1972 - 1984 | Engine Repairs

NOTE: Some of this is identical to what is written on Wikipedia, as both were written by the author of this website, stardust5980 (aka celesteshipping5980). 

NOTE TWO: Huge thanks to Kenneth Kennedy and Kerry Kennedy for providing Kenneth's book 'ALL AT SEA' which provides almost all of the information on this page.

Engine Repairs

- The ship was by now beginning to look more presentable from a distance, but there were still many things to be done. Once the engine room was prepared for the huge work ahead, they set about stripping the Crossley D.R.6 150bhp two-stroke diesel engine. They had all had experience with different types of engines before, but never one this old or this big. Fortunately, the ship had a workshop manual for the engine, so they spent some days studying that before getting started. The first thing they did was disconnect the engine from the propeller shaft, then proceed to strip several parts, including the flange bolts, 100 lbs cylinder heads, water and oil pipes, and pistons. The rings on the pistons were in a sorry state, but luckily Kenneth had a full set of new ones from the spare engine he had purchased from Terry.[1]

A few days later, Jack and Rusty would begin to clean the pistons as Kenneth inspected the crankshaft for worn bearings. Luckily, all seemed passable meaning re-assembly could begin. In about a week, all pistons were back in place, ready for the heads to go back on. Some of the gaskets were not in great condition, so Kenneth had some stripped from the spare engine. Eventually, they were ready to try and start her up. However, the petrol-paraffin donkey engine which provided compressed air for starting had a bad air leak due to all the pipes being corroded beyond repair. They were able to replace the pipes without issue, giving the engine a test run.

Rusty was the first to try, winding the handle, the engine kicking back, nearly breaking his thumb. Kenneth had tried afterward, with much the same result. They tried to jamb the lead onto the spark plug once Kenneth reached a good speed, and to their surprise, the procedure worked as long as they turned the handle fast enough before applying the lead, the engine firing without kicking.[1]

Jack arrived with an assortment of pipes and unions, and eventually, they were able to start pumping air into the two big steel air bottles, and all pipes and bottles had held at maximum pressure (350 PSI). Knowing this, they were able to start the main engine. Kenneth opened the main air valves, turning the control wheel to the starting position. With the hiss of escaping air the engine began to turn, clanking slightly but consistently picking up speed. It turned for about half a minute until the air was exhausted, ultimately failing to start. It took twenty minutes to recharge the bottles, but they had no better luck. After four attempts they became despondent. On the way ashore after leaving the project for the night Jack figured out the solution to the issue, and that was to heat the manifold before they turn the engine.[1]

The next day Jack brought a garden blowlamp and a can of paraffin aboard, and they lit it on deck, having it roaring by the time Kenneth returned from a trip to the engine room. Jack headed for the engine room carrying the lamp, the lamp turning into what was described as a 'flamethrower', sending a jet of burning fuel across the room and scorching the paint. Fortunately, he managed to turn the fuel off before any severe harm was done. It was soon relit and placed in the air intake without issue, leaving it there for half an hour, giving time for the whole engine to warm up.[1]

With that, the lamp was shut off, the air valves were opened, and the starting wheel was turned. The difference in the engine was audible at first, then after a few revolutions, Kenneth could feel explosions in the cylinders. He shut the throttle back to a fast idle as the rev counter climbed to 300, proceeding to dash out on deck and watch the smoke come from the exhaust, looking over the side to ensure that they had a flow of cooling water. He returned to check for leaks and oil pressure, but all seemed to be well, so they left the engine running for an hour to build up carbon on the rings.[1]

During the next week, they had her running every day and eventually were able to start her without the blowlamp as compression improved. Finally, the propeller shaft was connected and they were ready to move. Kenneth, Jack, and Rusty had been working tirelessly for three months, but the engine was very reliable from then on.[2][1]

References

1.  Kennedy, Kenneth M. (1985). All At Sea. Retrieved 2023-12-16. 

2.  Love, R. (1975). Carter, Craig J. M. (ed.). Sea Breezes, The Magazine of Ships and The Sea, Volume 49, Number 0349. JOC Publications. pp. 57–59. Retrieved 2024-02-17.