Comments by "calvingreene90" (@calvingreene90) on "The Drydock - Episode 150" video.

If the Oklahoma had been rebuilt she probably would have gotten turbines to replace reciprocating engines in the rebuild because it would have freed up space and weight for other purposes.
3
@detritus23 Why would it take several years to aline a geared turbine to the propeller shaft?
1
@detritus23 Given the deep refit required replacing the boilers is a given whether the engines were replaced or not. Turbines don't require higher pressure than triple expansion reciprocating engines. Why would the turbines be more powerful than the existing shafts could take. If they chose to add power why would it take so much time to design the replacements when you would be using off the shelf components? Have you seen prewar and post resurrection photos of the salvaged battleships?
1
@detritus23 Think about all the ships being built during WWII. Fletcher class destroyers had a lot more power then the Oklahoma. Finding a source for two turbines that were already in production would not have been a problem finding small enough ones might have been but... The Clemson class destroyer's engines were just a bit more powerful than the Oklahoma's. Do you think that the Navy might of had spare turbines for the Clemson class destroyer. 0r failing that been willing to sacrifice one to give turbines to the Oklahoma. If you are going for more power than the existing shafts can handle you could take shafts in production for another ship that are close to the correct length and modify to suit. Using the bearings and seals. I once used the rear axle of a F-100 truck to take the power through the hull of a boat with an inboard straight 6. It worked for years till the engine threw a rod and the boat burned to the waterline and then sank when the rescue boat flooded it. It does not take a degreed engineer or architect to solve every problem.
1
@detritus23 Look at the power output of a Fletcher's engines compared to the Oklahoma's. Yes the North Carolina had a big problem with vibrations from its hull form and screws. She also had 121,000 shp horse power spread over four shafts a Fletcher class had 60,000 shp spread over two shafts. Nevada had 26,500 shp and for some reason Oklahoma is listed as 24,800 ihp. A single turbine off a Fletcher could power both of Oklahoma's screws. Your sense of scale is more than a little off. Given that the treatment for North Carolina's vibration problem was changing the number of blades on the screws to two different numbers I am willing to bet that it would not be catastrophic problem if it occurred.
1
@gregorywright4918 It would not be more than one the Oklahoma only had two shafts. And how about losing one Clemson class destroyer for the rebuilt Oklahoma? Although in hindsight the individual effort that went into resurrecting the sunk battleships could have been better spent except for possibly the civilian morale effect of returning them to service.
1