, told me (as he was Estonian, he uttered the letters D, G, B, V, Ch as T, K, P, F, T respectively and sometimes lost R): — Pefore we entrust the "Montay" to you, you hafe to pe tristenet, frient. Ant it will pe, as in the sonk: "For a moment he saw a plintink likht, fell - the heat (heart) is not peatink any more."
As per jargon amongst the stokers, the "Monday" was a hefty scrap and not less than one pound of weight, which broke up slag in the furnace before cleaning the boiler. — So, I was christened, - I say - the grandmother told me that a poop christened me in the village when I was four years old.
And his partner immediately corrected: — So, you was christened in the Orthodox faith to be believe in Christ. And here christen in Steamship faith. That you will believe in the power of steam else. It is tradition. Without it you will not survive here. Steam will pull all the juices from you. In short, come tomorrow in the engine room after the daily watch. There all "the clear"Russian Far East seamen jargon. will gather in full team.
That he meant the whole engine team of the glorious ship «Лиза Чайкина».
Next day, just after the watch, I climbed down in engine room and there all my "oily belly buttons"Oily belly button - a jargon of all seamen of Soviet Union Trade Fleet which means any crew member of engine room due to any motorman or engineer stained in oil often and usually. brethren headed by "grand-dad", I means the chief engineer, and waiting. Standing grandly and important. "Grand-dad" wore a tunic with wide chevrons on the sleeves for the solemnity even. And, in hand of the second engineer I observed a big white enamel mug, which was filled with not the water, not the alcohol to the brim. But I did not know details of the christening. I was thinking, if it is alcohol, - the trumped deal, due to I did not drink alcohol also and could normally stand on my feet after the watch. The "grand-dad" came solemnly and shouted in my ear as it was noisy in the engine room due to motors run. However, the diesel engine is more noisy now. So, he shouts to me:
— Shura,Shura () is the Russian short name from the name Alexandr. we are now intend to christen you as per maritime tradition and then you will our spirit man, and no any contagion or trouble will not overtake you easy. For this reason we need to make two sacraments, or possible to say — to perform only two conditions: to kiss a crank bearing of the main engine and then drink a cup of seawater. Are you ready?
— Ready - I reply. And, thank God, I will hope if it is not alcohol.
Regarding crank bearing should be discussed separately. The fact that steam engines connecting rods attached to the pistons, located outside, rather than inside as in modern engines, and they go into the cycle of the piston not reciprocates only, that is up and down, but also too much sweeping to the sides that you have look to avoid its "elbow" does not hurt you if you stand close. The crank bearing is in the lower joint of the elbow and this bearing needs to be lubricated constantly with the machine oil using the oilcans. It is required the highest category skill as a funnel for the pouring was on the rod, which is hopping a dance of death. And a oilcaner, so a motorman was called in that years, was involved unwittingly into the rhythm of this pagan dance, it was independs if he like it or not. And, oilcaner was crouching and twisting when he began to follow movement of the connecting rod, and at the right time he injected the right portion of the oil using big oilcan with a large down-curved nose (outlet pipe). One wrong move, - the oilcan could be struck by the connecting rod and the entire portion of the lubricant will be on your head. So motormen and engineers were unsurpassed dancers in this sense. They were virtuosos of the deal. It is marvel if you look at them from the side. The boogie-woogie is a pathetic parody regarding what they were doing. It is possible to say that their watch passed in the rhythm of this macabre ritual dance with the accompaniment of the romped monster. And an engineer contrives to determine the temperature of a crank some times during the watch also, thus he was controlling its possible overheating. He did it using own palm. A flat of the hand could safely withstand the temperature 70 degrees. And if the temperature is higher, then it begins to burn...
Then I did not know all subtleties, but I felt that I encountered the situation. This bearing was dangerous to catch by hand, but here it was necessary to touch by the lips. I took the position. All engine valetry surrounded me, the second engineer was closest and indicate the direction me by the mug to the crank bearing in front of me. I thought: "How long will I fit in? This crank will hits my teeth with the star effects exactly". I stretched my lips out in the form of a pipe as far as possible and began to approach the "killer". And right now, unfortunately, swayed to the left side, well, and I suddenly kissed the iron elbow so much that my eyes darkened. I woke from a stupor, and immediately the mug was served to me. I swallowed a little water with salt, my eyes climbed up on my forehead, and it burns in my mouth. It turns out, that my two upper teeth had been knocked out and hurt, became painfully due to salt. I wanted to howl. So it turned out, that I did not know who kissed whom - or I kissed the crank bearing or the crank bearing kissed me. But I survived it fully. More finally my forehead was anointed with axle-grease and said to me:
— Well, now you're christened as per all rules, and no any adversities will be able to hurt you. We accept you into our brotherhood of steam, coal and axle-grease, and, be healthy.
And, indeed, after the christening my second breath opened, and the power came from nowhere. I was not tired as before, and was able to beat off and split the outgrowths of slag to pieces by the "monday". I was accustomed to the heat conditions after a week, I did not want to get out from the boiler room. And the fact, that I was christened second time - apparently, this is not in vain, because during my second voyage such situation happened that only a miracle was able to save me.
The loss of the screw at sea Source:
The same story Christened informs about the loss of the screw during the second voyage of the author on the steamer Лиза Чайкина at sea: We passed with cargo copra from Bangkok to Yokohama. And farther our route lay to Nakhodka for the overhaul of screw-steering group. For this voyage I changed one "oily belly button" who was signed off for vacation and now I was sign on in rank a motorman of engine room...