HMS Queen Elizabeth: Leak found on new aircraft carrier

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HMS Queen Elizabeth: Leak found on new aircraft carrier

This topic has 142 replies, 53 voices, and was last updated 25 December 2017 at 17:03 by larry Phelan.

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19 December 2017 at 08:53 #332684
Jon Gibbs
Participant
@jongibbs59756
I read this and thought it must be a huge leak.

…but then it boils down to it we're talking a litre of water every 15-20 seconds through a prop shaft seal.

If that's the worst they can find then the new HMS QE must be bloomin' great!

Jon
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19 December 2017 at 08:53 #35070
Jon Gibbs
Participant
@jongibbs59756
19 December 2017 at 09:01 #332686
Brian Wood
Participant
@brianwood45127
I would have thought that was what you might expect on shafts and seals of that size and most certainly within the capacity of bilge pumps to shift it without even noticing.

Do we have another example of media hype and hysteria here?

Brian
19 December 2017 at 09:10 #332687
Ady1
Participant
@ady1
HMS Queen Elizabeth: Leak found on new aircraft carrier

The UK's new aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, is leaking because of a faulty seal.

The Royal Navy's future flagship, which was commissioned by the Queen earlier this month in Portsmouth, has a problem with one of its propeller shafts.

The fault on the £3.1bn carrier was first identified during sea trials.

A Royal Navy spokesman said the ship is scheduled for repair and the fault does not prevent it from sailing again early in the new year.

According to the Sun newspaper, HMS Queen Elizabeth has been taking on up to 200 litres of sea water every hour because of the fault.

**LINK**
19 December 2017 at 09:21 #332692
Brian H
Participant
@brianh50089
Maybe they'll manage to fix it by the time we have some aircraft for it.

Brian
19 December 2017 at 09:23 #332693
V8Eng
Participant
@v8eng
I thought Sea Trials were partly to make sure everything worked and find any unexpected problems?

Edited for spelling.

Edited By V8Eng on 19/12/2017 09:33:27
19 December 2017 at 09:26 #332694
Bob n About
Participant
@bobnabout
Can't they drill a hole to let the water out !!!
19 December 2017 at 09:27 #332695
Brian Wood
Participant
@brianwood45127
My old boss at Rolls-Royce used to say " Never believe what you are told, and only half what you see"

A rather jaundiced view of things perhaps, but if the Sun reports a leak of that size through a prop shaft seal, who are we to argue with the might of our well informed press? Who indeed!!

See my earlier post. If true, the leak is still only 40 gallons an hour, about as much as a fast dripping tap. The press needs to get a sense of perspective.

Brian
19 December 2017 at 09:29 #332696
Jon Gibbs
Participant
@jongibbs59756
At 70,600 tonnes she'd take 40 years to sink at that rate if they left it

Edited By Jon Gibbs on 19/12/2017 09:31:22
19 December 2017 at 09:31 #332697
V8Eng
Participant
@v8eng
Unfortunately trial by media in many things seems to be all too prevalent lately.
19 December 2017 at 09:32 #332699
Tony Pratt 1
Participant
@tonypratt1
The media never let the truth get in the way of a good story.

Tony
19 December 2017 at 09:33 #332700
Jon Gibbs
Participant
@jongibbs59756
To be fair, it's not just the Sun, it's being almost universally reported today.
19 December 2017 at 09:38 #332703
V8Eng
Participant
@v8eng
I first saw the story on BBC Breakfast at about 6.30 this morning.

Edited By V8Eng on 19/12/2017 09:48:45
19 December 2017 at 09:53 #332705
Martin Kyte
Participant
@martinkyte99762
Engineering wise, I would not be worried about the leak but rather about the cause for the leak. Something isn't right because it's not functioning as it should.

regards Martin
19 December 2017 at 09:59 #332706
Mike
Participant
@mike89748
The press had a field day with this story this morning. By picking on a tiny fault they are holding the Royal Navy and Britain up to international ridicule. Have they no pride in their own nation? As a (mostly retired) journalist I am disgusted by the antics of the media these days. Shame on them!
19 December 2017 at 10:03 #332707
Ady1
Participant
@ady1
An old Navy guy would just give it a few taps with a Coventry spanner on the night watch

The modern navy guys will probbly spend a couple of million sorting it out

Edited By Ady1 on 19/12/2017 10:07:46
19 December 2017 at 10:11 #332709
not done it yet
Participant
@notdoneityet
Question to ask is how much water might be taken in if the (faulty) seal actually failed completely. A dripping tap of the historical brass seat type would soon drip much faster due to the brass being cut away by the initial tiny water jet under pressure.

But, yes, it is a relatively trivial problem to get sorted, I would think. Probably need extra greasy packing, or for the gland nut to be tightened half a turn!
19 December 2017 at 10:12 #332710
Circlip
Participant
@circlip
All gone to pot (?) since the advent of inside toilets and soft toilet paper.

Regards Ian.
19 December 2017 at 10:23 #332715
David Colwill
Participant
@davidcolwill19261
Posted by Circlip on 19/12/2017 10:12:04:

All gone to pot (?) since the advent of inside toilets and soft toilet paper.

Regards Ian.

Outside toilets on ships are not such a good idea
19 December 2017 at 10:27 #332716
Brian H
Participant
@brianh50089
Ships in Nelsons time had outside toilets, they were called heads.

Brian
19 December 2017 at 10:27 #332717
Ady1
Participant
@ady1
Fortunately for the Navy no one in the media has noticed that their aircraft carrier has no aircraft yet
19 December 2017 at 10:30 #332718
Michael Gilligan
Participant
@michaelgilligan61133
In previous news [July 10, 2017]: **LINK**

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/hms-queen-elizabeth-encounters-propeller-shaft-debris-issue-trials/

MichaelG.
19 December 2017 at 10:43 #332723
Samsaranda
Participant
@samsaranda
So it's not quite life jackets all round yet?

Dave W
19 December 2017 at 10:43 #332724
Mike
Participant
@mike89748
Interesting that damage was first examined at Invergordon, at the head of the Moray Firth. Wonder if she picked up a broken length of wire-cored trawl warp? I live by the Firth, and bits of fishing industry debris are washed up almost daily.
19 December 2017 at 10:45 #332725
Bob Rodgerson
Participant
@bobrodgerson97362
I remember a similar experience from my shipbuilding/marine engineering days 19 the early 1970's during sea trials of the ferry St George. She was experiencing severe vibration, especially when in reverse. It was so bad at the aft end of the ship that in some cabins you couldn't stand comfortably, let alone sleep. I seem to recall that we had a job keeping up with water ingress into the shaft tunnel and the bilge pump was running constantly to keep up with it. It was believed that the welds on one of the hull plates had cracked due to the vibration.

The ship was dry docked immediately on return from her trial and a 25 gallon paint tin was found to be caught either around the shaft or between the variable pitch blade and the prop boss. The plate was welded up and on removal the severe vibration was no longer present.
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