HMS Penelope (F127) -v- HMCS Preserver (AOR 510)
Failed 'fast back down' approach by Penelope alongside stbd side of Preserver (delivery ship) for an intended port side RAS/UNREP by Penelope (receiving ship). The consequence was that Penelope becoming entangled with the stbd anchor of Preserver that was already conducting RAS/UNREP on her port side with HNoMS Trondheim (F302) receiving ship, see:-
this YouTube video
To view the damage after she becomes disentangled from Preserver, see:-
this YouTube video
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And now for some comments from Ships Nostalgia
Old 18th March 2012, 11:28
joeblack joeblack is offline
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Organisation: Royal Navy
Department: Engineering
Active: 1979 - 1983
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 3
Quote:
Originally Posted by Macca View Post
Official reason from the MOD was steering failure.
The penny had one engine at half speed and the other at full speed that's why she hit the tanker it was a direct order to the engine room as I was in the engine room of the penny at the time
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Old 18th March 2012, 14:12
joeblack joeblack is offline
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Organisation: Royal Navy
Department: Engineering
Active: 1979 - 1983
Join Date: Mar 2012
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Quote:
The manover [maneuvre] is called a fastbackdown approch the tanker to ras at full speed then cut both engines to half ahead to match the tankers speed its a risky thing to do and only the RNavy used to do it.But the bridge ordered only one engine to half ahead.The coms from the engine room to the bridge failed so the green line was supposed to be manned at the bridge but noone on the bridge was on the green line.In the engineroom we knew the order was wrong but not being able to contact the bridge had no option but to carry out the last order given.after the colision the engineering dept was ordered to create a fault to protect the officer on the bridge .the damages i believe cost in excess of £25,000,000.
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Old 17th September 2012, 15:56
leemorgan leemorgan is offline
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Organisation: Royal Navy
Department: Engineering
Active: 1987 - 1994
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 1
penelope collision
I was a stoker on the Penny at the time and had just come off watch when the pipe to emergency stations was made. There was no steering gear failure and as far as I was concerned it was put down to telegraph failure between the bridge and the engine room on the fast backdown. There was some good work that day shoring up a split in the boiler room bulkhead below water level and the guys were mentioned in dispatches. The main problem directly after the impact was the ruptured firemain in the engineers workshop which was flooding the compartment & the main passageway. The firehose that can be seen in the video Pre vs Pen2 out of the hole was connected to a submersible pump to remove the water and allow time for the firemain to be isolated. Alot of the water was sent down to the boiler room via the fwd boiler escape hatch in the back of the workshop. The chippy and I had to gas axe one of the live sets of motar tube that were on the upper deck since it was virtually hanging off the ship. The ship was hastily repaired by the American repair ship USS Puget Sound at sea and we crawled back to Plymouth a couple of days later on mostly one engine since the port prop had been damaged in the accident. We spent over 6 months in a Southampton dry dock being repaired. When we were eventually refloated the tug helping us along side managed to put a large dent in the ships side.
Last edited by leemorgan; 17th September 2012 at 20:43.. Reason: spelling mistakes
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Old 7th February 2016, 18:22
joeblack joeblack is offline
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Organisation: Royal Navy
Department: Engineering
Active: 1979 - 1983
Join Date: Mar 2012
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Horse manure
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phasianus View Post
I know the Captain. He explained to me the fast backdown procedure. I am not a seaman or marine engineer. My recollection from over 25 years ago may lack the proper jargon..............................................
This did not happen i was in the engine room and the order came from the bridge to put the port engine to half ahead the meo of the engine room tried to contact the bridge to confirm the order but we could not contact the bridge.
After the collision one of the Leading electrial engineers was ordered to create a fault on the telegraph system for the investigation that would follow.
The smoke is and order for full ahead on the port engine which noone was expecting via the telegraph system .
As for a steering failure as posted previously this is impossible as the ship is keeled over to the starboard side after the collision to prevent more water entering the holed port side helping the engineers to stem the flow of water.
Source; of the selection short excerpts (above) used by way of an explanation for the collision is
ShipsNostalgia (pages 1 - 3) in a thread topic titled HMS Penelope Collision Video
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In the 2nd excerpt/comment included above mention is made of the 'fast back down approach' and that only the Royal Navy used to do it .... 'fraid not because it was even being practiced by P2000 class patrol boats as recently as 5 years ago, in what RN call a '
modified fast back down', see:-
HMS Exploit and HMS Dasher RAS in Bay of Biscay
21 August 2014
Portsmouth based Dasher and Cardiff based Exploit have recently carried out a replenishment at sea (RAS) in the Bay of Biscay as part of Operation Southern Sun.
P2000s do not have the capability to replenish fuel at sea and instead RAS to practice shiphandling and seamanship skills. Exploit and Dasher passed goods between the two ships using a light line transfer.
Like always in a P2000 the students embarked conducted the serial under the watchful eye of the ship's company safety numbers.
It took 3 attempts to get the line across and during this time the CO had to hold the ship in position whilst underway 5 metres from Dasher and at around 8 knots," said CPO Squeaky Stocker Exploit's XO.
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Normally when you think of a RAS, the image of a frigate or destroyer RASing with an RFA tanker comes to mind.
Although this was on a much smaller scale, the fundamentals were the same. Dasher took the duties of RAS unit guide, settling on a predetermined course and speed, and became the RAS control ship.
Exploit took up a waiting station astern and to port of Dasher, before making an approach once Flag Romeo was close up in both ships.
Exploit and Dasher are batch 1 P2000s with a top speed of 15 knots.
The RAS speed was set at 8 knots which allowed Exploit to make a modified fast back down into position on Dasher's port side and into station for the first line to be passed.
"This was the first time I'd seen a RAS and it was pretty interesting to take part in.
Source; of the two excerpts above is
royalnavy.mod.uk
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Two still images
z DSseOuEVMAAyoQG.jpg
z DSseOuHUMAApZhi.jpg
Source; of still images seen on Twitter, is:-
Sandy McClearn
@sandymcclearn
(Attribution for the images is contained in the link)