Originally Posted by Dartskipper (Post 39148)

Today's Western Morning News has a front page article abouta brand new piece of maritime technology that is pioneering an autonomous voyage from Plymouth, UK to Cape Cod USA.;



The voyage may take up to three weeks. The vessel is an aluminium trimaran, powered it appears by photovoltaic cells driving an electric motor, and is 15 metres in length. It was manufactured in Gdansk and shipped in four sections to Plymouth where it was assembled. No British yard could take on the job apparently. It will be monitored remotely for the entire voyage. Its progress can be monitored through;

https://mas400.com/dashboard

The article doesn't mention who is supposed to swim after it if it breaks down.

My concern is sending a small unmanned vessel into the North Atlantic, to possibly become a floating hazard, seems a tad irresponsible.

Any thoughts?

Originally Posted by Varley (Post 39150)

Support mid-ocean?

A kind Kongsberg technician, possible engineer, gave me an introduction to the IAS system fitted to a steam LNG vessel I was visiting in Daewoo. It is the sort of wonderful stuff in which I would have reveled had I been sailing on her. But as someone who must provide such staff and answer their requests for assistance I was far from sanguine. In addition there is the lifetime question. With kit that is single failure prone (admittedly in each of its redundant identities) the only solution at year ten (arguable, but around then) to the kit running into the end of the bathtub curve is to replace it all. The silicon is no0tm the issue it is the marrying of the new 'platform' (you don't expect it to still be Windows 10 or whatever do you?). Basically it may mean the re-engineering of the complete monitoring and control integrated controls. Taking my ten years to heart Mr. K agreed saying that in ten years the kit would no0t only be expensive to support but 'fabulously' expensive. He went on to mention Autronica (as I told him I had had a KM2 operating well into this century). "Kongsberg own and still produce the later KM series - for those clients that are difficult for our technicians to access".

I would have imagined everywhere that was not liner run would provide them with such a difficulty. It certainly proved so with one Datachief we had.

I am quite impressed with the connectivity achieved but isn't she rathe a long way off course?

Originally Posted by Tim Gibbs (Post 39158)

40 years ago Mr K used to charge NK 1000 just to say good morning :(

Originally Posted by Tim Gibbs (Post 39149)

Less hazardous than a floating container?

Originally Posted by Varley (Post 39145)

Dave, your remind me!

A class of LPG/Ethylene semi refs. One in dock and being surveyed it was revealed that the standby set would not start on MSB blackout unless the ESB was live. Much leafing of inadequate documentation led to the fact that the auxy engines LO priming pumps were fed from the ESB and that standby starting was not allowed unless the LO pressure was at some prerequisite level.

One of our chiefs would have been able to provide you with another 'as found' generator replacement (not Yanmar). He had the consummate luxury of four machines but was unwise enough to tell my leader, when we were visiting, that he had been told that the fourth was available for 'spares'. He was sent packing along with his favourite footwear, bedroom slippers.