Completely off topic but I was wondering - Do Royal Navy ships have keys? I have this idea that when you get given command of a vessel you go to the admiralty and the head honcho hands you over a set of keys for HMS xxx and tells you to look after the boat as it costs £xxxmillion. If the ships don't have keys does this mean anyone could nick it?

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They aren't allowed to tell you....................................
I think with a crew numbering into the hundreds onboard somebody might just notice if you tried to drive off with it and it wouldn't say much for a) dockyard security and b) Shipboard security

On Merchant Navy ships some do have a key for each engine, but it operates a safety interlock rather than starting the engine. Most ship's engines are started with compressed air rather than an electric system so no air = no go! The only keys that I have are for the safe, my cabin and the master key for all the locks onboard. There are some well documented recent incidents with ships being stolen at sea in the Gulf of Aden.......... when you have only 16 people onboard it can be difficult keeping the ship secure. 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
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So if there's no key, how does a ship get from "off" to "on"? Is there just a number of buttons to press?  

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wouldn't the engines be always on, providing the electric power

and its a question of neutral, forward & reverse

an after thought prior to posting:

would it not be a question of fuel rods in or out of the reactor nowadays (on bigger ships)

if they do have keys

1) do they have a floating thing on them to stop them from sinking if dropped overboard
2) do they have a Freepost If found tag on them
3) maybe its just kept in the captains pocket and they have keyless start and entry

I guess i'm as busy as VA today

OK here is the procedure that I have to go through to start my ship's engine!
1) 24 hours before sailing start heating the fuel.......................... takes 12 hours to heat the boiler to heat the fuel if starting after a long shutdown - usually only after lay up or drydocking, not during normal service unless we have a boilersurvey.
2)When fuel is 60C then start to circulate it through the fuel system (there is trace heating around the fuel pipes because if the oil goes cold it doesn't flow). Normally in a port stay the the fuel is recirculated and kept hot continuously so that isn't a problem.
3) Within 12 hours of sailing the engine is blown over on compressed air in both directions (ahead and astern) to check the control systems are working
4)1 hour before sailing Chief Engineer to control room and opens up compressed air systems, checks fuel tanks full enough, removes turning gear (this is an electric motor that turns the shaft about 1 turn every 15-20 minutes so that the shaft doesn't bend - it is 1.5m dia solid stainless steel shaft but has 110tonnes of prop on the end which would make it bend if it sat in one position all the time we were in port!)
5) 6 minutes before sailing I ask the chief engineer to give me control of the engine and also to give me enough electrical power to start the bow thruster (4000hp hydraulically operated prop in a tube in the bow for manuovring in port) all the lights go out for 30secs when he does this!
6) when I have control I don't really! It's all done by computers, all I do is move the telegraph backwards and forward in the direction and to how much power I need from the engine. Minimum RPM are 18 below which the engine will stall, maximum for manouvring is 64RPM and when I want to go into the cruise then I can work up to 94RPM (27knots) but to get from 64 to 94 takes 90 minutes depending on the loading of the ship and the sea continidtions
7)If I need to go from ahead to astern then the engine on my ship is a bit unusal in that there is no cam to make the engine reverse (no gearbox as it is a reversible engine!). It takes 4secs to stop the engine on compressed air and then make it fire astern, most engines take about 20 secs which in an emergency can lead to brown trousers moments!
8)During a normal port stay the engine is inhibited but the block and fuel is kept heated and the prop is turned by the afore mentioned electric gear, the engine doesn't run continuously as this is not efficient, we have 4 HUGE generators to provide electricity - I have enough power generating capacity to provide electricty to a city the size of Birmingham.................................. mainly because we can carry 800 refrigerated containers with self contained reefer units and have to have the power to start them all at the same time with out blacking out.
The only keys on the bridge of my ship are the "deaman alarm" system that ensures the watchkeeper doesn't fall asleep on watch! I have to take the key out to start it. It's just a fancy alarm clock with a 11minute alarm cycle. I also have a key to the wheelhouse doors which are locked in port! 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
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Last edited by Tim in Scotland on Thu Sep 03 2009 2:35pm. Edited 2 times in total

Why does this conjur up one image?

Will have to look and see if I have any pics of the wheelhouse...................................... the engine room is too big to get into one picture (60m high from floor to the top of the funnel, 43m wide and 55m long) The engine we have weighs in at a mere 2300tonnes and was lifted into place in the building yard in one piece.................... 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
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Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

shmoogle wrote:

"The engines cannae tek it!!"

Translated that would be

The engines canny tak it!! Good attempt though.....  Current, M135i in Estoril Blue with more extras than the cast of Ben Hur.

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But you drive a big delivery ship Tim - I'm asking about the Royal Navy! There must be a set of keys otherwise anyone could sail off in the ship as long as you take out the crew first! 2005 Zambezi TDV6 - Gone but not forgotten
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Does your central heating boiler have a key to start it? Why should a ship or a plane for that matter? 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

Thanks for the write up on the procedures Tim, very interesting

Tim in Scotland wrote:

..........Will have to look and see if I have any pics of the wheelhouse...................................... the engine room is too big to get into one picture (60m high from floor to the top of the funnel, 43m wide and 55m long)..............

Would love to see those pics, if you can find them

Tim in Scotland wrote:

Does your central heating boiler have a key to start it? Why should a ship or a plane for that matter?

No but my boiler isn't worth £xxx million and it doesn't move. Your car has a key! 2005 Zambezi TDV6 - Gone but not forgotten
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Yes that is true but BIG engines don't need keys to start them - as I said earlier prime mover type engines are more usually satrted on compressed air because there isn't a big enough battery to turn the engine over. I ahve sailed on ships where there was a key to operate the safety interlock but it didn't "start" the engine it allowed the engine to be started on compressed air. 2010 RRS doesn't need a key to start it, it only needs an electronic chip in a card in your wallet or pocket to unlock it and then you press a button to start it!

BTW I read in What Car? yesterday the BMW has a weird system for the X6............................... you need a key to unlock it but not to start it, there is no remote entry on the X6M! 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW