[Stephen J. Card]

SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY was floated out of the building hall at Meyerwerf on Sunday.

Take a look on You Tube for: SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY

Excellent footage, the float out, the funnel positioned and the signal mast as well. Boats tests and even a try out thrusters and propellers… no rudders!

Anyhow, I guess some photos will start come too.

My only disappointing point, the steel of the hull must be the thinnest steel I have seen. You can see every frame. If you bought a car and saw the bodywork the same you would laugh at the makers.

Stephen

 

[Stephen J. Card]

One quick photo taken from the Meyerwerf. Not mine.

 

[Stephen J. Card]

Four months ago the port of registry was painted on the hull as Valetta. That has changed. She is registered at LONDON. I guess she will be the largest passenger vessel registered at London.

58,000 GRT. 999 passengers. All outside. Maiden voyage start 14 July departing Dover.

Stephen

 

[John Melbourne]

Spirit of Discovery

We shall see for ourselves in a couple of months, but I am rather concerned that there is no traditional mast on her. If I am correct the radar mast is now a radar jack placed on the bow of the ship.
Have the rules been changed such that having no radar coverage for about 140 degrees abaft the beam is now acceptable?
Another question is what is the range of new radars? Does height above sea not matter anymore?
John

 

[James_C]

We shall see for ourselves in a couple of months, but I am rather concerned that there is no traditional mast on her. If I am correct the radar mast is now a radar jack placed on the bow of the ship.
Have the rules been changed such that having no radar coverage for about 140 degrees abaft the beam is now acceptable?
Another question is what is the range of new radars? Does height above sea not matter anymore?
John

The radar on the bow/stern are docking radars for use in river passages and confined waters as they make for much superior target detection of small craft and definition due to being lower down, they're always X band radars and very common on ferries, freight ro-ro and cruise ships.
Her primary seagoing radars are on the signal mast atop the accommodation.

 

[John Melbourne]

Spirit of Discovery

Thanks Jim,
I was too hasty.
The opening scene of the Youtube floatout clearly showed the radar mast mounted on the bow. It looked pretty much like the full scale one I saw on the coaster transitting the Kiel Canal from Poland where it was built.
The Meyerwerft photo Stephen had in his post shows the mast in the normal position. I have just had a look at the Meyerweft Webcam III from Hall 5 shows it in position. The bow mounting must have been a temporary one. Strange place to hold it.
I have see small bow radars as you point out, so maybe the cabling is there for one at a later date.
Thanks again
John

 

[WhiteCliffs-1948]

To me it doesn't matter who, or where they are built, i still don't find them the least bit attractive and are just giant boxes.

 

[Stephen J. Card]

The mast was built in Poland! Transported by small coaster and taken to the yard.

The building is not high enough to fit a completed vessel so... while inside the shed the mast was set up on the bow. Likewise the funnel, too high to fit from inside the shed. When ready for trials the ship is taken out from the shed and the funnel is lifted on board. Likewise, the mast was lifted from the bow and moved to the uppermost deck.

Here is a broadside view and shows the mast in the final position.

Ugly box boat? Well, it has been many years since we have seen a 'beauty'. The accountants rule and I suspect the designers wouldn't dare to say, "No!". This new ship? Definitely a box, but one of the better one and at least not jammed with 6,000 'sheep'.

Some years back I spoke to Stephen Payne, Senior Designer of Queen Mary 2/ "How much would it cost to build a good looking ship and with a small bit of sheer etc?" The answer, "About 30% more." Never went any further with the discussion.

Stephen

 

[Stephen J. Card]

Re River Radar. The ship will have a 'bow radar'. What you see in the photo is a small stump of the bow flagstaff. Necessary for the anchor ball, bell and house flag. Nothing else. That whole foredeck is bare and just a large 'H' for the helicopter winch area.

This is the painting I made of the ship. Started over a year ago. I had the plans to go with. Close enough but there were a lot of things that I was not aware. Boat davits etc and not what the final plans show. The funnel design was changed a couple of times. The thing I did was not aware was the blue tinted glass along the Lido Deck. Likewise I assumed the balconies will have some tinted glass, I just have a pale grey tint. Now I see it is just clear glass. Too late to change now! I just hope ship looks as she does when she arrives in Dover early July.

Stephen

 

[Varley]

If she is not, Stephen, I suggest one of you makes a guarantee claim!

 

[John Melbourne]

Many thanks Stephen.
Yes, a little confusing from watching the floatout. Large funnell and the samller satcom domes waiting outside the shed, but the mast stored on the foredeck inside. No big deal. Just not immediately clear on a quick scan.
John

 

[fred henderson]

Apart from pleasing the old timers on this site, the only purpose of hull sheer is to provide extra buoyancy at the bow and the stern. Modern hull shapes, especially with a bulbous bow and a duck-tail stern make sheer redundant. Modern cruise ships have large numbers of standardised cabins that can be constructed ashore in ideal conditions to reduce the man hours involved. The joiners fitting out the old liners had to work on board, spending a great deal of time, taking account of the sheer and deck camber in each individual cabin.

It took 46 months from keel laying to maiden voyage for the QE2. The QM2 is twice the size, but first steel cutting to maiden voyage only took 24 months. Modern cruise ships are built for ease and speed of construction, which greatly reduces the cost.

 

[Stephen J. Card]

If she is not, Stephen, I suggest one of you makes a guarantee claim!

A chap in Folkestone will be doing some of the photography... including the aerial photos... by drone. He will try to get a shot with the lighthouse etc.


Stephen