Submarine shaping up
Shelley Lipke, Staff writer
While the module is attached, shipwright Mike Cruickshanks (right) helps direct the workers aligning the part.
Photo by Shelley Lipke, Lookout
Last week, ship repair workers made a huge advancement in resurrecting HMCS Victoria after its five-year refit.
Two bow shutter modules that make up the nose of the submarine were carefully lowered into place, fitting together like a jigsaw puzzle.
It took boiler makers, welders, sandblasters and weapons technicians five years to sculpt, shape and craft the modules.
"The work was not without its challenges," said underwater weapons mechanical submarine engineer, Joe Chaney, who has worked on this project since the beginning. "We had to ensure the dimensions of components were correct and the shutter doors would operate as intended, so we had to make some changes along the way."
Bow shutter modules limit flow noise when the submarine transits submerged. They form one continuous bulbous profile to the submarine's nose area, and are also the exit point for torpedoes shot from the boat.
These modules needed to be re-designed to fix some minor abnormalities in their operation and strengthen the bow shutters, says Chaney.
A team comprised of Fleet Maintenance Facility's production and engineering shops worked with weapons contractors to develop a new design.
At the heart of the project was boiler maker Steve Johansen who did the majority of the work. Johansen reverted to old fashioned forming techniques, and worked out the geometrics using the tools of his trade.
"He was instrumental in getting this done," said Chaney. "Any time he had problems he often had a solution worked out in his head before he told me there was even a problem. I came to rely on his expertise and recommendations, which were sound through the entire process."
Tweaking their placement is next; aligning them to ensure the firing line is straight for torpedoes.
"The boiler shop and weapons department will spend about three weeks connecting the hydraulic and electrical infrastructure," adds Chaney. "The alignment process will ensure true straight torpedo firing lines, and a final torque and fastening of the modules to the sub will complete this portion."
Sound dampening tiles need to be affixed, at which point the project of the bow shutter modules will be finished.
Work will continue on the submarine in coming months, and with high tides mid summer, the submarine will exit drydock for at-sea tests and trials.
