No crossing of wires here!

Brad Riddoch, Marine Electrician

Ashley Evans 
FMF CB

—

Two members of Fleet Maintenance Facility Cape Breton Electrical Shop have logged more than 260 hours connecting and re-wiring hundreds of wires for HMCS Victoria’s motor generator starter panel.

Marine Electricians Brad Riddoch and colleague Thomas Webb began the project in February with a targeted completion date of May.

It began with a highly complicated drawing from engineering, detailing hundreds upon hundreds of lines that connected different areas of the panels.

“Reading the drawing was daunting if you look at it as a whole. We broke down each component and focused on one wire at a time. With there being so many wires, inspections are difficult, so we have to be very diligent while working,” said Riddoch.

Their work starts with soldering wires, which begins with adding a little flux to the terminal to improve the connection and prevent oxidation. From there, they “tin” the wire and the terminal, which means adding solder to each component. Following this, they put the two components together and heat them up with a soldering iron, creating a solid joint.

Once the Electrical shop complete their work, the chemical cleaners, sandblasters, and painters will step in to ensure the panel cabinet looks new.

Riddoch says the most challenging parts of this project is sourcing materials and ensuring every wire is correct, noting that he and Webb remove each wire and replace it with a new one prior to proceeding to the next one.

“The most rewarding part of this project is definitely seeing all of the new wires flowing very nicely throughout the cabinet,” said Riddoch.

The final installation of the panel back into HMCS Victoria will be completed by the Electrical and Boiler Shops, Mechanical Fitters, Riggers, and Sheet Metal.