Navigator of the Seas

[vic mcclymont]

RCL's Navigator of the Seas had to make an emergency call to Vigo, to have water pumped out. During rough seas one of the stabiliser malfunctioned and pierced a old in the ships hull. Crew carried out temporary repairs.
Vic

[Chris Allman]

These hulls must be paper thin - not like the old steel of our days.

[happy daze john in oz]

These hulls must be paper thin - not like the old steel of our days.

From what I have seen they look fairly solid with about 9mm steel hulls.

[robpage]

When it comes to thickness of hull plates I remember as an apprentice being in the dry dock with the chief engineer and marveling at what was in those days 25 mm or 1 inch thick plates I said to him I didn't realise how thick the hull plates were according to His Wisdom and experience these modern lightweight 1 inch thickk plates were nothing like they used to build ships pre-war , I believe one and a quarter inches was Common and one and a half in not unknown . I think most of the Ferries I was on had 12 - 18 mm dependent on their position . But I think that pre World War II ships were built with a 30 year life post World War II a 25-year life and from the 1960s onwards a 12 year life so what it is now I haven't got a clue .

It's an interesting concept that the stabilizer has Pierced the hull most of the modern ones were hinge pin and swung into place from the 1970s onwards so that must have sustained some damage to slammed into the hull

I also wonder why they had to go to a port to get pumped out I think that all the ships I was on remembering that they were holding it was a long time ago has sufficient pumping for virtually all conditions

[j.sabourn]

Funny enough in my Time at sea, ship construction papers for ship construction and stability problems , maybe I was lucky but can never remember a question on the scantlings. I think sometime during my time at sea I can remember the thickness of shell plating being reduced if used certain paint coatings during and after construction but may be wrong. JS

[happy daze john in oz]

Rob, one and a quarter thick is about 30mm, some very heavy ships with steel that thick.

Most of the modern ones area composite metal above the water line.
But they still rust.

[robpage]

they were built for a long service life John and the position could determine the thickness, there s a dedicated formula to work it out , the scantlings above much lighter than the keel which even on Cruise ships is 28 - 32 mm especially where the hull pants bow and stern

[John Arton]

From the shell expansion plans I recall, hull plating was between 10-20 mm thick depending on its position, with the thicker plates in the keel and forward areas. Depending upon the type of steel used will allow a reduction in scantlings. The ex Dart container ship I sailed on had 4 deep box girders running the length of the cargo area and these were constructed out of extra high tensile steel. The outer two were service and access tunnels whilst the inner two were longitudinal deck beams. The hatch coamings were welded atop of these box girders. All other construction was of " normal" steel construction and that ship suffered badly from cracks at the junction between the EHT steel and the normal stuff, in all areas. Hatch coamings cracking was particularly bad as was hull cracks developing in the shell plating.
Rgds
J.A.

[happy daze john in oz]

My comments on steel thickness now is from observation of ships sides at such spots as gun port door entry. That is also where the rust appears to be at it's worst.
Used when tenders take bloods ashore it sticks out like the proverbial.

[robpage]

High Tensile steel is now used in car bodies , lighter , thinner for the same strength , but welding different metals with different properties is never a great idea