Ventura

[Keith Tindell]

Interesting report from Southampton, the cruise ship by P&O ventura has developed a 60 mm crack on one of the decks, and stretching across the whole deck, the deck was described as aluminim. Is that normal for ships deck these days?, i suppose to save weight, regards KT

[Tony Morcom]

That should do wonders for the cruise trade this winter!

[John Arton]

Kieth
Aluminium and its alloys are used extensively on cruise ships above the freeboard deck, to reduce the top weight. Just think what all those decks above the freeboard deck would weigh if constructed in steel. Would make for a very top heavy ship that would most likely be unstable without the need to go searching for a rock to rip her hull open below the waterline.
rgds
JA

[Keith Tindell]

Hi John,
I can see the weight problem, but then you introduce another problem, like HMS Sheffield, if its involved in a fire it will go like the clappers. I have little knowledge of ship design, but hope some thought has been put to this. There was not a lot of thought went into that problem with HMS Sheffield, and that was for the same reason, ie weight. I presume that most of the upper decks would be of aluminium in that case. Regards KT

[John Arton]

Kieth
A lot of the aluminium they use these days is called sandwich plate, which as it names infers is like a sandwich with two plates of aluminium (or steel) being the bread and a fire retardent foam filling the gap between them (the jam in the sandwich). You can get very strong plates this way. In a way they are similar to the honeycomb wall boards you see them using in modern houses these days.
rgds
JA

[Captain Kong]

The VENTURA building was Started as the new Queen Victoria then it was changed to Ventura,
I guess Cunard may have known something.
Brian.

[happy daze john in oz]

Interesting report from Southampton, the cruise ship by P&O ventura has developed a 60 mm crack on one of the decks, and stretching across the whole deck, the deck was described as aluminim. Is that normal for ships deck these days?, i suppose to save weight, regards KT

Keith, many of the modern day cruise ships have an ammount of aliminium in them. But normaly it is an ali alloy and only on the upper decks sections, used to reduce weight and risk of corrosion.

[Chris Allman]

I hate to predict this but one day soon, one of these vessels ( cant bring myself to use the name ship ) will come to a sticky end as a result of bad weather. Bad weather I might add that any ship in our day half their size, would have shrugged off. I think that they are inherently unstable and weak and a really persistent Force 10 to 11 would certainly see them struggle badly to survive. I hope it never happens but I fear for them, I really do.

[vic mcclymont]

Interesting debat on the use of ali. The QE2 superstructure was made of ali., and should sail through anything the sea could throe at her.

[Russ Kennedy]

The use of aluminium for the ships superstructure is not that new. Most of the cargo ships I sailed on in the sixties used aluminium for the accommodation. Biggest problem in those days was electrolysis reaction between the aluminium, the steel decks and the angle iron holding the accommodation to the deck. Insulation between the two didn't really work. As soon a the salt got under the paint, bingo, the corrosion/electrolysis started and it was a full time job to keep it under control. I guess the modern day paint/protection does a better job than it did in our day!