Question For Fun

[Harbor_Pilot]

Originally Posted by JeanneP

USS Constitution, i.e., Old Ironsides? Out for her annual sortie to turn herself around?

JeanneP is Correct!

Type: Frigate (44 guns)

Launched: October 21, 1797

At: Edmond Hartt Shipyard, Boston, Massachusetts

Major Overhaul: 1992-1996

Length: 204 feet (overall)

Beam: 43 feet, 5 inches

Draft: 22 feet, 6 inches

Displacement: 2,200 tons

Armament: Twenty 32 pounder carronades; thirty 24 pounder long guns; two 24 pounder bow chasers

Address:

USS Constitution

Charlestown Navy Yard

Boston, Massachusetts 02129-1797

(617) 242-5671

Fax: (617) 242-5616

http://www.ussconstitution.navy.mil

Latitude: 42.372456, Longitude: -71.056604

"Old Ironsides" is the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world. USS Constitution is one of six ships ordered by President George Washington to protect America's growing maritime interests in the 1790s. Constitution soon earned widespread renown for her ability to punish French privateers in the Caribbean and thwart the Barbary pirates in the Mediterranean. The ship's greatest glory came during the War of 1812 when she defeated four British frigates. During the battle against the HMS Guerriere, seamen watched British cannon balls bounce off her 21-inch thick oak sides, earning the vessel her famous nickname.

After Oliver Wendell Holmes' poem helped save Constitution from scrapping in 1830, the ship performed many military tasks in the following century, including service as both a barracks and training ship. Constitution was restored in 1927 with contributions from the nation's school children. After being towed coast-to-coast, Constitution was moored at the Charlestown Navy Yard in 1934. Her basic lines have not been altered nor symbolic value reduced, as she exemplifies an 1812 appearance.

Constitution is towed into Boston Harbor for her annual 4th of July cruise, during which she fires a 21-gun National Salute. She also makes another six or seven cruises into Boston Harbor each year. Manned by an active duty U.S. Navy crew, Constitution is open year round for free public tours in the Charlestown Navy Yard. In the summer of 1997, Constitution sailed under her own canvas for the first time in 116 years. Nearby, the USS Constitution Museum and World War II destroyer USS Cassin Young are also open to the public.

USS Constitution is a National Historic Landmark.

She received the World Ship Trust Maritime Heritage Award in 1987.

In 2004, she was recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's oldest commissioned warship afloat.

[norwestsailer]

Hi

We will have to get HMS Victory afloat which is in Portsmouth . Were just waiting for a few spare parts and then she'll be ready to go!!

The way things are going she may be needed to defend her country again. We havent any others RN ships left.

The Aircraft Carrier is USS Wasp going down the English Channel last year.

We didnt want to get to close.

Ill post another piccie later on.

Steve

[Nausikaa]

Hi All,

Here than is another contribution from a bygone age... the world's first turbine vessel. Any takers? Should not be too difficult - the name is on the bow but a little info might not be amis.

Aye,

Stephen

yacht NAUSIKAA

[norwestsailer]

Hi Stephen

Found this on the net. I think we are all learning something because I had never heard of this one before.

Turbinia

Career England

Laid down:

Launched: 1894

Status: Museum ship

General characteristics

Displacement: 44.5 tons

Length: 103 ft 9 in (31.6 m)

Beam: 9 ft (2.7 m)

Draught: 3 ft (0.9 m)

Propulsion: Three-stage axial-flow Parsons steam turbine driving two 12 ft 6 in (3.8 m) outer shafts, each with three 18 in (457 mm) diameter, 24 in (610 mm) pitch propellers, and one inner shaft with three propellers.2,000 hp (1.5 MW) three-drum water-tube coal fired boiler with double ended 1,100 ft² (102 m²) heating surface.200 lbf/in² (1.4 MPa), 170 lbf/in² (1.2 MPa) at the turbine

Speed: 34.5 knots (64 km/h)

Turbinia was the first steam turbine powered steamship, built as an experimental vessel in 1894 and demonstrated dramatically at the Spithead Navy Review in 1897, setting the standard for the next generation of steamships. The vessel can still be seen at The Discovery Museum in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, while its original powerplant can be found at the London Science Museum.

Charles Algernon Parsons invented the steam turbine in 1884, and having foreseen its potential to power ships he set up the Marine Steam Turbine Company with five associates in 1893. To develop this he had the experimental vessel Turbinia built of very light steel by the firm of Brown and Hood, based at Wallsend on Tyne.

The Admiralty was kept informed of developments, and Turbinia was launched on 2 August 1894. Despite the success of the turbine engine, initial trials with one propeller were disappointing. After researching the problem of cavitation and constructing the first cavitation tunnel, Parsons fitted three axial flow turbines to three shafts, each shaft in turn driving three propellers. In trials this achieved a top speed of over 34 knots (63 km/h), so that "the passengers aboard would be convinced beyond all doubt Turbinia was Charles Parsons' winning North Sea greyhound".

As an audacious publicity stunt Parsons brought the ship uninvited to the Navy Review for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee at Spithead on 26 June 1897 and in front of the Prince of Wales, Lords of the Admiralty and foreign dignitaries the Turbinia, much faster than any other ships, raced between the two lines of large ships and easily evaded the Navy's patrol boats.

After further high speed trials attended by the Admiralty, Parsons set up the Turbinia Works at Wallsend which then constructed two turbine powered torpedo boats for the Navy, HMS Viper and HMS Cobra which were launched in 1899. Although both these vessels tragically came to grief, the Admiralty was convinced. In 1900 the Turbinia steamed to Paris and was shown to French officials then displayed at the Paris Exhibition.

The first turbine powered merchant vessel, the Clyde steamer TS King Edward, followed in 1901. (Her successor, the TS Queen Mary of 1932, is now a floating restaurant on the River Thames in London) The Admiralty confirmed in 1905 that all future Royal Navy vessels were to be turbine powered, and in 1906 the first turbine powered battleship, HMS Dreadnought was launched.

In 2000, the yacht was the focal point of a year long £10.7m redevelopment programme at Newcastle's Discovery Museum. Prior to which she was located at Newcastle's Military Vehicle Museum where she had been since being re-united with her aft section in the early 1960s, after being cut in two in 1927.

She looks a sleek little ship must have been pretty slick in her time.

My work boats cruise at 34 knots thats with twin diesel jet engines I bet the guy shovelling the coal ended up kn******d after a hard day at work.

Cheers

Steve

Sorry forgot to add this



Steve

[Nausikaa]

Brilliant reply.

Turbinia is an old friend of mine. I would go and visit her whenever I was in Newcastle. I fell in love with her hull form the first time I ever saw her.

And so...another one for you....I hope this one will not be so easy.



Again, the flag is a clear aid to identification but the vessel is not photographed here in the environment in which she was most often seen.

Good luck in identifying her

Aye

Stephen

Yacht NAUSIKAA

[norwestsailer]

Hi Stephen

That looks like "The Fram"

She was the boat that went to try and discover the Poles or something similar.

She was built for work in the Ice by Colin Archer

Steve

[norwestsailer]

Hi

We spotted this tug last week thought it was on fire at first

I dont know anything about it



Steve

[Nausikaa]

Originally Posted by norwestsailer

That looks like "The Fram"

Spot on again!

She is the Fram and is currently in a museum in Oslo. Apparantly a great and strong ship but like all vessels built for ice the thing rolled very heavily.

Here is a more modern ship for folks to identify.....no clues given

Aye

Stephen

Yacht NAUSIKAA

[Auzzee]

This is the USS Global Warming.....a Frig-it I think!

[Nausikaa]

Not quite......in fact, not at all. Out on both counts:

1. Not U.S.S. anything at all

2. Not a frig...it or even a frigate

but good try.....

Aye

Stephen

Yacht NAUSIKAA

[norwestsailer]

]Hi Stephen

If shes not USS and RN Could she be German. It looks like a 2nd WW warship.

I stumped with this one

These 3 RNLI lifeboats are all retired now but I believe they are on their way to a retired lifeboat meeting in Sweden at the moment.



Notice the Helming position on the older one. The Coxswain must have got WET

Steve

[Nausikaa]

Originally Posted by norwestsailer

]Hi Stephen

If shes not USS and RN Could she be German.

I don't think I wrote that she wasn't RN, or did I.

No, I didn't and she is...or rather was RN

aye

Stephen

Yacht NAUSIKAA

[Nausikaa]

Re the lifeboats....

Nice. Are these not Watson class?

The issue of the helming position reminds me of the first coast guard cutter i sailed in.....small, 16 metres, open bridge and fast (for the time) at 27 knots.

Going out on rescue missions was hell as the helming position (just under the radar antenna) was more under water than above. There was also an inside helming position but I always prefered to be outside as the visibilty was pretty poor from the internal position.



Aye,

Stephen

Yacht NAUSIKAA

[norwestsailer]

Hi Stephen

Youve got me stumped here

I have asked a few Royal Navy Friends andnoone seems to know

So I am going with the Belfast moored in London but I dont think Im right.

Cheers Steve

[norwestsailer]

Hi

Another little gem for you all

Can you name this boat?



Little clue for you " the Queen of England stays their quite often"

Easy Peasy!!!

Steve

[Nausikaa]

Originally Posted by norwestsailer

Hi Stephen

Youve got me stumped here

I have asked a few Royal Navy Friends andnoone seems to know

So I am going with the Belfast moored in London but I dont think Im right.

Cheers Steve

Nah, sorry Steve, it is not the Belfast. I remember th Belfast from the time she was flagshipmFar East Station. A beautiful ship and, at that time, immaculate.

The ship in question is H.M.S. Vanguard - the last of the British battleships and, imho, the best loing battleship ever built.

Aye,

Stephen

Yacht NAUSIKAA

[Nausikaa]

Originally Posted by norwestsailer

Hi

Another little gem for you all

Little clue for you " the Queen of England stays their quite often"

Easy Peasy!!!

Steve

I thought the Vanguard was easy....but no one got it. This one is not such an easy one for me.

What can I say, the ships, obviously an old passanger boat is designed for sheltered waters, which would indicate the Clyde or the Solent. The clue about the queen does not really help me much other than it indicates that it is not the Clyde as, even though she visits Scotland often, she is not so often in the Clyde area. So, I will plumb for the Isle of Wight ferry,

Aye

Stephen

Yacht NAUSIKAA

[norwestsailer]

Hi Stephen

You were nearly right twice but the wrong way round She is in fact the MV Balmoral

Balmoral

Balmoral was built in Southampton in 1949 and operated under the Southampton Red Funnel Fleet for 20 years. She then moved round to the Bristol Channel where she became the last member of P&A Campbell's famous White Funnel Fleet. When they ceased operation in 1980, Balmoral moved to Dundee to become a floating restaurant, and there she stood, unsuccessful & gradually falling into disrepair, until she was rescued by the friends & supporters of the Waverley.

She returned to service in 1986 and to this day operates her main summer season in the Bristol Channel, offering day excursions to popular Coastal Resorts, as well as making visits to other ports & piers throughout the UK in Spring & Autumn. Coastal cruising, once a great British tradition, remains alive & well in the care of Waverley Excursions and the operation of the Balmoral and Waverley.

In Winter 2002, Balmoral was fitted with new engines. The Project was dependent on nearly £150k being raised through the help of the Public Sector & local Councils, Supporter Societies and on-board Fund raising Activities which in turn secured a further £3/4m contribution from the Heritage Lottery Fund. This money has now been used to replace the engines but has also helped carry out additional improvements to enhance passenger comfort. For more detailed information on the Balmoral, please visit our supporters website at www.pswaverley.org.

Balmoral can comfortably accommodate up to 750 passengers and has a self-serve restaurant on-board along with two licensed bars, heated observation lounge and the souvenir shop.

Every year her and PS Waverly go round the coast doing day trips

Steve

[norwestsailer]

Hi All

If your cruising round the World this is the yacht that should be on shopping list



She is beautiful unfortunately shes too big for the pontoons so she has to moor up to the dredger

Can't win em all!!

Steve

[Nausikaa]

What a beaut......

the yacht is nice too.

Aye

Stephen

'yacht NAUSIKAA