Markey supplies equipment to RV ‘Sally Ride’

 1209markeyf
1209markeyf
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Markey Machinery has supplied a deck machinery package to the 'Sally Ride', a research vessel owned by the United States Navy's Office of Naval Research.

Named after the first American woman launched into space aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger, the 'Sally Ride' has been classed as an Auxiliary General Oceanographic Research Vessel by the US Navy and was commissioned at Washington-based shipyard Dakota Creek Industries in early August.

Markey Machinery outfitted the vessel with two electric hydrographic winches, an electric anchor windlass, and a trawl/tow traction winch system, all of which are based on Markey's own in-house design. When put into operation, personnel from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography will operate the vessel's deck machinery during extended scientific missions.

Because mission briefs will frequently include the study and exploration of often-hostile ocean environments, the vessel required low-maintenance deck machinery designs typified by rugged durability, said Markey.

The vessel's hydrographic winches are from Markey's new high performance CAST-6-125 series with active heave compensation controls. These deep-sea research winches utilise a proven motor-powered level winding capability whilst the rotating elements minimise rotating mass, maximise winch responsiveness, and reduce stress on cables and equipment.

The 'Sally Ride's' trawl/tow traction winch system, meanwhile, is the all-electric Markey DETW- 9/11-48. Supporting coring, trawling, towing, dredging, ROV, and other scientific operations, the system also integrates a Markey-developed electric traction winch and two Markey-developed electric storage reels.

The 'Sally Ride' is scheduled to sail loaded with 12,000 metres of torque-resistant wire and 10,000 metres of either electrical-mechanical cable or fibre optic cable. Each traction wheel is powered via a single 55kW electric motor, for 111kW of total performance, and the storage reels are powered by a 22kW electric motor. The entire system is rated to pull over 12 tonnes at 62.5 metres per minute, with a light line pull of 7.5 tonnes at nine metres per minute.

Finally, the 'Sally Ride' uses a WES-23-series two-wildcat electric anchor windlass. Designed for bolt-down installation, each wildcat on the WES-23 unit is fitted with a band-type brake, a jaw-type disconnect clutch, and two warping heads at each end of the horizontal main shaft. The ABS-certified WES-23 is driven by a 22kW NEMA-D marine motor and is fitted with an electric-release automatic disc brake.

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