drb
logo



"QUANTUM SHOT" #741
Link - article by Simon Rose and Avi Abrams
      
      

      "Huge ship propellers, churning out their wakes with magnificent
        forcefulness..."

      Contrary to the saying "Love Is the Only Propeller" big ships need
      huge manufactured propellers, designed to move titanic loads with maximum
      possible speeds. In the past, we’ve featured several different aspects of
      ocean-going vessels here at Dark Roasted Blend, including our recent
      articles on
      figureheads
      and
      ship’s sterns. This time, we’re taking a look at propellers, from a variety of ships,
      all of different types, but all considerable in size:

      
      
      (bottom left: 85 tonne propeller by
        Stone Marine Propulsion Ltd; top & right: propellers by
        MMG)

      An interesting fact: when Rev. Edward Lyon Berthon invented the screw
      propeller in 1834/35, it was dismissed by the Admiralty as “a pretty toy
      which never would, and never could, propel a ship”.

      The World's Largest Ship's Propellers

      One of the world's largest ship's propellers has been manufactured by
      Hyundai Heavy Industries for a 7,200 TEU container vessel owned by Hapag
      Lloyd. As tall as a three storey building, the 9.1 metre diameter, six
      bladed propeller weighs in at 101.5 tons. The following photo is a 72 ton
      propeller fitted to the tanker Loannis Coloctronis:

      
      (image credit: Arco Publishing Co. New York)

      The largest (to date) propeller is built by the German company
      Mecklenburger Metallguss GmbH: "Weighing in at 131 tons, the - to date –
      largest ship propeller made in Waren on the Müritz River drives the Emma
      Maersk, the world’s largest container ship, with a load capacity of up to
      14,770 twenty-foot containers, a length of 397 m, a width exceeding 56 m
      and a height of 68 m... Together, engine and propeller allow the
      oceangoing giant to cruise at speeds of 27 knots (50 km/h)." (more info)

      
      
      
      (images
        via)

      These are the massive propellers and rudders of the Antarctic icebreaker
      Palmer, a research vessel working in one of the most hostile environments on
      Earth:

      
      (the RVIB Palmer's propellers and rudders are protected from backing
        into ice by an ice knife above. Photo by Mike Watson,
        via)

      Here see the propellers being installed on Holland America Line’s Eurodam
      cruise ship:

      
      
      
      (images via
        1,
        2, also showing Azura's cruise ship propellers
        via)
      
      (installing propellers for Nieuw Amsterdam ship,
        via)

      These titanic propellers actually belonged to the Titanic, one of
      the most famous ships in history. It had three solid bronze propellers,
      each driven by a separate engine. The two outer propellers weighed 38 tons
      and the central one 17 tons:

      
      (image
        via)

      The Titanic was one of the finest ships of its era, but Royal Caribbean’s
      Oasis of the Seas is five times larger than the Titanic and is
      currently the largest passenger vessel ever built. Consequently, the
      luxurious ship required some pretty big propellers to help on the journey
      from the shipyard in Finland to the Oasis of the Seas’ new home in Fort
      Lauderdale, Florida:

      
      (image credit:
        Alpmac,
        via)

      Elation, from Carnival Cruise Lines, was also built in Finland and
      is currently based in San Diego, California. The ship’s propellers once
      again dwarf some of the people responsible for their construction and
      installation:

      
      (images via
        1,
        Matt Coffman)

      Here’s a propeller being worked on in dry dock in San Francisco:

      
      (image credit:
        Dave Yuhas)

      This brass propeller belongs to another cruise liner, the Norwegian Epic:

      
      (images
        via)

      Another example of the sheer size of the propellers needed to drive these
      huge cruise ships, such as the Celebrity Solstice:

      
      (image
        via)

      These are the propellers of the Queen Elizabeth 2, commonly known as the
      QE2. Operated by the Cunard line, the vessel was launched in 1969 and
      retired from service in 2008:

      
      (image
        via)

      The Queen Mary 2 succeeded the QE2 as Cunard’s flagship vessel in 2004.
      These are some of the QM2’s spare propellers, located on the ship’s
      forward deck:

      
      (image
        via)

      This is the propeller of another famous ship from history. The German
      battleship Bismark was launched in February 1939, just prior to the
      outbreak of World War Two, before being sunk by the British in May 1941
      (left image). The shipyard scene on the right shows a propeller for an oil
      tanker under construction in 1947:

      
      (images via 1,
        2)

      Much smaller perhaps, but still interesting. This is the propeller from
      the type of Japanese mini-submarine that went searching for earlier models
      of American aircraft carriers during the raid on Pearl Harbor in December
      1941:

      
      (images
        via)

      USS Fiske's starboard propeller at the Boston Naval Shipyard, 1946:

      
      (photo by US Navy
        via)

      Technology may have improved, but large ships have always needed large
      propellers. This is from the SS Great Britain, designed by Isambard
      Kingdom Brunel and the world’s largest vessel when it was launched in
      1843. The ship crossed the Atlantic in 1845 in only 14 days, a record at
      the time.

      
      (the ship's original six-bladed propeller, image
        via)

      Shipyard workers examine one of the four brass propellers belonging to the
      aircraft carrier USS George Washington. Each one of the propellers weighs
      around 66, 000 lbs and measures 22 feet across:

      
      (images via
        U.S. Navy)

      Designed for a ship under construction in South Korea, this monstrous
      looking propeller is over 30 feet across and weighs 107 tons (left). On
      the right is Crystal Symphony's propeller in drydock at Lisnave, Portugal:

      
      (images via
        1,
        2)

      One of the giant propellers from the Soviet-era container ships:

      

      Ready for the heavy-duty water action! -

      
      (close up view of the shaft driver propeller of the US Navy destroyer
        USS Winston S. Churchill,
        via)

      CONTINUE TO "THE BIGGEST SHIPS IN THE WORLD!" ->

      ALSO CHECK OUT OUR "BOATS/SHIPS" CATEGORY ->

      Avi Abrams is the creator, writer, and owner of Dark Roasted
        Blend;
      Simon Rose is the
        author of science fiction and fantasy novels for children, including
        The Alchemist's Portrait,
        The Sorcerer's Letterbox,
        The Clone Conspiracy,
        The Emerald Curse,
        The Heretic's Tomb
        and
        The Doomsday Mask
        and
        The Time Camera.




RECENT ARTICLES:

Visual Caffeine #8
Visual Caffeine, Issue 8

A thrilling blend of art, myths and technology

Visual Caffeine #7
Visual Caffeine, Issue 7

A thrilling blend of art, myths and technology

Art Deco
Imperial Dreams: Art Deco Update

Wings, Gears, & Glamorous Ladies

1970s SciFi
DRB Pics-of-the-Day

Grand Space Adventure 1970s Art



"Dark Roasted Blend" - All Kinds of Weird and Wonderful Things, Discovered Daily!"

DRB is a top-ranked and respected source for the best in art, travel and fascinating technology, with a highly eclectic presentation. Our in-depth articles in many categories make DRB a valued online magazine, bringing you quality info and entertainment every time you visit the site - About DRB

Connect with us and become part of DRB on Facebook and Twitter.



YOUR COMMENTS::

12 Comments:

Anonymous Keith said...

Neat! I live right near Waren! But the Müritz is a lake, not a river. (I know you were quoting another source so it's not your fault.)

___  
Anonymous Neil C said...

Anyone know why the majority of the propellers look like they're slightly ridged? Is it just due to manufacturing techniques, or does it improve efficiency or something? I would have thought it would lead to increased cavitation.

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

They are pretty much smooth...but the metal shows the machining marks because they aren't POLISHED away.

___  
Blogger Sherryist said...

Really Awesome post Avi! I loved reading about some of the older propellers. Thanks so much!

___  
Anonymous Jalal said...

Awful props - man really makes awesome things for comfort

___  
Anonymous Kim 'The_Pirate' said...

Avi & Simon, you refer to some props as 'steel' or 'brass'. I think you'll find that in general they all are made of bronze, as this material posesses some very desireable qualities.
I admit that the props on the Jap sub and 'Great Britain' may have been from other materials.

Neil C: The ridging is a result of the machining process. The ridges look worse than they are: when you run a hand over one of these props, the ridges can hardly be felt. They are mainly due to differences in reflection, as a function of the rotating tool head.

Anti-cavitation properties and efficiency are generally achieved by the shape and profile of the blades and hub.
However, Anti-cavitation is an area, where science and black magic to some degree overlap. I woulden't be the slightest suprised to find out that ridges or surface patterns can reduce cavitation. Think shark skin.

___  
Anonymous Dorothy Gale said...

How about the propeller of the submarine revealed by google earth,
http://www.1913intel.com/files/propeller_for_submarine.jpg
Probably leaked on purpose, since there probably aren't any propeller driven sub in the US Navy anymore anyway.

___  
Anonymous Leonard Navidad said...

Really BIG!!!!

___  
Anonymous J. Bull said...

That's really huge... I have no words for it. Unfortunately, I have never ever in my whole life travelled by a ship. So I have no idea what it would be, but as I'm seeing it should be wonderful, especially, if you have the luck to be on a such ship. Thanks for the article.

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

My grandfather rode on a ship during WW2, during bad storms, he said the propeler would come out of the water and shake the whole ship realy hard. Needless to say, it made a lot of sailors sick.

___  
Anonymous Will said...

Could anyone please suggest as to what a propeller would weigh that has 15'9" diameter with four bronze blades bolted to a steel boss, we do not know much more than that as it is presently covered in mud on sunken wreck 120' down? Cheers Will

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The propellers are NOT completely smooth despite appearing so. The ridge-effect you see is the result of polishing in a particular fashion that increases efficiency and decreases damage caused by turning through the water.

It's possible for water to damage the blades, and infact boil as the propeller spins through the water.

___  

Post a Comment

<< Home


SF ART & BOOK REVIEWS:
Don't miss: The Ultimate Guide to NEW SF&F Writers!
Fiction Reviews: Classic Cyberpunk: Extreme Fiction
Short Fiction Reviews: Lovecraft's "At the Mountains of Madness" (with pics)
New Fiction Reviews: The Surreal Office



READ OTHER RECENT ARTICLES:


Abandoned, Dieselpunk
DRB Pic-of-the-Day

Abandoned: Streamlined Three-wheeler

Visual Caffeine #6
Visual Caffeine, Issue 6

A thrilling blend of art, myths and technology

Visual Caffeine #5
Visual Caffeine, Issue 5

A thrilling blend of art, myths and technology

Hellish Weather on Other Planets

Wild, Untamed, and Uncut

Medieval Suits of Armor

Metal Body Suits vs. Weapons of Medieval Destruction

World's Strangest Theme Parks

Amusement to the (twisted) extremes!

Enchanting Victorian Fairy Tale Art

"Then world behind and home ahead..."

Adorable Pedal Cars

Collectable Pedal Vehicles Showcase


Japanese Arcades: Gundam Pods & Other Guilty Pleasures

These machines have gone up to the next level


Modernist Tallinn Architecture

Delicious blend of old and new!


Early Supercomputers: A Visual Overview

"Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons"


Futuristic Concept Cars of the 1970-80s

French, Italian & Japanese rare beauties


Epic 1970s French Space Comic Art

DRB Time-Slice: Valérian and Laureline


The Trees Are Escaping! The Abandoned Prison in French Guiana

"Great Escape" from the Devil's Island



FULL ARCHIVES
(with previews, fast loading):

2022/16
2015/14
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006

Link Lattes

Feel-Good & Biscotti Issues





CATEGORIES:
Feel-Good! | airplanes | animals | architecture | art | auto | boats | books | cool ads | famous | futurism | food
gadgets | health | japan | internet | link latte | military | music | nature | photo | russia | steampunk
sci-fi & fantasy | signs | space | technology | trains | travel | vintage | weird | abandoned