# E/R explosion



## tugtere (Dec 6, 2007)

Some where I read an account of an engine-room explosion on (I think) a "Cape" ship at anchor off St. Helena Island . An air start line had been used for some reason other than what it was meant for then refitted to the engine with traces of oil still in it. I think I have that right. Can any one out there help me please. regards Ray.


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## Satanic Mechanic (Feb 23, 2009)

Can't comment on that particular case but excess oil in the air start line can cause a fire and explosion if there is a leaking air start valve. There are a number of precautions against this, firstly flame screens before each air start valve to dissipate any blow past , tell tales in the air start header to warn of any leaks - the header itself is not pressurised when it is not being used to start the engine - you have an auto drain plus the start block valve between the header and the reservoirs.

I would never ever say 'never' but I would imagine it would have to some pretty unusual cir***stances to go borrowing air start line for another use


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## Philthechill (May 8, 2007)

*Capetown Castle.*

Tugtere. The accident you are referring to may well have been the one occurred on Union-Castle's Capetown Castle on 17/10/60 on arrival Las Palmas.

If you go to www.marinediesels.co.uk you'll be able to read full details there. Salaams, Phil(Hippy)


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## Satanic Mechanic (Feb 23, 2009)

Philthechill said:


> Tugtere. The accident you are referring to may well have been the one occurred on Union-Castle's Capetown Castle on 17/10/60 on arrival Las Palmas.
> 
> If you go to www.marinediesls.co.uk you'll be able to read full details there. Salaams, Phil(Hippy)


www.marinediesels.co.uk

Link spelt wrong, Soz Phil - not being a smartass(Hippy)

Ah of course, that is one of the 'Industry Standard' disaster stories, I never put two and two together there. Very nasty one indeed.


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## tugtere (Dec 6, 2007)

Thanks Phil, that was the one. I was only a few miles out and there was a cape in the name. regards ray(Hippy)


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## Sarky Cut (Oct 11, 2007)

There was an airstart explosion on the British Security 1972.

The cause was hydrualic oil leaking back through the bridge control system, Nifematic/Eriksberg.

The air start pressure was utilised to maintain the pressure in the pressure damper on the oil side.

The system had been shut down for some time in port but the oil pressure pump had been left running, a faulty "O" ring in the piston oil/air interface allowed oil to leak into the high pressure side of the air start piping.

The result was a bang that shook the ship and punched a hole in the main air start line.

Fortunatly the automatic check v/v prevented the blast reaching the air bottles, this was a good thing othewise it would have been goodnight Vienna for the engine room crew.

I personally suffered a follow through and painful knees as the deck lifted.

The ship was towed back to drydock and the air start system piping replaced after being repaired.

Apart from several cables being cut by flying shrapnel every flourescent tube within fifty feet was reduced to dust.

ie four foot tubes were powder in the diffusers.

The engine was a B&W poppet valve unit.

The hydraulic unit was brought into the check list and was always stopped before the air was shut down and started after the air was applied to the system.

As an aside, it is a small world but the crew member killed in the "Cape" explosion was a skilled labourer on the same team when I worked in Pompey Dockyard.

He decided on a change of career as many young men did in those days of full employment.


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## Philthechill (May 8, 2007)

*Never mind the engine-room details-------what about your-----?*



Sarky Cut said:


> There was an airstart explosion on the British Security 1972.
> 
> The cause was hydrualic oil leaking back through the bridge control system, Nifematic/Eriksberg.
> 
> ...


 It's all very interesting stuff, Sarky cut, this discussion about the causes of the air-start explosion on the "British Security" but you've omitted to tell us about the state of your "shreddies" after you'd suffered your "follow-through"! Did you have to abandon them as being "Beyond Economic Repair" or did immersion in a bucket of soogee for several days/weeks/months restore them to their original pristine (?) condition? WE MUST BE TOLD!!!!! Salaams, Phil(Hippy)


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## Satanic Mechanic (Feb 23, 2009)

Philthechill said:


> It's all very interesting stuff, Sarky cut, this discussion about the causes of the air-start explosion on the "British Security" but you've omitted to tell us about the state of your "shreddies" after you'd suffered your "follow-through"! Did you have to abandon them as being "Beyond Economic Repair" or did immersion in a bucket of soogee for several days/weeks/months restore them to their original pristine (?) condition? WE MUST BE TOLD!!!!! Salaams, Phil(Hippy)


They were still there in 1990 marked 'Used but Good'


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## ccurtis1 (Aug 16, 2007)

Satanic Mechanic said:


> They were still there in 1990 marked 'Used but Good'


Now there is a term I had almost forgotten about and it drove me up the wall. No details of why it had been removed. No detail of any overaul. 
The "used but good" consignment was committed to the deep.


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## Sarky Cut (Oct 11, 2007)

Just seen this slant, mine also were consigned to the deep, there now you canall go to sleep with out worrying about my "shreddies".

I was always impressed by the used but good label as well, just dumped them when the correct spares arrived and were stored and labeled and entered onto the PM schedule.

As a reward for being such heroes the company sent us on the Lagos /Okrica run for four months.(A)


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## Dickyboy (May 18, 2009)

Sarky Cut said:


> There was an airstart explosion on the British Security 1972.
> 
> The cause was hydrualic oil leaking back through the bridge control system, Nifematic/Eriksberg.
> 
> ...


I was on the Br Security at the time. I was up on the foct'sle on stations when it happened. All we heard was a big "BANG!" Looked aft and the NUC balls went up in seconds. Hitched the tugs up again, and back up the canal under tow, and had a couple of weeks there as I recall. I seem to remember quite a bit of mess, cables and so on being cut, but it could have been a lot worse. No one was hurt, but as mentioned later, the shreddies reached the Fost'le a full minute before the owner. (Jester)


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## Chillytoes (Dec 9, 2006)

In line with the first post, I recall one of my college teachers telling about an explosion in an air-start line. 
A fuel injector test pump was used to clear a severely blocked gauge fitting, successfully, but no-one thought to clean the manifold of the not inconsiderable amount of fuel that went in. The result was an explosion on the subsequent engine start, but I don't recall what injuries there were, or the ship or the date.


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