Modern Ships

[Graham Payne]

Hi all,
Are modern ships still fitted with "Degausing Gear?

[j.sabourn]

Graham I can never remember seeing on new ships built after about 1960 being fitted with degaussing gear. It wasn’t the shipowner who paid to have it put on , but the MOD and think they stopped the practice about that era , whether it was costing or had found better methods of defence against magnetic mines you would have to speak to a Naval weapons officer. I know one in the village here and if remember will ask him on New Year’s Eve , so really can’t guarantee remembering . But if do will let you know if no one else has answered by then. Cheers JS

[Captain Kong]

I was on an Esso Tanker, Built in 1963
It was fitted with the Deagausing gear.
It was removed in Dry Dock in 1984. the wiring was worth a fortune then.

[Ivan Cloherty]

Graham I think degausing would be the last thing you would have to worry about in today's technological world, the Chinese are reported to have developed an anti ship missile that can be launched 100 miles away, the Russians declared only last week that they have developed an anti ship missile that can lock onto a target over 200 miles away, degausing just might be a tad academic. Silver chafe dispersal may be the answer of the day (as in aircraft), but then again the average merchant vessel may not be able to put much distance between the logged GPS co-ordinates in the missile and the vessel's position, as the missiles are said to travel at 1400 mph

[Tony Taylor]

I sailed on many ships built in the fifties and they had degaussing cables, or should I say "remnants" as most had been plundered by persons looking for a few bob from scrap merchants who were prolific in certain parts of the world.

[j.sabourn]

Brian about 1979/80 we were doing fleet exercises with mostly reserve naval crews on different small vessels off Lisbon. The largest vessel which was the Admirals command was a mine layer. Most of the warships were minehunters which I assume had their own anti protection against magnetic mines but don’t think it was like a merchant ships degaussing. However we had to lay. A cable on the seabed attached to the vessel I was on, a caravan containing electronic gear with video monitors and all the bits and pieces was placed on our after deck . inside this container were also half a dozen wrens. The minehunters had to go over the cable for so called degaussing , but more. Than likely to measure the polarity and any magnetism these vessels may of had. It was still a time then when no women were allowed on one of HM ships overnight and we had to get special permission to do so. How times have changed. I don’t know the secrets of advancement our navy have but the minehunters were special constructed vessels , they even carried a cannon on the foredeck. But hull wise think they were mostly plastic coated. JS

[j.sabourn]

#4. Also anchored one time in the channel off Falmouth there was another exercise with mines laid on the approaches to the Fal. I went ashore in the ships launch which could at times get up to a speed where the boat planed it was the boat I used for a liberty boat for the matelots rather than a lifeboat. Before I entered the river entrance I looked astern and saw all these objects popping to the surface , I had unintentiolly passed through a dummy minefield and it was just the vibration of the boat going over that brought them to the surface nothing to do with magnetism. Of course entering port limits where the speed was 4 knots and hadn’t slowed down enough started a slanging match with the harbour master . JS

[vic mcclymont]

Degaussing gear was fitted to all UK Merchant ships and paid for by the Admiralty. The shipowner paid a token fee of £100 towards the cost.
I was in the D. O. and were designing the electrical installations for two German merchant ships, PARMA and PARDUA, both to be built at Greenock Dockyard.
We were asked to about designing and costings fo installing the gear on the twoo ships.
Admiralty response, pay full costs, owners response, no.
Vic

[Bill Morrison]

My mind is a bit hazy but was the degaussing gear tested at some point when sailing down the Thames near Gravesend ?

[vic mcclymont]

Two test areas that I know of:-
Sailing into Southampton.
Another on the Clyde
Vic