Uninformed question about Iroquois Class Destroyer

[Weiner]

I was looking out my window this morning and I saw a destroyer and I was wondering what all the steam coming from the ship is from.  It looks kind of random to me, so I thought I'd post a pic and see who knows what causes this or if it's just regular exhaust. 

Special note: I've probably just opened a can of ridicule on myself because of my lack of knowledge of the Navy, but whatever, I'm just curious.

 

[Cloud Cover]

I doubt that's "steam."  Either the breakfast beans were especially ripe or the engineers were making "adjustments" to the engines.

 

[Monsoon]

I was looking out my window this morning and I saw a destroyer and I was wondering what all the steam coming from the ship is from.  It looks kind of random to me, so I thought I'd post a pic and see who knows what causes this or if it's just regular exhaust. 

Special note: I've probably just opened a can of ridicule on myself because of my lack of knowledge of the Navy, but whatever, I'm just curious.

The destroyers run on gas turbines, so they were probably trialing some engine equipment or flashing up something.  That is an unusual amount of exhaust, though.

P.S. You identified it as a destroyer - that's more than many could do.

 

[Cloud Cover]

You mean its not a battleship-aircraft cruiser-antiaircraft corvette-amphibious submarine?

 

[Slim]

You mean its not a battleship-aircraft cruiser-antiaircraft corvette-amphibious submarine?

Its a JTF2 secret operations platform dusguised as a mine sweeping-oil tanker!

Please don't be afraid of asking questions...As a new person you would have no way of knowing would you.  Just be prepared to do your own research once we've steered you in the right direction.

Slim
STAFF

 

[Weiner]

Thanks, I was going to accept Whiskey601's Bean answer, but since Slim has more posts, I'll accept that it is the JTF2 idea and I won't mention it again because it is probably classified. 

I did the search through the Navy site to find that it was a destroyer (I initially thought it was the Harbour Hopper), I tried to be really good and figure out which one it was, but I missed the identification number (or whatever the name of the number is called) and it wasn't big enough in the pic.

 

[BOSNwife]

It's HMCS Iroquois (280). I live in Shearwater. It has been in & out all week. You are correct about the thick blue smoke comming from the IRO. My hubby has recently been posted off that ship so I called my girlfriend to tell her her hubby was probably coming home early as I seen the thick blue smoke too. I don't think the refit worked very well. We'll see if she will go on her trip next week.

 

[Monsoon]

It's HMCS Iroquois (280). I live in Shearwater. It has been in & out all week. You are correct about the thick blue smoke comming from the IRO. My hubby has recently been posted off that ship so I called my girlfriend to tell her her hubby was probably coming home early as I seen the thick blue smoke too. I don't think the refit worked very well. We'll see if she will go on her trip next week.

Ah, that makes sense.  She must be getting ready for full power trials, so they're running up the turbines with the clutch disengaged - normally the exhaust would be dissipated by the wind.

 

[mover1]

Didn't the Protecteur belch out blue smoke in Jan/ Feb when it was in refit. seems the Irving Shipyards are not doing too good a job as of late.

 

[Inch]

Didn't the Protecteur belch out blue smoke in Jan/ Feb when it was in refit. seems the Irving Shipyards are not doing too good a job as of late.

Actually, the CPF's make quite the bellow of smoke when the gas turbines are lit as well.

 

[Good2Golf]

I understand that the combiner box on the COGAGs power set on the Tribals is a pretty complicated piece, but I didn't think one would flash up the LM2500's and "run them" with the c-box disengaged...wouldn't you overspeed the power turbine section without any physical load applied to the mains?

Just wonderin'

Cheers,
Duey

 

[Navalsnpr]

All ships with gas engines will expel a plume of smoke when they start up their engines, just like starting a car up, normally you will see some smoke come from the exhaust. Obviously the engine on a war ship is a heck of a lot larger thus the larger "plume" of smoke.

 

[Good2Golf]

Actually, the CPF's make quite the bellow of smoke when the gas turbines are lit as well.

Inch, is that because they're running on fuel oil vice JP4?

 

[Inch]

Inch, is that because they're running on fuel oil vice JP4?

Not sure, we use JP-5 in the helo while embarked but they use something else.

I don't know enough about the GT's to give you an accurate answer, but whenever we're turning and burning on the flight deck, they advise us when starting a GT since you get a fair amount of smoke and fumes from it starting and they don't want us thinking it's the helo that's got a problem.

 

[Monsoon]

I understand that the combiner box on the COGAGs power set on the Tribals is a pretty complicated piece, but I didn't think one would flash up the LM2500's and "run them" with the c-box disengaged...wouldn't you overspeed the power turbine section without any physical load applied to the mains?

I don't know much about it, to be honest.  I would assume that there would be a way to run the turbine without making the ship go anywhere, but I could be wrong.  But you're right that the LM2500s are insanely complex - my company makes the control systems for them.

 

[Neill McKay]

I don't know much about it, to be honest.   I would assume that there would be a way to run the turbine without making the ship go anywhere, but I could be wrong.  

Perhaps they're able to set the propellor pitch to produce no thrust (at a point just between ahead and astern)?

 

[NavyShooter]

Not 100% sure on 280's, but they do run on Gas Turbines, and they do make a pretty good cloud of smoke, similar to what's in your picture when they flash up the engines.  Additionally, they have a Gas Turbine Generator (the SOLAR) on the port side, but I don't think this is to do with that.

Looks normal to me, the weather condition can change the amount of visible smoke too, if there's low wind, it won't dissipate so much, and will tend to cloud around a bit.

NS

 

[daniel h.]

I don't know much about it, to be honest.   I would assume that there would be a way to run the turbine without making the ship go anywhere, but I could be wrong.   But you're right that the LM2500s are insanely complex - my company makes the control systems for them.

Question: were the Canadian Navy LM2500's made in the U.S., a Canadian branch plant or Europe? I ask this because IIIRC General Electric is now allowing them to be made in Italy I think.

2: Isn't Rolls Royce coming out with something even better than the LM2500?

 

[NavyShooter]

I would think it extremely unlikely that the CF would even consider switching from the LM2500...despite potentially better engines being available.

Reasons:

1.  Cost.  Where to we get money to replace engines that already work??

2.  Training.  We would need to re-train an entire trade of people (Stokers) on how to fix a new engine.

3.  Parts.  We already have an inventory of parts and replacements onhand, what do we do with them?

4.  Contracts.  Ongoing maintenance and repair contracts would have to be cancelled (a la EH-101) or re-negotiated.

5.  Tooling.  The two FMF's are capable of doing some repairs with the tooling they have now....do we want to buy them all new tools?  (GT Tools are EXPENSIVE.)

With the above 4 items going against replacement, I'd say that the only way we'll see new engines for the CPF's would be when we get a new class of ship.

Also, you CAN run up the GT's without them being connected to the gearbox, in the same way as you can run your car in Neutral.  (Or at least similar...note, I'm an NET, not a Stoker.)

NS

 

[daniel h.]

I would think it extremely unlikely that the CF would even consider switching from the LM2500...despite potentially better engines being available.

Reasons:

1.   Cost.   Where to we get money to replace engines that already work??

2.   Training.   We would need to re-train an entire trade of people (Stokers) on how to fix a new engine.

3.   Parts.   We already have an inventory of parts and replacements onhand, what do we do with them?

4.   Contracts.   Ongoing maintenance and repair contracts would have to be cancelled (a la EH-101) or re-negotiated.

5.   Tooling.   The two FMF's are capable of doing some repairs with the tooling they have now....do we want to buy them all new tools?   (GT Tools are EXPENSIVE.)

With the above 4 items going against replacement, I'd say that the only way we'll see new engines for the CPF's would be when we get a new class of ship.

Also, you CAN run up the GT's without them being connected to the gearbox, in the same way as you can run your car in Neutral.   (Or at least similar...note, I'm an NET, not a Stoker.)

NS

If this was a response to my post, please don't misunderstand what I meant...I realize that having a "better" engine might not make much of a difference one way or the other for the CPFs mission.