engsol wrote in
:

Even if the skipper had let the anchor(s) go, I'm wondering how long
it would take to bring a 500 foot ship to a halt?



My friend Larry, master of SeaLand "Performance", a 950 ft containership
with a 38,800hp 7-cyl single diesel turning one screw directly at redline
around 110 RPM claims he can stop "Perfomance" in "Oh, around two and a
half miles, give or take some." He also says they can turn it around in
under 2 miles!...Without a tug!

You think you got trouble in the current at your marina, imagine being 950'
long, loaded to the bridge windows with containers all the way to the bow,
in a 30 knot crosswind and ONE SCREW....well, and a "few thrusters" that
are the size of your house...Don't tie up where it says not to...

To back down, you simply stop the engine, hit the airstart into "Astern"
and hope she cranks the 2-cycle diesel backwards......in time. I didn't
see any glow plug preheaters looking at the top of it, but the heavy oil it
runs on passes through the exhaust stack to melt it, before they send it to
injectors I couldn't pick up.

I wanted to crank it while we were standing there, but he said it would
just rip the piers away from the peninsula so we'd better not... It
doesn't have a "neutral"...no transmission, clutches, gears, just some huge
bolts holding the bus-sized shaft to the flange on the back of the 3-story-
high motor. I noted, too, their packing gland doesn't leak or drip like
ours does. Wonder if that big nut around it is how you tighten it? Must
take a big wrench! Some smartass put a single-lever Mercury outboard motor
control on the side of the helm.

Only burns 75 tons of oil a day at econocruise, 75 RPM. He said it makes a
reassuring thumping sound when you're layin' in your rack tryin' to fall
asleep....quite a few decks right above it. "Fill 'er up 'n check the oil,
son. Here's my VISA card. You got 200 bbl of lube oil in that tanker?"

What's hull speed on 950' with a 42' draft?

Wonder what heavy oil is a gallon, now? Diesel for my truck is STILL
$2.23/USGallon and isn't dropping this summer like it does when the Yankees
quit heatin' their houses with it.....dammit.

--
Larry

We could see 7 simultaneous fireworks shows from the middle of Charleston
Harbor aboard "Lionheart"....and 800 small power boats racing about drunk,
some even with running lights!

Peggie Hall wrote in
:

For weekly Accountability Report

One of the finest posts on this newsgroup in quite some time.....

Thanks, Peggie....(c;

--
Larry
3rd Mate - Engineering

Today's Vancouver Sun has the following comment:

"a mechanical failure that shut down one of the two main engines on the
Queen of Oak Bay disabled the four clutches and caused the reverse thrust
propellers to stop"

So it seems it was an engine failure, cause still unknown. These ferries
have complete engine/rudder/steering systems at each end. You would think
if the engine currently used to go forward shut down you could put the other
engine in reverse and stop yourself. Why would ALL the clutches be
disabled?

As for anchoring, by the time you let out enough scope to stop a ferry this
size moving at 3 knots you would be on the beach. Also, I think dropping an
anchor would sacrifice steering control and may have made the situation
worse.

"Larry W4CSC" wrote in message
...
engsol wrote in
:

As bad as it was, the skipper did the right thing in my view. If he
had run into the ferry landing, a whole bunch of cars would have
mashed up to the front, possibly killing a few people....but maybe
not...the speed at impact hasn't been reported to my knowledge, which
should have pretty slow. Norm B



If the crew's labour union can convince the government it was the trouble
with the clutches the union engineers had reported before, heads might
roll
and cost the company big money....

--
Larry

You know you've had a rough night when you wake up and you're outlined in
chalk.