Turbinia

benjenbav

benjenbav

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I have just been reading about the Turbinia, the first steam turbine ship, which was designed by Charles Parsons.

He publicised this new technology by tearing around the 1897 Naval Review off Spithead at 30 knots, which must have been something to see. Probably generated a few stiff letters on the subject of wash.

Pictures suggest Turbinia was quite a vessel: http://www.northumbria.info/Pages/turbinia.html

Sorry, don't know how to make this a live link.

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Like this

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.northumbria.info/Pages/turbinia.html> here it is</A>

I see the Adventurer on the same page is described as holding the record for the fastest circumnavigation at 74 days plus. Is this just out of date or the wrong time quoted? The current record under sail and singlehanded (which our Ellen is just about to take a crack at) is just under 73 days.

Dave

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I thought this but when I looked again I saw the canny northumbrians actually say that Aventurer "held" the record.

So how do you do that link thing?

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Find it and the rest of the tricks <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.ybw.com/faq/2.22.html>here</A> under Help - Mark-up Tags at the top of this page.

Dave

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PS - says "holds" on the page I'm looking at, but I thought it should surely have been much faster than an average of just over 15 knots.

Dave

<hr width=100% size=1><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by machurley22 on 17/11/2004 11:07 (server time).</FONT></P>
 
Thanks. Just looked again. It does say "holds" on the main page which made me think I was l losing it. Then I clicked on the photo of Adventurer where it says "held" the record.

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Re: cable and wireless adventurer

it does seem slow doesn't it? It wasn't non-stop - powerboat (rather than a ship) would invariably have to stop to refuel several times. Word is that that the crew wanted to press on and get a faster time, but the sponsors insisted that they hang around various ports for press attention etc. Or so they say. For fairly obvious reasons (mainly it's a question of dosh, so a non-stop nuclear powered ship would be quickest, really) power records don't capture the imagination as much as sail. In fact i think there is a ship which went round the world in 50 days and sortof accidentally broke the record, but not rtatified, or someting like that.

Wonder when ellen is going?

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Re: cable and wireless adventurer

I think the first nuclear submarine to circumnavigate did it in around 60 days, I think over 40 years ago now. So your 50 days seems ok as having been done.

My understanding is that the nuclear subs can exceed 40 knots and certainly manage well into the 30's so if so it would seem they could easily get around in close to 30 days if they really set their mind to doing so.

John

<hr width=100% size=1>I am the cat but I am only 6.
 
One for the pub quiz .
The SS Great Britian was the first screw propeller all steel steam ship. 1843 .IKB built, The Turbinia was the first steam turbine ship.

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Re: cable and wireless adventurer

Don't I remember a US nuke sub doing a tight 360 round the north pole and claiming to have gone round the world in 2 minutes?

That's almost like whizzing round Antarctica and saying you've gone round the world.

Suez and Panama is the only way to do it properly.

Geoff

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Re: cable and wireless adventurer

No, have a search for USS Triton's voyage in 1960.

Route was from St Peter & St Pauls Rocks on the equator in the Atlantic and around the two Capes. It did it as its shake down voyage and followed Magellen's route which meant took the long way across the Pacific as they went up to Guam and Phillipines and then back down around Cape of Good Hope rather than through the Southern Ocean - so longer than the around the world yacht race route, nearly 28,000 miles and was done in 60 and a bit days.

Lots of references to it on the internet I find once one knows it was the USS Triton (Google triton circumnavigation), just one of them is <A target="_blank" HREF=http://college.hmco.com/history/readerscomp/ships/html/sh_093300_usstriton.htm>http://college.hmco.com/history/readerscomp/ships/html/sh_093300_usstriton.htm</A>.

As modern subs are reputed to be able to do at least high 30's underwater and don't need to refuel it should be possible to do it the same well under 40 days if they set their mind to it and possibly under 30 days if they took the Southern Ocean route like the yachts do - maybe they have?

So the Adventurer is certainly not the fastest powered boat around the world and suspect their claim is for non military vessels (or maybe on surface).

John

<hr width=100% size=1>I am the cat but I am only 6.
 
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