The Oriana fire- ! - August 1970 - an eye witness account.
Oriana was in Southampton for 10 days for its six monthly maintenance. When refueling commenced a significant amount of heavy fuel oil leaked into the bilge (the space below the floor plates) in the boiler room due to a valve being left unsealed. As all four boilers were brought upto pressure prior to departure a large amount of wet steam was ejected (this is normal) into the bilges, heating up the bilge water and in this case the floating oil. Shortly before departure the oil under #3 boiler was giving off a haze and extinguishers were put nearby by Bill Rogers J2E. As the ship departed it rounded the bend at Calshot, in Southampton water, the oil floating 'flashed' as it touched the bottom aft of #3 boiler. The fire gradually spread to the front of #3 boiler and then across the boiler room. I was in the Boiler room throughout initially trying to control the steaming rate, then shutting off fuel valves. Attempts to set off a large foam fir extingusher failed as we were driven back by the fire. Eventually we evacuated! Efforts to extinguish the fire manually failed so the boiler room was sealed off. The water level went over the 'plates' and flowed into the engine room when the water tight doors were reopened. Myself and Mark Gardiner were the first to enter the Boiler room after the fire, as we had been last to leave and knew where floor plates had been lifted. It was very eerie, silent as never before, gauges reading scary pressures. We then had to climb down into the oily water to try and release a warped bilge valve. On leaving the boiler room we went up to get cleaned up. No water or electricity. We wiped the oil off with clean towels and didn't get a shower for three days ! The ship was towed back to Southampton. Repairs took over two weeks and required a major refit of the boiler room.