DOOR COUNTRY ADVOCATE
Section 1 - Page 9
Tuesday, November 15,1966

New icebreaking concepts
built into Cutter Sundew

 New engineering concepts to aid in ice-breaking have been installed here on the Coast Guard Cutter Sundew. The work was done at Sturgeon Bay Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co.
 The Charlevoix-based cutter left the Dry Dock yard Monday.
 She was chosen for the experimental program because her 1800 horsepower is the highest in her class of cutter.
 Two new systems have been installed on the ship. One is a vibrator in the forward hold that will shake the skin of the vessel at 9000 cycles per second. The motion is expected to break friction between the hull and ice. The vibrator consists of a 7 1/2 h.p. motor with eccentric weights.
 The other system consists of four rows of half piping, 60 ft. along each side of the ship. One row is above the water and three under. Distance between first and last is about 4ft.
 Each pipe will squirt out water through small holes. The top pipe will shoot water out at
high pressure to clear away snow and slush that drag on the ship. The other three under water will be low pressure with the water pro-viding a lubricant between the hull and the ice. Total gallonage pumped will be 2,200 a minute. The water will be draw from the lake.
 According to Lt. Jon Uithol, executive officer, the hope is that the ship will be able to make more sustained running in ice, with less backing and ramming required.
 "We expect a dramatic improvement in performance," Uithol said.
 
 The Coast Guard engineer, who designed the systems will be aboard the Sundew for test runs this winter. In the same ice conditions speed of the ship for given engine output will be measured with both systems off, with each on individually and with both working.
 If the system is as successful as anticipated it will be incorporated into any new Coast Guard ice breaking vessels.


Charlevoix Courier, Wednesday, November 23, 1966 Page7
Sundew Becomes
Ice-Breaking Lab

 CHARLEVOIX - The Coast Guard cutter Sundew has been turned into a virtual floating laboratory for research into the science of ice-breaking. The cutter returned to Charlevoix last week after five weeks at Sturgeon Bay, Wisc., where she was outfitted with the latest in ice breaking equipment, including:
 - A vibrator in the ship's forward hold. Two eccentric weights on opposite sides of a motor produce vibrations at the rate of 900 cycles per second, shaking the entire hull of the ship. Engineers hope the shaking will help free the ship when she becomes stuck in ice.
 - A pumping system has been installed
through which water is pumped at the rate of 4,800 gallons per minute. The water not only lubricates the hull, reducing friction, but also removes snow on the ice near the hull, which hampers ice-breaking operations.

 The effectiveness of the two experimental systems will be measured by instruments to determine the possibility of incorporation in other ice breakers.
 The work was done by the Sturgeon Bay ship and Drydock Co.
 The Sundew this week started removing buoys from northern Lake Michigan as the shipping season draws to a close.

Icebreaking Duties Start
Sundew Sails To Escanaba
 CHARLEVOIX - The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter, Sundew, departed from here at 10 p.m. Monday on its first icebreaking duties of the season, the earliest date the ship has been ordered out for icebreaking duties in the six years that Charlevoix has been its home port.
 The ship has been ordered to the harbor at Escanaba to escort three oil tankers to the docks there during the next few days, according to the ships' skipper, Cmdr. Paul T. Anderson, who said the first tanker, Amaco Wisconsin, carrying a full load of fuel products, was scheduled to arrive at the port. Another is scheduled Dec. 24. The date of arrival of the third was unknown when the Sundew left here.
 Cmdr. Anderson said he had been informed there was 10 inches of ice in the harbor at Escanaba. The Sundew has been ordered to break ice for arriving and departing tankers. He said, he planned to keep the ship operating as much as possible to keep the ice broken, thus making the job easier when the tankers were to be escorted in or out of the harbor there.
 The assignment may keep about 35 members of the crew from their homes here on Christmas Day. Ten crew members had already or were scheduled to leave Wednesday or Thursday on Christmas leave and were left behind when the ship sailed Monday night.
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