Thread: HMAS Canberra damaged in sea trials

The F35b is an impressive aircraft, if it all works. I have been told the heat on the flight deck given out when landing is tremendous, so much so that there is a time limit on landings. Bob


F-35B Short Takeoff/Vertical Landing Variant · Lockheed Martin


F-35 - YouTube

I get REALLY annoyed with crappy news articles like this.
Was it really botched?
Was it part of the test scheme?

I do a fair bit of work with modifications to helicopters and some of the systems that we install we hae to test to see if there is interference with other systems. Its part of the planned testing. If there is interference and we capture it at the test phase it is a succsess! we can then deal with it.

Much better to find this problem during testing and acceptance phase rather then when it is handed over and operational.

Articlies like this is why I rarely watch any news any more, its all rubbish by idiots in front of a camera with make up on

Hay Ewe

Originally Posted by bob10

First I've heard of this, Bob

• by: By Ian McPhedran national defence writer
• From: News Corp Australia
• June 04, 2014 11:30PM

Damaged ... the largest ship ever built for the Royal Australian Navy, Landing Helicopter Dock Canberra, passes through Sydney Heads for the first time. Source: Supplied



A CIVILIAN contract crew made two serious errors during sea trials for the navy’s biggest ever ship, damaging its hull and melting down electrical systems.

The first of two $1.5 billion 27,000-tonne Landing Helicopter Docks (LHDs), to be known as HMAS Canberra, suffered excessive vibration in May during her first “shakedown cruise” between Melbourne and Sydney.
The fault was traced to the brand-new vessel’s two German-built Siemens propulsion pods — or azimuth thrusters — which were out of alignment.
Each thruster, fitted at the stern of the ship, has two propellers mounted on large electric powered pods that can be rotated to any angle, eliminating the need for a rudder. And just like the wheels of a car, poor pod alignment causes vibration.
A crew from Teekay Shipping Corporation was hired by prime contractor BAE Systems and was apparently unaware that the pods must be operated in tandem above eight knots.
They ran them independently in low-speed mode at high speed, causing serious vibration throughout the ship.



Serious errors ... workers at BAE Systems, Williamstown Dockyards fitting out the first of the Navy's Amphibious Assault Ships, HMAS Canberra. Source: News Limited




“Once the pods were back in the correct mode the vibration ceased,” a project source said.
“It was an operator error and the return journey was much smoother.”
The vibration was generated by cavitation and the bounce produced at the stern rolled across the ship with decks trembling and panels vibrating.
“It was like the shaking floor in an amusement park house of fun,” a source said.
Damage was minimal, but vibration caused paint to be stripped from the ship’s hull directly above the pods.



Trial goes wrong ... on the largest ship ever built for the Royal Australian Navy, Landing Helicopter Dock Canberra. Source: Supplied




The crew’s woes continued when Canberra returned to Port Phillip Bay and was forced to drop anchor for four hours after losing steerage following an electrical power failure.
Unfortunately the operators forgot to disconnect the emergency power and when the main power kicked back in the circuit breakers melted.
“There were no major design errors during the trials and both issues were operator errors,” the source said.
“The trial didn’t go as well as hoped, but it was better than expected.”
In addition to the serious errors, excessive corrosion was detected in propeller nuts and a small crack was discovered in the hull of the ship that was caused during its long journey on a barge from the builder in Spain.



The largest ship ... ever built for the Royal Australian Navy, Landing Helicopter Dock Canberra, entered Sydney Harbour for the first time during the contractor sea trials and testing program. Source: Supplied




The Canberra will be back at sea in July for the next round of trials before she is handed to the Navy later this year.
News of the botched sea trials comes as the government announced it would insert an “experienced shipbuilding management team” into taxpayer-owned shipbuilder ASC in Adelaide to fix the troubled $8.5 billion Air Warfare Destroyer program.
Defence Minister David Johnston and Finance Minister Mathias Cormann said the team would target productivity and production schedules in a bid to get the controversial three-ship alliance project back on track.

Originally Posted by Epic pooh

These new electric propulsion ships are a bit of trouble for old sailors not used to the electrickery and computers and reading the manual ... some may recall the "small expense" fixing Choules transformers shortly after purchase ... a bit like Defender drivers getting into new Disco's ... I'd think

This was definitely the 'defender ' of the warship world. They had character, along with their crews, Bob

Originally Posted by Hay Ewe

I get REALLY annoyed with crappy news articles like this.
Was it really botched?
Was it part of the test scheme?

I do a fair bit of work with modifications to helicopters and some of the systems that we install we hae to test to see if there is interference with other systems. Its part of the planned testing. If there is interference and we capture it at the test phase it is a succsess! we can then deal with it.

Much better to find this problem during testing and acceptance phase rather then when it is handed over and operational.

Articlies like this is why I rarely watch any news any more, its all rubbish by idiots in front of a camera with make up on

Hay Ewe

I think you will find it was caused by the trials team not understanding the limits of the propulsion system, in the first case, and in the second, if you were not involved with the ship, you can not say whether it was finger trouble, or a design fault. Either way, that's what trials are for, but an expensive lesson. Could have been worse. Bob

They sure don't make them like that any more Bob

F-35B does appear to have some flight deck (and frankly Tarmac from what I've read) heat issues that need addressing. Certainly won't be as versatile as the harrier in terms of austere field operations. I'm sure the key users will address this with another expensive work around - the LHD has been designed with F-35B in mind (as that is what the Spanish will operate) so it will be interesting to see which direction we take (intention is likely to be announced in the next defence white paper).

Originally Posted by bob10

The F35b is an impressive aircraft, if it all works. I have been told the heat on the flight deck given out when landing is tremendous, so much so that there is a time limit on landings. Bob


F-35B Short Takeoff/Vertical Landing Variant · Lockheed Martin


F-35 - YouTube

It's a piece of crap Bob,trouble is it is made to do ten different rolls with the same airframe so instead of doing one thing excellent it does ten things ordinary,we should have bought Eurofighters,they work and totally outclass the super hornets we got as a stop gap.Nothing but a big waste of tax payers money. Pat

This report is illuminating, Bob


June 2014 Breaking News REUTERS F35 fighter jet to make first transAtlantic flight July - YouTube

While we do have an option on the VSTOL F35 the official reason for the ski jump is so allied nations aircraft can operate with us and use our facilities I haven't given up hope yet but 3 sqns of the VSTOL version is probably more expensive than the 75 we have ordered for the RAAF