The City of Sheffield has been in refit
at Fishbourne on the Isle of White since November and will not be
due back on station till late February. A refit is a major undertaking
and every Lifeboat in the fleet has one generally every 3 to 4 years.
The Lifeboat is literally stripped right down,even the paint is
taken off and every part of the lifeboat is examined thoroughly.
The paint is removed as it is essential to see behind the paintwork
the bare metal is examined and tested for fractures and stress,the
metal has to be structurally sound to withstand the high workloads
and stresses that the boat is exposed to, even the welds are examined
by x-ray for weakness !
The propellers are removed and replaced, the shafts are inspected
closely and if there is any discrepancy they will be replaced.All
shaft seals and rudder seals are replaced and all lubricates,grease
and oils like in the Keel bilges are removed and tested for any
impurities or foreign residues that should not be there.
The Detroit V692 engines are sent off for a check up and a dyno-test
this is when they check the engines for power output again if there
is any discrepancies they will be replaced.
After everything has been thoroughly examined, tested and replaced
the Lifeboat is rebuilt. The Lifeboat is shotblasted, anti fouled
and then ready for service in all it takes about 16 weeks.
Now how did that get there ? |
|
|
