Abstract
THE electrical generators of the Queen Mary have a total capacity of about 10,000 kilowatts. There are in addition two 75 kilowatt generating sets driven by Parsons oil engines, which can be used for emergencies. Messrs. Samuel Taylor and Sons, Ltd., of Brierly Hill, Stalls, are supplying all the launching gear for the lifeboats. It includes twenty-four sets of gravity davits and winches. These davits run down inclined trackways carrying the boat with them until they finally reach their outboard position, when the boat is lowered from the davit head into the sea; the whole operation is done without stop-ping, the motive power being gravity. The cradle holding the boat is made in two portions, the carriage and the arm. The two portions run down the track bodily, after which the arm swings out of the carriage until the boat attains the outboard position and the lowering begins. There is no jerk anywhere, the motion being continuous. The movement of the davit is controlled by an electric winch mounted on a deck house. The winches are fitted with patent speed-sustaining brakes which limit the lowering speed of the lifeboats to one foot per second. For raising the lifeboats, after they have been lowered for any reason, such as lifeboat drill, the electric motors are used. Limit switches are provided which check the movement when the davits reach their inboard position and the interlocks mae it impossible for the operator to make a mistake.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Electrical Launching Gear for Lifeboats on the Queen Mary. Nature 134, 565 (1934). https://doi.org/10.1038/134565b0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/134565b0