Day 20: The Engine Room
By Olivia Belshaw
Today we were lucky enough to be given a tour of the Engine and Winch rooms on RV Investigator, led by Chief Engineer Sam Bensen. The extensive equipment and technology utilised to run the ship is quite impressive!
Left: Sam shows us the steering mechanism for the ship.
Top right: One of the massive winches used to deploy scientific equipment to the bottom of the sea.
Bottom right: One of the drive shafts that transfers power from the ship’s engines to the propellers.
Top: An overview of the engine room from the observation area.
Bottom left: Educator on Board Jamie Menzies points out one of the many emergency stop buttons in the electronics room. Don’t touch it Jamie!
Bottom right: The computer displays used to monitor all activity in the engine room and associated areas.
Top: A close-up side view of one of the engines.
Bottom left: A look down into one of the drop keel shafts. Sea water is clearly visible. Scientists can attach a variety of equipment and sensors to these keels, including a camera. When they are deployed, the drop keels go down an additional 3 – 4m below the ship’s hull.
Bottom right: The display panel on the side of the engine, showing pressure, available fuel etc.