Five of the best of 2022
The most popular Marine Professional newsletter reads this year feature flawed launches, the digital sextant, submarine surveillance, bow design, and Britain’s last great engine designs.
1 When launches go wrong
The Principessa Jolanda capsizing after her disastrous launch (Credit: Stabilimento Rotocal Cografico Civicchioni-Chiavari)
Our top read of 2022 explores vessel launches which are highly complex and challenging operations that can go dangerously wrong. The article shares the story of HMS Formidable also known as the ship that launched herself. And we learn of IK Brunel’s Great Eastern that refused to launch and Principessa Jolanda, that was launched but capsized within the hour. And finally HMS Repulse – where complications arose when the launch time was delayed and she ended up on a mudbank.
Read the full article here.
2 The return of celestial navigation…?
Digital Sextant (Credit: Lee Young SND)
An article that questions whether the digitalisation of the most successful maritime navigational tool of all time, the humble sextant, is a promising solution to increasing GPS interference. Hungarian ex-naval officer Istvan Kopar believes it is and maritime industry advisor Nigel Cleave concurs, saying “there will be traditionalists who insist on using legacy sextants, but our industry needs to progress.”
Read the full article published in late October here.
3 Tracking submarines
US Navy personnel prepare a CARINA unmanned undersea glider for launch (Credit: US Navy photo)
April's On the Radar article on robotic technology making anti-submarine surveillance stealthier, cheaper, and a lot more effective also outlines recent US and Chinese investment. Readers are informed of spending on air-launched underwater acoustic sensors, anti-submarine dipping sonars deployed from helicopters, undersea gliders and long-endurance undersea drones. In a year when submarine activity has been under significant scrutiny, this piece has continued to have relevance since it was published.
Read the full article here.
4 Bows at the forefront of ship design
Bow of a freight vessel (Shutterstock)
A fantastic article that covers the history of bow design. It was published in 2021 and in the past two months has rocketed into the top five most popular articles.
Read the full article here.
5 Britain’s last major engine designs
The RFA tanker Blue Rover which was one of three vessels initially powered by Ruston AO engines (Ships and the sea)
An end-of-an-era tale of the Ruston AO and the Doxford Seahorse. The article outlines the attempts by two British companies to launch designs in the 1960s which, it was hoped, would revive Britain’s future in the sector. Sadly, this was not to be.
Read the full article here.
If you’ve enjoyed these articles, you might wish to read the other original articles commissioned by Marine Professional online in 2022 here.