[AT] Gas turbines

Mon May 21 18:42:21 PDT 2007

Very interesting story, Bill.  Thanks for posting.

Charlie V.

>From: "Bill Bruer" <bill_bru at bellsouth.net>
>Reply-To: Antique tractor email discussion group 
><at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>Subject: Re: [AT] Gas turbines
>Date: Mon, 21 May 2007 13:10:58 -0500
>
>I don't know anything about gas turbines or their relative efficiency but I
>saw how effective they can be as ships power plants.
>
>I was a Machinist's Mate aboard the USS Wainwright DLG-28.  While some MM's
>actually work with machine tools, most are assigned to the engine rooms, as
>I was.  Wainwright was state-of-the-art for a light cruiser in the US Navy
>in the late 1960's and early 1970's.  She was 547 feet long with a beam of
>55 feet, a draft of 28 feet, and a displacement of 7930 tons.
>
>Typical of our ships, main power was 2 steam turbines running on 
>superheated
>steam  - close to 1000 degrees and at 1200 PSI - producing 45,000 HP each.
>It took us about 3 hours to get underway from a cold start under normal
>conditions, though we could get some movement in about an hour and a half 
>in
>an all-out emergency.  Most European Navies were already converting to gas
>turbines for main propulsion.  I know the British and Canadians could go
>from cold iron to full fighting power in less than 1/2 hour because I saw
>them do it.
>
>In early 1973 we were assigned to the Sixth Fleet in the western
>Mediterranean.  We were always playing games with the Russians.  One 
>evening
>I had just gone on duty in the forward engine room - "Main Control" for
>Engineering - on the 4-to-8 watch when we received engine orders to 
>increase
>speed above our usual cruising speed of about 18 knots.  The orders kept
>coming until we were running at full speed, around 30 knots.  By the time 
>we
>were relieved for evening chow at 5:30, we were at flank speed - all she
>had, full out.  That's a very dangerous condition where major problems 
>occur
>very fast with steam engines.  We didn't do it often.  The phone talkers
>from the bridge were only telling us that it was more games with the
>Russians but there was a lot of strain in their voices.  Our reliefs just
>said to go out on the fantail.  As soon as we got out of the hole I grabbed
>a sandwich & went on deck.
>
>About a hundred yards off our stern and directly in the center of our wake
>was a Russian destroyer.  Looking ahead, there was another one about the
>same distance off our bow & running directly ahead of us.    Three large
>warships running *very* close together, nose-to-tail at over 30 knots.  If
>the front Russian's engines had hiccupped we would have cut straight into
>him.  If our engines hiccupped we would have been rammed by the Russian
>behind us.  Knowing how close our engines were to that hiccup made it very
>frightening indeed.
>
>The guys that had been on deck and saw this situation develop said the
>Russians just came up over the horizon and caught up to us "suddenly".  The
>one in front of us was able to get there and maintain his position with
>enough speed to counter any move we made and even zig-zag a bit.  After I
>had been on deck about 15 minutes, the Russians decided to call it off.
>They just cranked those gas turbines up a bit more and were gone over the
>horizon in front of us in another half-hour.  We figured they had to be
>doing close to 45 knots.
>
>I loved the steam engines and I know they had a lot of strong points going
>for them.  For a warship, though, I also saw those very important benefits
>of the gas turbine: they can be almost instantly ready for full service and
>they can develop high
>speeds with strong acceleration.
>
>Bill Bruer
>Murfreesboro, TN
>bill_bru at bellsouth.net
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "CEE VILL" <cvee60 at hotmail.com>
>To: <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>Sent: Sunday, May 20, 2007 8:59 AM
>Subject: Re: [AT] Gas turbines
>
>
>I do not know anything about gas turbine engines, but the note below caught
>my eye.  A good friend sent me this link because his nephew will take
>command of this destroyer this summer.
>
>I have to wonder what the gallons per mile rating is.  I guess I am seeing
>this as 25,000 HP per engine. In a tractor, that should haul an implement
>around one mile wide, maybe ??
>
>
>http://www.williams.navy.mil/
>USS JAMES E. WILLIAMS "LEAD FROM THE FRONT"
>
>4 LM2500 Marine Gas Turbine Engines (100,000 HP)
>
>Charlie V. in WNY
>
>
>
>
> >From: Mike Sloane <mikesloane at verizon.net>
> >Reply-To: Antique tractor email discussion group
> ><at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
> >To: Antique tractor email discussion group <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
> >Subject: Re: [AT] Gas turbines in tractors
> >Date: Sat, 19 May 2007 12:28:07 -0400
> >
> >
> >
> >Here is a very detailed story about them:
> ><http://www.allpar.com/mopar/turbine.html>
> >
> >Mike
> >
> >
>
>_________________________________________________________________
>PC Magazine's 2007 editors' choice for best Web mail-award-winning Windows
>Live Hotmail.
>http://imagine-windowslive.com/hotmail/?locale=en-us&ocid=TXT_TAGHM_migration_HM_mini_pcmag_0507
>
>
>
>
>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>AT mailing list
>http://www.antique-tractor.com/mailman/listinfo/at
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>AT mailing list
>http://www.antique-tractor.com/mailman/listinfo/at

_________________________________________________________________
Like the way Microsoft Office Outlook works? You’ll love Windows Live 
Hotmail. 
http://imagine-windowslive.com/hotmail/?locale=en-us&ocid=TXT_TAGHM_migration_HM_mini_outlook_0507