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Author Topic: Rigging a sea tow  (Read 4116 times)

farrow

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Rigging a sea tow
« on: August 15, 2008, 10:32:29 pm »

Here is one for you tuggies who like seagoing tugs. This is a typical sea going towing rig being arranged for connecting in the chain goes through the towed lead and the junk spring is for taking any shock loading.
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cos918

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Re: Rigging a sea tow
« Reply #1 on: August 16, 2008, 04:30:27 pm »

hi there nice photo. Is that the stern of the Smit Rotterdam

john
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bigford

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Re: Rigging a sea tow
« Reply #2 on: August 17, 2008, 02:43:52 am »

yes it is O0
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hama

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Re: Rigging a sea tow
« Reply #3 on: August 17, 2008, 09:21:15 pm »

Thanks for that picture, will be usefull when I come to detailing my Smit London! Great!
Hama
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bigford

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Re: Rigging a sea tow
« Reply #4 on: August 18, 2008, 12:45:19 am »

Thanks for that picture, will be usefull when I come to detailing my Smit London! Great!
Hama

seeing how billings drawing stink that pic will help alot of people ;)
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ddraigmor

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Re: Rigging a sea tow
« Reply #5 on: August 18, 2008, 10:52:55 am »

A lot of tugs do not use the spring like the one in that photo, although the deep sea tugs I was on did. The usual layout was:

Main tow wire to spring. Spring to pennant. Pennant to bridle (the bridle being on the tow.)

The bridle could be chain or wire. It could be fitted with a 'Monkey's Face' - which is a triangular plate with three holes cut into two upper corners and one lower centre. The fastening for which is self explanatory.

AHTS when towing rigs used to use a wire pennant between the main tow wire and the towed vessels bridle.

I know many of you are not professional mariners but the nomenclature! The chain never goes through any leads! The chain is arranged in a V fashion off the tow and hooked / connected up to a shackle which is itself hooked up to the pennant. The shackle has a heavy pin and a fastener in the end where it comes out of the bow, which is hammeredv flat to stop it working free- it's like the big boy version of the old 'seizing' of a shackle pin to stop it falling off. In the photo, the chain is passing through the stern hydraulic pins and - from what I can make out - has one turn in to 'lock it'. You couldnn't work with it free as the weight would carry it over the stern! When the tow is all fast, the pins disappear down into recesses leaving the stern uncluttered to allow for play. It also looks like they have one end of a bridle aboard, and the man nearest the camera is leading a light line aft, so maybe they are about to pass it over and heave the other leg inboard to then shackle to the pennant (small wire bent almost 's' shape on he after deck near to the pins themselves. Once they have connected both up, they would 'stream' the tow out - possibly on a short 'nip' when leaving harbour, lengthening it when they reach the open sea.

BTW, those big springs were made (back in the old days when I was a roughie toughie tugman!) of Egyptian cotton. Good elasticity but trust me, they were bu**ers to handle when wet! Also, on trips through the Suez, one eye was always kept on the spare spring as the Egyptians would try and de-strand as much of the spring as they could if you didn't keep your eyes on them! Maybe they felt nostalgic and wanted to bring some home......? :-)

It was never referred to as a 'junk' spring! It was simply a 'spring'!

Jonty
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farrow

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Re: Rigging a sea tow
« Reply #6 on: August 19, 2008, 06:25:11 pm »

When I was in the RMAS, when we did a sea tow such as a carrier, we always put in a junk spring like the pic. we would put a chain or heavy wire depending on size of tow from the junk to the rigged towing bridle on the towed vessel. Plus rig a secondary/emergency tow which was lashed down the side of the tow with a light recovery rope and float trailing in the water aft, in event of the failure of the main tow. Then the towing wire was gradually paid out as the tug slowly put on way and built up speed, the object to keep the bight of tow wire under water at all times. Also when towing in shallow water, care must be taken not to foul under water obstructions.
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ddraigmor

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Re: Rigging a sea tow
« Reply #7 on: August 19, 2008, 10:39:39 pm »

Hi Rmasmaster,

Yes, the 'trailing tons' were always rigged as a security measure - secured to the tow with whammies and with a bouy trailing in the water for a picck up astern of the tow. Towed barges, ships (live and dead) and always rigged them - plus towing shapes and gas lights and cylinders.

The wire was always in a 'catenery' which itself acted as a spring. In shallow water such as approaching the coast or a harbour, we'd shorten tow a few miles out to keep a low circle of the wire under the water but when we were entering port, then we would 'short nip', which meant bringing it all aboard to the last pennant wire - usually taking the spring off by using a relieving wire before attaching it again. Uless we were handing over when we would use a light line to pass to the handling tugs for them to play with!

Jonty
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farrow

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Re: Rigging a sea tow
« Reply #8 on: August 25, 2008, 09:31:15 pm »

Hi ddraigmoor,
Yeah I remember one master who had a thing about paying out as much wire as possible, and as you say you have to shorten in in shallow coastal waters. Well this old soul was leaving Plymouth Sound with HMS Warspite in tow.  He did not get far before he found a rock to snag the tow and come to a halt, the duty tug had to come out to take the tow temp while he recovered and then reconnect. But saying that he did pick up the RFA Blue Rover in the Pentland Firth in Storm force Westly winds when no one else could get under her bow when her rudder dropped off in the RMAS Rollicker and they were pigs to handle in strong winds when light..
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