Britain's new £3BN warship 'ground to
a halt off the Isle of Wight because the
propeller shaft wasn't GREASED properly':
Defence chief blasts 'embarrassing' gaffe
which could see HMS Prince of Wales' landmark
US mission CANCELLED while it undergoes repairs
Daily Mail (UK),
by
Jack Wright
Original Article
Posted By: Ribicon,
8/30/2022 10:17:00 PM
The UK's new £3billion warship may have ground to a half off the Isle of Wight because the propeller shaft wasn't greased properly—in a humiliating incident that could 'embarrass' Britain on the world stage and even force a 'landmark mission' to the US to be cancelled.
The HMS Prince of Wales broke down on Saturday—less than hours after setting sail to undertake training exercises with the US Navy and Marine Corps and the Royal Canadian Navy.(Snip)A senior defence source told The Telegraph that any 'significant damage to the starboard shaft' would prove a 'major problem to fix'.
Reply 1 - Posted by:
Omen55 8/30/2022 10:31:02 PM (No. 1263819)
You have to pay attention to the little things.
11 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
Vesicant 8/30/2022 10:34:52 PM (No. 1263821)
This being a modern Navy, the propellor shaft probably had an identity crisis and went transgender.
10 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
DVC 8/30/2022 10:35:01 PM (No. 1263822)
Shaft alley crew isn't glamorous, but putting your screwups there can still 'down' the boat. Scheduled maintenance is crucial.
It's Britain's pride but it's a dinky ship compared to a real carrier.
9 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
slipstik 8/30/2022 10:40:21 PM (No. 1263827)
Darn thing looks like it was designed by a committee. They couldn't agree on where to put the island so they put two of them on. Still using ramps. it's just a tin can.
9 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
PChristopher 8/30/2022 11:11:31 PM (No. 1263852)
It's a foreshadowing of Prince Charles' reign.
9 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
Timber Queen 8/30/2022 11:47:28 PM (No. 1263879)
Admiral Horatio Nelson was unable for comment.
6 people like this.
This reminds me when the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise ran aground in San Francisco Bay for six long hours back in the
80's. I don't recall what happened to the Captain in command because it was so long ago. I did hear he was never promoted again and may have lost his command. Somebody's head will also be on a stick over this lack of grease on the propeller shaft incident.
7 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
DVC 8/31/2022 12:56:26 AM (No. 1263897)
Re #7. In the USN, all carrier captains are naval aviators, so typically have zero ship handling experience. So, prospective carrier captains get "selected for a deep draft command" prior to getting their carrier command, which is a much lower profile USN ship like an oiler or ammunition ship which needs as much water depth as a carrier (practice) but won't 1) damage one of the 10-12 carriers or 2) draw so much media attention if this newbie ship driver runs it aground.
And, the standard procedure if you do manage to run ANY USN carrier aground is that the captain's next command (starting next week) is a US naval air station. That doesn't sound too bad, does it? Well, you can't run a naval air station aground, since it is always "aground" and all those people on the air station, all those pilots, and fighter squadrons, etc.....do NOT report to the air station commander, they report to the Air Wing Commander, who also does not report to the air station commander, but to a separate chain of command from the base itself.
About the only people who the air station commander actually commands are the grounds crews, the waste treatment plant, the housing maintenance crews and the Navy Exchange folks, plus the gate guards. And then in a couple of years, Captain Aground is retired, well after the media spotlight has moved on.
6 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
Zeek Wolfe 8/31/2022 1:53:13 AM (No. 1263915)
The only Russian carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov, has it's own personal tug boat during deployments for when it breaks down. The prop shaft on the Prince of Wales was not properly lubricated. The Elizabeth is running okay. Both ships share one fault...they are incredibly ugly with two 'islands.' The British can build nuclear submarines but their carriers are oil powered. How silly is that?
6 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
smokincol 8/31/2022 3:02:41 AM (No. 1263934)
"Brilliant"
2 people like this.
#7 - Astoundingly, that CO went on to eventually become a 4-star admiral and the Pacific Fleet Commander. As for the ship, the main bearings are babitted and pretty well-protected against loss of lubriation so lack of "grease" is unlikely. Also, divers inspecting the shaft would seem to disprove that claim, as the bearings external to the hull are water-lubricated. FWIW, UK Defence Journal is reporting that the shaft may have been damaged due to striking an underwater object.
7 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
5 handicap 8/31/2022 5:55:29 AM (No. 1263956)
"Hail Britannia".... what a**holes!
1 person likes this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
MDConservative 8/31/2022 11:04:10 AM (No. 1264259)
The HMS Prince of Wales had a spiffy paint job though.
1 person likes this.
Reply 14 - Posted by:
bighambone 8/31/2022 12:23:52 PM (No. 1264395)
Chances of a main shaft not being properly lubricated and nobody noticing until after the vessel was underway is slim as there is not just one person responsible for lubricating that shaft, but a whole division of engineering and mechanical oriented ratings and officers who maintain such important machinery. Chances are much more likely that there was an internal fault within the bearing assembly, or the vessel ran over something like a rogue shipping container that had been dropped into the sea during a storm that was just buoyant enough to float unseen at surface level that damaged a propellor or shaft. In the end the true story will come out.
1 person likes this.
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Comments:
The Proud crew of the USNS Harvey Milk could get that shaft greased in a jiffy.