The Life-Boat
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
THE LIFE-BOAT. JOUENAL OF THE fiatfonal %ife<*Boat Jnstftution. (ISSUED QUARTERLY.) VOL. XVII.— No. 191.] IST FEBKUARY, 1899. PEICE Sd. THE INSTITUTION MOUBNS. A GREAT loss has, within the last few weeks, fallen on the KOYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION, and the Life-hoat Cause has been deprived of a strong supporter and constant friend by the death of ALGERNON GEORGE PERCY, Sixth Duke of NORTHUMBERLAND, E.G., which occurred at Alnwick Castle on the 2nd January last, after a somewhat short illness. The Duke, who at his death was in his eighty-ninth year, had held the important office of President of the Institution for the long period of thirty-three years; but his interest in the cause dated back as far as 1858, 'when, as Lord Lovaine, he first became a regular supporter of the work. Up to the last the Duke was greatly • interested in the reports which he received from time to time relative to the Institution and he evinced much concern when anything happened which he thought might in any way retard its progress or hinder its development. All friends of the Institution will deplore the loss which it has sustained by the death of its venerable and venerated President. The remains of the deceased nobleman are interred in the family vault in Westminster Abbey. Yoii. XVII.—No. 191.—LITE-BOAT JOURNAL. 270 THE LIFE-BOAT. [1ST FEBRUARY, 1899. THE STEAM LIFE-BOATS FOR GEIMSBY AND PADSTOW: A NEW DEPARTUKE. IT is just a year (vide Life-boat Journal, the first steam Life-boat Duke of North- February, 1898) since a description was umberland, the principal reasons for given in these pages of the steam Life- adopting the turbine will be found, and boat Queen, which was sent to her station they were practically as follows:— at New Brighton in October, 1897. After (1) That the position of the " turbine " the launch of that boat and before the or "centrifugal pump" in the chamber steamers required for Grimsby and Pad- very nearly in the midship section of the stow were ordered, the whole subject of boat would render it much less liable to the application of steam to Life-boat work be damaged from taking the ground, or was thoroughly reviewed and discussed from wreckage, or to be fouled by ropes, by the Committee of Management and the &c., than the screw propeller. Officers of the BOYAL NATIONAL LIPK-BOAT (2) That in & heavy sea owing to its INSTITUTION with a special bearing on the position and design the engines driving it method of propulsion in use or to be em- would not" race." ployed in the future, whether taking it (3) That the boat could be manoeuvred all in all the Institution was justified in entirely without reference to the engine still adhering to the " turbine," or, in view room by means of handles in the cock-pit of the development of the protected screw controlling the water discharges on either propeller as used in the Nile and Niger side of the boat, and in addition to this, gunboats, this latter method should be that in case of the steering gear being adopted. The screw propeller gained the disabled the boat could be kept under day and the two boats were ordered of control by this means. Messrs. J. SAMUEL WHITE & Co., Ltd., With regard to the first reason given, of East Cowes. experience has not entirely borne out the The boats are practically identical, the hope that the turbine would have a only difference being that it was found perfect immunity from damage or fouling, desirable to slightly alter the position of for there have been instances, though the coal bunkers in the second boat only a few, of the inlet passage being (Padstow) so as to bring the weight a fouled by becoming choked with seaweed, little further aft, and also step the mast and the pump injured by having stones, abaft the funnels to prevent the lug sail gravel and sand drawn into it. Also on being burned. one occasion one of the steam Life- On p. 273 will be found sketches of the boats was temporarily disabled by a Life-boats, showing profile, deck plan and rope being drawn through the inlet and midship section, in which the principal wound round the spindle of the pump, dimensions are given, and on p. 274, bringing the engines to a standstill. The a reproduction of a photograph of the "turbine" cannot be cleared without Grimsby boat, James Stevens No. 3, on putting the vessel into dock or on a her full-speed trial. " grid," which is a distinct drawback. Now to compare the two methods of With regard to reason No. 2, the propulsion:—On referring to the Life-boat turbine has proved everything that could Journal published on the 1st November, be desired, and also as regards reason 1890, in which was a description of No. 3. IST FEBHUABY, 1899.] THE LIFE-BOAT. 271 Before drawings and specifications of 14th January, 1898, and the first one, the new boats weie made out these three viz., James Stevens No. 3, for X3rimsby, points were all carefully discussed; and was ready in September last, when a in addition the serious trouble which had series of exhaustive trials took place in been experienced by the corrosion of the the Solent, the results of which amply inlet and outlet pipes of the Duke of justified the Institution in coming to the Northumberland and City of Glasgow decision of adopting the screw propeller. was considered, and also the extra power The steam Life-boats Queen and the required to propel a boat fitted with a James Stevens No. 3 are, as the following turbine as compared with that required table shows, almost identical in displace- to propel a precisely similar boat with a ment, and as better results have been screw. What was thought desirable was attained in the Queen than in the other to be able to fit a screw in such a position two turbine steam Life-boats Duke of ih&t point 1 would be better carried out Northumberland and City of Glasgow, it is Maximum Full Speed. Ordinary working Full Speed. Particulars. James Stevens James Stevens Queen. No. 3. Queen. Ao. 3. 55 ft. X 15 ft. 56ft.6ins.X 14ft. Load displacement. 31-87 tons. 31 -75 tons Mean draught . 2ft. lljins.^, 3 ft. 5J ins.* Mean Indicated H.P. 198 179-927 107-6 97 Steam-pressure .... 143 Ibs. 150 Ibs. 23-8 ins. 23-65 ins. Air-pressure in utoke hold 1 • 55 ins. 1 • 14 ins. Mean revolutions . 398-6 423-2 3C8 352 Mean speed .... 8-832 9-59 8 8-5 Consumption of coal per 3cwt. 3qrs.l81bs. 2cwt.lqr.231bs. * The draught of the James Stevens No. 3 is taken to the bottom of the bilge keels which come 5J ins. below the actual body of the boat. than with the turbine, and at the same most desirable to compare her with the time point 2 would be equally as well James Stevens No. 3. attained, while a slight sacrifice of man- The above table shows the comparative oeuvring efficiency, point 3, would be made, efficiency of the two boats at maximum but this would probably not be felt in full speed and at ordinary working full practice. speed. It was found on the trials that The result of the discussion was that the power necessary to drive the Queen it was decided to adopt the single screw at a speed of 8^ knots per hour was propeller fitted into a cavity formed in 168 I.H.P., while the power required to the vessel's structure, under the cockpit, obtain the same result from the James about half way between the after end of Stevens No. 3 was 97 I.H.P. or 61 horse the engine room and the stern post (see power less than that of the Queen= 62 -9 profile and midship section, p. 273). per cent, of a saving in favour of the The two boats were ordered on the screw propeller. Also it will be seen by s 2 272 THE LIFE-BOAT, [Isr FEBBEABY, 1899. reference to above table that tbe Queen of the coxswain. In the event of the burns 3 cwt. 3 qrs. 18 Ibs. of coal per rudder being damaged sweep oars have hour to obtain 8 knots, whereas the been provided, and it was found that at James Stevens No. 3 only barns 2 cwt. moderate speed the boat could be kept 1 qr. 23 Ibs. to obtain 8J knots per hour. under control by their use. The type of engine required for driving So far for the comparison of the two the screw propeller is much more com- methods of propulsion, and, judging from pact, and weight for weight is not heavier it, it would certainly appear that the when compared with the speed obtained. Institution has been right in attempting a The engines of the Queen being almost new departure. horizontal, while those of the James A Wiers feed-pump has been fitted to the Stevens No. 3 are miniature vertical new steam Life-boats with satisfactory inverted compound surface condensing results. The patent water-tube boilers engines of a very strong design, made to are those of Messrs. White and Foster, and stand full power driving in the worst can supply steam to sustain an average weather. speed of 8\ knots on about \ inch of air- On driving the vessel (James Stevens pressure, and it should be borne in mind No.