High and Dry in Sydney, Part 2

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We don’t often update and reissue a blog, but we felt that the journey that the Golden Shadow has undergone in dry dock is really cool.  Since we last put out this blog, the Golden Shadow has finished its repairs and been refloated.  To see the new things that have happened, check out the new extended photo gallery with captions that describe the finishing of the dry dock process.

Our Global Reef Expedition is one of the largest coral reef studies ever undertaken. Throughout the entire mission all our research is supported by the research vessel M/Y Golden Shadow. Now at 20 years old, Golden Shadow is required to undergo a series of inspections, surveys and thorough maintenance to ensure that the ship and machinery are in good condition. This detailed survey requires the vessel to be out of the water for just over a month.

Why is Golden Shadow Dry Docked?

And so that is why Shadow, as she is affectionately known, is in the Captain Cook Graving Dock in Sydney Australia, near the iconic Sydney Opera House and Harbor Bridge. There are only a few places in Australia that have the specialized facilities for a ship to be taken out of the water and dry docked. http://www.gardenisland.info/1-02-010.html

Over the coming weeks, the painting of the hull will be completed, the shafts and propellers will be fitted and the ship will be floated once more. The engines will be rebuilt and then the ship will be taken out for a day to conduct sea trials to ensure everything still works. Take a look at the photo gallery and captions to see exactly what is going on.

20th January. The water has been emptied and an initial inspection of the hull is being completed. The ship sits on concrete & wooden supports, evenly distributed along the bottom to spread the weight.
One of the two rudders and propellers.
The process of high pressure washing over 1000m2 of steelwork begins. This process removes the algae & barnacles, but not the existing paint.
Before and after cleaning of the hull.
Shadow is seen from astern. Thickness measurements of the hull need to be taken at various locations above and below the waterline to ensure that the steelwork has not deteriorated. As ships age, steel plates can begin to rust, significantly reducing the strength of the hull. All ballast tanks, fuel tanks & general service tanks; rarely opened for detailed visual inspections, have to be surveyed to ensure structural integrity. A dirty job, but critical and essential. Many a ship over the years has fallen victim to corrosion, cracks and damage, so strict regulations are now in place to ensure vessels are well maintained and repaired if necessary. Luckily Shadow is in excellent condition, passing the shell survey with flying colors.
Inside the engine room, one of the German technicians wipes the sweat from his brow after lifting one of the 9 pistons from the port main engine. All of these will be taken ashore for overhaul.
The pistons appear to be in good condition. Both of the Shadows main engines are being stripped down for a major overhaul. The two main engines and two of the three generators are all being extensively worked on over the next 4weeks.
Heavy? Not for the Germans.
The process of preparing the hull for painting is well underway.
Primer has been applied, and the topcoat and antifouling will start to be applied this week.
The paint will be applied with the use of rollers by a team using the mobile cherry pickers.
The dock gate stands around 45 feet in height.
Shadow in the dock basin.
One of the ships propellers after cleaning and polishing.
A special coating will be applied to prevent marine growth. This makes them more efficient, saving fuel.
Early in the morning a final dock bottom inspection is completed. The valves are then opened and the water begins to flood into the dock basin.
The floating process in carried out in stages. At each stage, inspections inside the vessel are completed to ensure all of the hull valves are holding and that there are no leaks. Once the Chief Engineer has reported everything is satisfactory, they continue to flood the basin until Shadow floats. Mooring ropes attached to the dock sides keeps the vessel in position. The whole process takes about 3hrs before the water is at the same level as the water in Sydney harbor.
3 hours after the valves were open to flood the basin, the Shadow is tied up alongside. This view shows the middle dock gate where an Australian naval vessel is undergoing repairs.
The dock gate, called a Caisson, is removed with the use of tugs. The Caisson is emptied of water so that it can float.
Tugs tow the Caisson away and the dock is now open to Sydney harbor.
Captain Cook drydock is now empty and being prepared for another vessel.

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