L’Astrolabe

In 2005 Glasgow Engineering were busy supplying labour to Southern Marine Ship Lift, approximately 8 dockings were undertaken that year. One of the more interesting dockings was that of the L’Astrolabe the French Antarctic supply and research vessel. The icebreaker  L’ Astrolabes duties included taking personnel and supplies to the research station Dumont D’Urville in Antarctica. During one of these trips the vessel had broken one of the controllable pitch propeller shafts or CPP shafts inside the propeller shaft. This job required both variable pitch propellers and shafts to be removed and new ends welded on to the CPP shafts. The CPP shaft slides backwards and forward inside the propeller shaft to alter the pitch of the propeller. This is used to slow down and speed up the vessel it is also used to take the vessel astern or ahead. Due to the impact of ice one shaft had broken and the other was badly cracked, all the work was undertaken by Glasgow Engineering personnel working alongside a representative from Rolls Royce.