Come on lads !

[ivorthediver]

Any exciting news to share Keith , or dits to share with us all please ?

[Pelican]

The Poker

[ivorthediver]

Thank you David , we know our place .......first in last out..... ........unlike the rest of the Crew ....thirst in lights out

[oldsalt]

Back for a while Ivor. Although I had progressed from Stoker to S/Lt in Tiger I was the Engineer I/c Engine Rooms & all the bits to the propellers, We were leaving Lisbon , I was on watch, we were moving away from the jetty when there was a clunk from the outer port shaft & vibration. We carried out the routine for trailing the shaft. We carried on to Mediera then to Guzz on three shafts. I had checked the shaft, with a clock guage up to the stern tube & found no distortion. When we docked there was damage to the propeller, the prop was removed & I found non of the shaft was damaged but the tapered cone that the prop fits on was bent by 2.5". The end result was 80ft of tail shaft had to be replaced, a big job.

[ivorthediver]

Blimey Keith I can just imagine the picture you paint , and it must have run your department ragged trying to get there albeit at reduced speed I assume .

When the shaft is locked does the prop still rotate even though not driven or just add extra drag to the offending side as it windmills

[oldsalt]

Lots of up & downs , after being discharged from hospital on Feb 5th, confined to a special sleep in chair, next to my commode ( I can only hope a few steps with a Zimmer).On the 6th Mar. had a consultation with the surgeon, on 12th Mar had pre-op checks. On Wed. 27th Mar. phone call from surgeon's secretary telling me my new hip joint operation would be Mon. 1st April. Later that same afternoon another phone call, " sorry the special artificial hip joint has not arrived, no op." The surgeon only operates on Mondays, so my next chance of the operation will be 29th April. The result of that is another month of immobility. I hope this next date will stand, my new hip will arrive on the 2nd April. All I all a bit of a sorry story from the No Haste Health Service. Being a hardy old matelot, extra stoic & being an ex= Stoker I shall have to sit it out.

[oldsalt]

We shut down the Main Engine ,then disconnected the engine from the gearing by using the muff coupling . In Ark Royal we had a main gear box bearings failure, we had to disconnect the shaft at the loose coupling , it is nearest to the stern gland, the tail shaft & prop could then be trailed.

[oldsalt]

My first experience of internally cleaning an Admiralty three drum boiler was in Wrangler (pre conversion). After the drums had cooled, access doors to the 3 drums were removed, checked for breathability, we climbed in & removed all the internal fittings, of which there were many. All the internal surfaces were wire brushed, the tubes were cleaned using an electric powered flexible cable with a round wire brush attached, different size for generator & fire row tubes. Any obstructions were cleared using bamboo rods with attached brush. The tubes had then to be searched using metal balls. The method was the balls were dropped into the tubes from the steam drum, carefully marking with chalk to avoid missing any. Before the balls were dropped, one stoker would get into the searched side water drum, a temporary door with small vent holes was secured in the drum entrance. The stoker would have a bag to collect the steel ball has they dropped down the tubes. After a batch o f balls had been used, 50 I think, The bag would be passed out of the water drum & the balls would be counted, if the numbers didn't tally then that section of tubes would be hand searched, bamboo rod. No one was allowed inside the drums until after being searched for any item in their boiler suits. The whole process was long, dusty ,tiring, & was carried out at short intervals before the advent of boiler feed water treatment.

[ivorthediver]

It sounds a long and arduous task Keith , and I can visualise it well but don't think I could do it personally as I am a little claustrophobic in very confined spaces and especially in the dark so prone to panic as they are not that large from what I gather , and nowadays should you have to perform that task it would take a week to fill in the paperwork .. and be trolled in on a dive suit with umbilical cords to perform the task.

Dont get me wrong I would be fine with most issues [ I was fortunate enough to go down into HMS BELFAST and loved it and although at times I suspect it was below water level it was not an issue [ bearing in mind I used to be a sub aqua Diving instructor and depth was never an issue nor some very tight spaces I found myself snagged in ....literally ..... , and had to be dragged out as the more I found the more I wanted to discover in there .

I am totally absorbed in most mechanical problems and I am one of those fortunate enough to see the completed task before I have completed it .....which helps me know end .......but academia.... is not my natural environment , more a case of getting stuck in to find out whats amiss or gives clues as to why it will not work at the time and go forth .......then read the manual ........As our dear old Sandy used to say ..." I'f All else Fails ..READ the manual " bless him

[ivorthediver]

You have our deepest sympathy Keith , and it must be SO frustrating when you are the type that does..... rather than .....be done for..... so to speak is their no support you can get as you are obviously a registered Career in your own right .