March 2011

UK's biggest crane squeezes under Forth bridges 

The UK's biggest crane has passed under the Forth bridges on its way to Fife, where it will be used to build the Navy's new aircraft carriers.

It arrived in the the Firth of Forth following a 14,000-nautical-mile sea voyage to Rosyth Dockyard. The Goliath crane left its construction site in Shanghai, China, on 17 December on the deck of a specialist crane transport vessel.

First propulsion motor fitted to aircraft carrier

BAE Systems has fitted the first propulsion motor to the stern section of the first Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier at its shipyard in Govan, Scotland. The installation of the propulsion motor was followed by the installation of the first set of diesel generators, also in the stern section. The section is one of the largest and most complex sections of the carrier and will weigh in at almost 11,500 tonnes when fully outfitted.

Each Queen Elizabeth class carrier will feature two Rolls-Royce MT30 gas turbines and four diesel generator sets giving a total installed power of 109MW. This power will be used for each ship’s domestic, operational and propulsion systems. The power and propulsion system includes stabilisers, shaft lines and two 33 tonne propellers.