Modern Machinery Beneath the Sails
Gotheborg III, one of the worlds largestfully rigged sailing ships, spent two weeks in Londonlast month as it neared the end of a 615 day voyage retracing the trade routesbetween Europe and the Far East in the 17th,18th and 19th centuries.
An exact sea going replica of ‘Gotheborg 1’, one of the original East Indiamen, Gotheborg III left its namesake city on 2 October 2005 and was due to return there on the 9
th
of this month.
Gotheborg III was built using traditional materials and techniques, taking over ten years from keel laying to sea trials. Although built along traditional lines, it is crammed full of modern equipment such as engines and computers, some of which has been supplied by one of its major sponsors SKF.
The vessel has two main engines which are useful in ports and narrow fairways and could also be called upon in case of an emergency. SKF bearings are used in the propellers as well as fans and pumps on board the vessel. SKF seals are also used in the fans. An SKF Machine Analyst platform encompasses a family of software applications for managing and analysing machinery vibration and condition data, which can be relayed elsewhere by satellite communications. SKF MA also supports continuous online condition monitoring, whilst there is an SKF Vogel lubrication system in the engine room.
Away from the engine room, Gotheborg III operates with satellite navigation, radar and digital charts although in keeping with earlier traditions, a watch is kept at all times.
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