Largest Propeller

[pablo42]

Nice one Captain. Is your shoulder recovered yet?

[captain kong]

Hi Pablo, Not yet, I have to see the Surgeon on 18 November, then hopefully I should be able to drive my car. I am on Physio a couple of times a week at the ozzy. If I drive my car now I wont be covered for Insurance.

Now tonight.............

...For those interested in Ships??(!).this week's Mighty Ships episode on UK Quest TV is a voyage on M.V.FAUST, the world's largest car carrier.

QUEST TV(Channel 38 Freeview) and SKY TV Channel 167
　
M.V.FAUST
The Faust is the largest car carrying ship in the world. Join her as she takes a shipload of cars, from Mini Coopers to Rolls Royce's, across the North Atlantic.

Tues.27th Oct. @2100
Weds.28th Oct. @ 1400 and 2100
Sun. 1st.Nov. @ 1700

[wsteve55]

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Hi Pablo,
they are quite easy if you know how.
If I had to do an emergency stop, tho` I shouldnt be in that situation in the first place, I can stop these giants in six tenths of a mile, with the engines still going Full Ahead.
eg.
Tanker 300,000 Deadweight tons.
Course is 180 degrees, engines full ahead, 16 knots.
Emergency stop.
Do not touch the engine controls, leave on full ahead.
Wheel Hard a starboard. alter 90 degrees.
The ships head will turn to starboard, bring her to 270 degrees.
The ship will carry on along the course line of 180 degrees beam on to the sea with the momentum, After six tenths of one mile the cushion effect of the under water draft of 65 feet and the length 1200 feet will bring the ship to a halt in the water.
She will be stopped with the ship`s head facing 270 degrees, before she starts to pick up speed just pull back the controls and stop engines.

If you went from full ahead to full astern to stop her you would rip out the engines.
as I said before you should not be in that situation in the first place.

When I alter course to a new course then I alter six tenths of one mile before the charted position, the ship will then slide to the charted position then carry on with the new course.
They are very easy to handle if you know the ships limitations

Do these manouvres alter,depending on weight of cargo,or would they apply to all situations? Haven't a clue,but directing something that big,especially in rough sea's must be fun!!

[captain kong]

Hi Steve,
I never had any real problems with them apart from coming up the English Channel in FOG or any other type of poor visability when fully loaded, the draft is 65 feet and with squat this increases up to 75 feet, In the Dover Straits off the Varne Bank it is very shallow and the ship starts to bounce on the bottom. Then you get a F.O.C ship coming down the channel the wrong way with no communications and apparently no one on watck, yes it can be a sweaty situation and you find yourself with two ciggies in each hand. Then the Cross Channel Ferries flying past at close quarters.
Stood on the bridge looking ahead the nearest clear water you can see is half a mile away over the bow. If any snall vessel is less than the half a mile you cannot see it, even on Radar the sea clutter can wipe out an image at that close distance.The English Channel is one of the busiest waterways in the wordl. there can be as many as 2000 ship movements through there.
I enjoyed doing it until we took all the big tankers to Taiwan for scrap even tho` they were only 10 to 12 years old. we then went on the North Sea run on 125,000 ton tankers like the Esso Aberdeen to the Brent Spar at the top end.

[wsteve55]

Ha,Ha, Two ciggies,good stuff! But,why were the tankers scrapped? I thought bigger,was better,re' oil,etc!

[captain kong]

They became Dynosaurs, they were designed that big because of the Suez Crisis in the 60s and 70s. sailing around the Cape instead of thru` Suez. then North Sea Oil came on stream so there was no need to go to the Gulf as often. and also they didnt need as many tankers for the trade as they were shorter voyages.

[wsteve55]

They became Dynosaurs, they were designed that big because of the Suez Crisis in the 60s and 70s. sailing around the Cape instead of thru` Suez. then North Sea Oil came on stream so there was no need to go to the Gulf as often. and also they didnt need as many tankers for the trade as they were shorter voyages.

Seems obvious,now you've explained it,but I wonder if they'll come back?

[Waterways]

The biggest ship in the world is a tanker. It is a permanent storage vessel in the Gulf and does not sail - although it could. It was so big it could not sail up the Channel fully laden.



The biggest ship sailing is a Post-Suez container ship. It may visit Liverpool when the new terminal is opened. But they have to start that first.

I always wondered why they never converted the tankers to container ships.

The British and French governments should have total control of the Channel, especially the Straights. Kong is right, ships ignore the lanes which are to keep ships apart and make the Straights into a motorway. In International waters they do what they like and can ignore any direction from France or the UK.

If ships do not take any notice of the controllers they should be buzzed by choppers and if no response boarded. The collision rate is far too high in the Channel.

I though modern day ships have cameras on the bows, etc, so the bridge know what is all around and make it easy using bow thrusters,.

Isn't Istanbul the busiest shipping lane in the world?