# Loose propeller nut strands Coast Guard icebreaker



## GAP (11 Oct 2011)

Loose propeller nut strands Coast Guard icebreaker
Article Link
Tristin Hopper  Oct 10, 2011 – 10:24 PM ET

The Coast Guard icebreaker Louis St. Laurent has freed innumerable ice-locked vessels, explored the unseen depths of the Arctic bottom and hosted prime ministers and the world’s top Arctic scientists. Recently, however, the bright red workhorse of Canada’s marine Arctic presence has been doing not much of anything. For the past two weeks, the 111-metre icebreaker has been stranded off the Nunavut coast by a loose propeller nut.

Since Sept. 27, the ship’s bobbing red form has been a familiar sight from the shores of the 1,500-person Arctic hamlet of Cambridge Bay.

The ship was stranded by a maddeningly simple malfunction: A nut on the centre propeller that was knocked out of place by no more than a few inches.

Nevertheless, with the extra demands placed on propellers in icy waters, “It is surprising that this does not happen more often,” Rob Huebert, associate director of the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary told the Iqaluit-based Nunatsiaq News.
More on link


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## Colin Parkinson (11 Oct 2011)

Likely a big growler bit nailed the prop and sheared the retaining pins. Likely trying to figure a way to hold it from further movement or rigging up a hydraulic nut turner that they can slide onto it and reitighten.


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## cupper (11 Oct 2011)

Colin P said:
			
		

> Likely a big growler bit nailed the prop and sheared the retaining pins. Likely trying to figure a way to hold it from further movement or rigging up a hydraulic nut turner that they can slide onto it and reitighten.



Does CAA provide emergency assistance that far north?


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## chrisf (11 Oct 2011)

As a former member of the Louis' electrical staff, I say this with pride.

That's a mechanical problem  :nod:


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## cupper (11 Oct 2011)

:goodpost: :rofl:


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## Pat in Halifax (12 Oct 2011)

a Sig Op said:
			
		

> As a former member of the Louis' electrical staff, I say this with pride.
> 
> That's a mechanical problem  :nod:



Okay but had it been lockwired in place, wire is wire and that makes it an electrical problem!
Any submariners from the O boat era on here?.....There was a pilgrim nut used to re-attach a propellor utilizing divers. I recall talk of it but know nothing more.


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## chrisf (12 Oct 2011)

Pat in Halifax said:
			
		

> Okay but had it been lockwired in place, wire is wire and that makes it an electrical problem!



Let me guess, you must have worked on a ship once or twice? 

All problems are assumed to be electrical until the electrical department can prove otherwise.


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## cupper (12 Oct 2011)

a Sig Op said:
			
		

> Let me guess, you must have worked on a ship once or twice?
> 
> All problems are assumed to be electrical until the electrical department can prove otherwise.



The same applies to Computers. It's either software issues or hardware issues depending upon if you are talking to a hardware tech or a software tech respectively.

When I was pushing a wrench, we always classified it as driver maintenance.


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## chrisf (12 Oct 2011)

No, it's ALWAYS an electrical problem until the electrical department can prove otherwise. 

The number of engineers on a ship always drastically out-numbers the number of electricians, thus they always loose during the blame-storming sessions.


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## Colin Parkinson (13 Oct 2011)

This is closest picture I could find of her props

http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/innovation/tdc-projects-marine-d-9103-1234.htm


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## chrisf (13 Oct 2011)

It's hard to tell in that pic, but tip to tip, those props are a little under 20'.

The hydraulics for her steering gear are a thing to behold...


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## Colin Parkinson (14 Oct 2011)

if people recall the Polar sea/star lost a blade on one joint missions up there and had to be escorted by the Louis and the Russians.

this might have been the replacement blade
http://www.flickr.com/photos/66103993@N00/94976695/in/photostream


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