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Other than using each Packard a night or two a week for local cruise nights or club activities, not much new on the Packard front.

I'll miss the traditional July 4th events this year. I'm off on a short 10 day trip and as a diversion, meeting one of PackardInfo's overseas members for a little Packard chit-chat. I'm flying over to Amsterdam on Saturday and then a train up to Rotterdam to join Holland America's m/s Rotterdam for a transatlantic crossing back to NYC. The only port of call is Southampton and I'll be visiting the Lord Montague motor museum and expect to meet Terry (a/k/a traumjaegercat) there. I'm really looking forward to that.

It will be an interesting crossing for those with maritime interests; it's a commemoration of the traditional transatlantic crossing with a bevy of maritime authors, historians, etc. and artifacts from Holland America's 130+ year history to fill the days. m/s Rotterdam is Holland America's flagship, rather traditional in style, about 59,000 grt and 1300 passengers - probably not even mid-size by today's standards of cruise ships. Power is diesel electric; 3 V16 and 2 V12 low speed turbocharged diesels by Sulzer; she's rather fast - the company "hot rod". Got a picture or two from the engine room from a prior trip if anyone is interested.

I'd be happy just to get my car out of the shop, where it been languishing for several months....with more to come....

Dave, I always enjoy pix of engines, regardless of type. Say Hi to Terry for the rest of us
Enjoy the trip and you can regale us with stories when you return.

Send pictures and boxes of English chocolate!

OK Randy, you asked for it. Hope some of the rest of you enjoy these as well.

Pictures are the ss Rotterdam V (1959-1997, steam turbine powered) and it's turbine control panel. And the current Rotterdam VI, (1998, diesel/electric), a portion of one of the V16 Sulzers, and a partial view of the control room. In the engine photo, the crankcase is one deck below, and the cylinder heads are on the deck above.

Just a comment about ship size. The ss Rotterdam V is about 38,000 gross register ton - among the larger ships of her time and built as a transatlantic liner which later adapted to the cruise trade. The ms Rotterdam VI is larger at about 59,000 grt, which today would be considered towards the lower end of mid-sized. Both carry about the same number of passengers, 1300 +/-.

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I cant get my packard tuned right, can't imagine working on one of those engines!

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Well, since we're already this far off topic, how's this for large?

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Somewhere I am imagining an oil filter the size of a volkswagon!

There was an episode on TV showing one of the large ships being built. The engineer opened a door partway and the huge crank was moving--slowly. I guess you can actually walk inside the crankcase on those things--although he said he didn't recommend it when the engine was running. I forget how many RPM he said the engine normally turned but it wasn't very many. Would imagine a piston that large going up and down a decks worth of distance wouldn't be the nicest thing to have fly loose.

I'm working the night shift all weekend, and I just realized that I'm on Sunday night 5pm to 5am and there's a parade I want to be in that starts assembling at 8:30 and its over an hour's drive by the time I get to my garage and get the car up there, but it's something I want to do, so the wife and I have been cleaning up the car and tomorrow we'll give the chrome a good once over.

I drained/filled the antifreeze/coolant yesterday, may try and fit in an oil change with a little marvel mystery oil in the reccomended ratio before then. I'm not sure I'll be good for anything else on Monday but I'd like to wish everyone a safe, happy 4th of July! You guys are such a tremendous wealth of knowledge and help. You all make owning a Packard quite enjoyable!

Rich