The Ship Model Forum

Hi all ,

on some ships , you had both sets , high suctions which were used in muddy harbours & low suctions while at sea .

Those sea chests were grated , with two valves with a filter in between , you sometimes could have a main suction line which ran from port to starboard , with a sea chest on each side of the ship . This allowed the crew to clean a clogged filter while the other one remained in use .

Regards ,

Laurent

Howdy
I don't have any pictures and my experience is with merchant ships built mostly in the 60s and 70s. That said, I saw most often an open sided box set into the hull with a pipe leading from it to the condenser and a grate, flush with the hull plating, covering the box's opening. I also looked at the plans on the french site "http://www.servicehistorique.sga.defense.gouv.fr/02fonds-collections/banquedocuments/planbato/planbato/listebato/listebato.php" for the Lafayette ( ex-US cvl). They are labeled with purpose and size. They indicate, at least to me, that most of the openings were thru the bottom, not the sides.
Hope this helps.
Shaun

chuck wrote:Does anyone have any photos of a WWII era ship's condenser intake and other underwater valves? Most plastic and resin models don't bother with such details on a ship's underwater hull as condenser intakes, ballast flood valve opening, magazine flood valve opening, counterflood valve opening, etc. I want to add them back.

I have pictures of Essex condenser inlets/outlets and sea chests somewhere. Let me look for them.

Chuck
From my experiance they just a hole the main condersor would be say 12-24-36" for a WW DD the idea being to get as much water in as possiable as fast as posiable . For over board dischagre a smaller hole say 6" I done recall seeing any grates but don't know what the USN policy was/is
Graham Murdoch

Does anyone have any photos of a WWII era ship's condenser intake and other underwater valves? Most plastic and resin models don't bother with such details on a ship's underwater hull as condenser intakes, ballast flood valve opening, magazine flood valve opening, counterflood valve opening, etc. I want to add them back.