Thread: The end of cruise ships, as we know them?

Originally Posted by DiscoMick

I know this is a really dumb question I already regret asking, but if the submarine AC is recirculating the same air over and over, doesn't the air eventually go stale, or whatever the technical term is?

There were air monitoring trials on Ovens, in 1995. They didn't call them sewer pipes for nothing. Just on the side, Ovens was only the second conventional submarine in the World to successfully launch a sub-surface Harpoon missile , and the only Oberon. [ scroll down to ' CONTENTS ' 'Introduction', to find out about the air purification methods on Oberons.]


(PDF) Air monitoring trials on HMAS Ovens

Originally Posted by 4bee

Now you have got all the good oil for the next Sub job you tackle, Paul.


Sort of digressing a tad, I used to do service for SA Farmers Union (an old SA Company) on their Cheese rooms, Small goods & Butter Rooms at their factories but in the factory here in Woodside they used Ammonia stuff. Every 3 months I did a Maint Trip. Gone for a week, mainly in the SE of SA Trip only on the Frigidaire plant. Ammonia wasn't my bag anyway. In between trips I went to their Depots & factories in the mid-north of SA.


I wish I had a digital Camera on these trips around their depots & Factories in SA but they arrived years later.


Woodside Factory had a couple of Ammonia jobs that were linked to Stationary Steam engines & Comps that ran, what appeared to be Sisal Rope "Belts" probably 2" Dia. They were separated from each other from what I can recall by 5 or 6 60-70ft long belts which actually sagged into a concrete pit, aprox 1 metre deep to give them the sagging tension. The flywheels were probably 8-10' diameters. From memory & it was probably 50 years ago, there was also standby electric Motors but I never saw those operating just the steam...……..

An old retired mate of mine used to be a shift engineer at an abattoir that had the same sort of steam driven ammonia setup converted to electric, and when the power tripped the local electricity supply mob would ring them to make sure they had the motor started, otherwise if they reset the other stuff 1st it would all trip out again on motor start-up. They actually had "refrigeration drivers" that would go around adjusting the ammonia valves to keep the temp's.

Originally Posted by RANDLOVER

They actually had "refrigeration drivers" that would go around adjusting the ammonia valves to keep the temp's.

That was pretty normal in those days,sometimes they were called plant operators.

The good old days where labour was cheap.

Heard of the Plague of Justinian, 541-542AD.? Cruise ships of a different type spreading disease.

Fleas to flu to coronavirus: how 'death ships' spread disease through the ages

Originally Posted by scarry

That was pretty normal in those days,sometimes they were called plant operators.

The good old days where labour was cheap.

And automation expensive and unreliable.

The Ruby Princess enquiry, a litany of failures, but no real smoking gun, yet. [ I don't think]



Ruby Princess inquiry lifts lid on 'reprehensible shortcomings' and the people who 'forgot' to relay crucial information

Originally Posted by bob10

The Ruby Princess enquiry, a litany of failures, but no real smoking gun, yet. [ I don't think]



Ruby Princess inquiry lifts lid on 'reprehensible shortcomings' and the people who 'forgot' to relay crucial information

In years to come this era may, unfortunately, be labelled by historians as 'The Days of Retribution' because, that is what these inquiries predominantly turn out to be.
Hang, draw and quarter three or four, mid to high range people who are involved and society will believe that something has been achieved.

A case in point was the Queensland Health debacle a few years ago where a couple of Health Dept. employees where treated pretty pitifully. Nuff said!

The old NT Brewery had carbon ring ( no oil )ammonia coldroom compressors and so regularly required new rings.

I can still recall the involuntary "pahhh" when you opened the crankcase and the remaining ammonia hit you.