Queen Mary. (!)

[R58484957]

From a website of which the American captain gives an engine room tour, he states that the main engine cooling water pumps performed perfectly at high tides but were not so reliable at low tides, bearing in mind that the inlets were many feet below the waterline, how did the tide effect them. The Queen I sailed on virtually only left on a high tide so that was one problem we did not have.

[Malcolm G]

I think that he should stick to his day job..

[YM-Mundrabilla]

Same principle as followed by a Melbourne City Councillor who suggested dredging the Yarra to improve headroom clearances under bridges.

That wasn't on April Fools day either.

[Varley]

It is not the biggest problem in democracy that the systems does not select for brains. The biggest problem is that they are allowed to demonstrate the failing at the further expense of the taxpayer.

[Engine Serang]

Councillor Bruce or Councillor Shelia was quite correctly taking the hydrodynamic property of Squat into consideration. I could explain Squat but it would be like an explanation of DOL starters.

[John Gowers]

Sorry but I am lost here what has the tide got to do with sea suctions on a floating ship. Most ships have high and low suctions, normally you went on the high suction in port so you did not drag silt and sand from the river or dock bottom.

[Makko]

John,
It is pure ignorance, guff to fill a "documentary" by an "expert"! The gentleman was a "Captain" - Not a Master! Sounds a bit like a "Tugboat Billy" to me, as we say on Merseyside!
Rgds.
Dave

[Varley]

E-S has a valid point. Allowing more under keel clearance would allow vessels to deliberately increase the clearance between masthead and any municipal overwater transit by 'speeding'.

Like his start attempts on a Gotaverken, the 'shit or bust' approach. Much like mine WRT large and recalcitrant rotating electrical machines.

I fear he may need to take precautions to cater for his navigating colleagues who may encounter a sudden and less hydrodynamic urge to squat should they attempt to execute such a manoeuvre. (Precautions that I omitted to mention with my own 'solution' but equally desirable).

On the plus side his family may be able to bask in a similar kind of glory to that of the Tryons.

[John Gowers]

Slight change of subject, I was reading a Tom Clancy book yesterday and the bad guys opened the seacocks and sank a cargo boat. I spent 15 years on Merchant ships obtained a chiefs motor ticket then spent almost 30 years on floating drilling rigs semi-subs and drillships and never came across the term seacocks.

I googled seacocks today and found to my surprise that on yachts the ships side valves are actually called sea cocks looks like you are never too old to learn something.

[john Cassels]

The terms seacock originated in the days of sail. It was a method of ensuring a constant
supply of fresh eggs.

[John Gowers]

I guess they also carried seahens

[Varley]

Presumably kept safe from Sea Harriers and earlier Uffa Fox?

[Engine Serang]

And Phil the Greek.

[Makko]

I suppose that a "seacock" is a small "sea valve". i.e. a perforation in the hull to allow sea water to enter. to cooling systems When they scuttle a ship, they blow up the overboard valves! Thus, size does matter in this case, and maybe semantics.
Rgds.
Dave

[cacique]

Seacocks were seacocks, either open or shut, usually (incoming) for direct injection or (outgoing) for such things as boiler blowdown. A two pósition hull piercing as opposed to a valve, be it non-return or screw lift.

[Chillytoes]

In 1983 I visited the Queen Mary at Long Beach as part of a holiday with my family. After a general look around, we took the two offered tours: Engine Room and Deck/Navigation. This latter tour was boring as bats**t and most of the participants, like us, wandered off leaving the US deckie rambling on to himself. On the other hand, the Engine Room Tour was good. Mind you, I'm biased here, but even my two girls (17 & 10) were fascinated by the old haggis-basher engineer's description and tales. Nobody wandered off from his tour!