On Fri, 20 Feb 2004 13:08:55 GMT, Brian Whatcott
wrote:


What is the fuel consumption?
At the service speed of 28.5 knots, consumption is 380 tons per day:
this equates to 50 ft/gall.
************************************************* ****

Brian Whatcott Altus OK

To compare, I have a ham radio friend who is one of the two masters of
Sealand "Performance", a 950' containership that goes between USA and
Europe. Touring its massive single engine room, which has a 38,800 hp
7-cyl, DIRECT DRIVE diesel engine coupled directly to a huge single
screw also running on heavy cheap oil after the exhaust warms to where
it will boil for injection, he told me fuel consumption at 18 knots
loaded with containers is only 75 tons per day, making it one of
Sealand's best fuel comsumption ships.

The engine is amazingly simple because it's an electric-blower-loop
charged 2-stroke....no valves, valve trains, etc. High pressure
injection is electronically controlled by the computers to maximize
mileage.

The pistons are 7' tall and 5' bore with something like a 6' stroke.
Redline is around 110 RPM at flank speed. The whole engine is
computer controlled and noone needs to sit and control it. A paging
system alerts the duty engineer anywhere on the ship if the computer
thinks something is amiss.

Above the main engineers desk and at the helm on the bridge is a
warning sign telling you not to operate the engine between 32 and 38
RPM because that is where the ship's mass resonates and the throbbing
engine will simply tear the ship apart. They run her through that
range very fast up and down. It actually makes this massive ship
bounce when it goes through here. Simply amazing......(c;

For those of you thinking about a genset, her diesel generator room is
under the main driveshaft. It has 8 million-dollar diesel monsters
because many containers contain perishable foods and must be provided
with 3-phase 440VAC at all times to run their refridgeration. The day
I donned the ear protectors and climbed down there, the meters showed
her generating over 400KW of power from 4 of the generators online.
Plenty of power to start that little marine A/C under the
V-berth...(c;

From the master's cabin portholes, looking out across the hundreds of
containers almost blocking your view, the flagstick on the bow looks
like it's about a mile away. Larry tells me he can turn her around in
less than 2.5 MILES and can stop her from 18 knots loaded in about a
mile and a half! "I never get tired of playing with her", he said.

Stay out of her way, ok? I doubt anyone will know they just ran over
a 52' Beneteau. Make SURE your radar reflector is atop the mast!

Oh, and someone with a great sense of humor mounted a set of Johnson
outboard motor controls on the side of the helm for us
touristas....hee hee..... Mounted just like a center console....(c;

The food served to the crew is superb. There are few crew aboard her,
actually. On each trip, they eat their way through 3 special fridge
containers that run on a little railroad track into the galley. The
containers are pre-packed with the entire meal list so noone has to
rummage about looking for today's breakfast. At the end of each trip,
they simply swap containers in minutes and they're ready for sea,
again. I noticed several commercial fridges and freezers for late
night snackin on leftovers. Lunch was delicious. I chose the steak,
medium-well, please.

The radio operator will retire next year. He's not going to be
replaced as this position is no longer required. I sent out a
satellite message to SeaLand from the desktop computer on the master's
desk in his palatial cabin. It takes about a second to spend $10 on
an email.....

I came out of the master's head laughing. "What's so funny in
there?", Larry asked me. "I remember back when I was a Navy sailor
and if I had ****ed in the captain's private head they would have
simply beheaded me and thrown my guts to the fish." "They would have
done that to me, too, back when I was a sailor.", he quipped. "Times
change.....(c;"

By the way, if you'd like to book passage on any of these ships, I
think it would be a great get-away vacation to ride to a European
vacation on one. They do book passengers, as does Evergreen and the
other carriers. The cabins are MUCH larger than being packed into a
cruise ship like sardines and the crew loves to share their world with
guests. Wish I could go.....www.sealand.com



Larry W4CSC

No, no, Scotty! I said, "Beam me a wrench.", not a WENCH!
Kirk Out.....