MADONNA - 17.5

You are looking into the port shaft log with a small circle of light reflecting the
machined section nearest the outer end of the tube where the aftermost bearing will
go, held in place by bolts. These are hard rubber, "cutlass" bearings in which
the shaft spins, lubricated and cooled by lake water.  

Detroit Harbor, Washington Island -

I received several more photos in the early evening from Rich Ellefson.  One is  of the port shaft log, bored and ready for the fit of the stern bearing, to be inserted from aft, then bolted in place.   A second, similar bearing, will be inserted into the stern tube from within the engine room, with a packing gland (also referred to as a "stuffing box") just forward of the bearing, to control water from entering the engine room.

The propeller shafts are six inches in diameter and made of a stainless alloy under the trade name Aquamet-17.   Slightly less than 27 feet in length, these propeller shafts will be supported at the outer end, taking the full weight of the propeller, and then also at about the 20-foot mark where it enters the engine room.  The remaining seven feet or so will be visible to the eye, and by means of a coupling be mated to the rear end of the Twin Disc transmission.   The thick-walled pipe, or stern tube, was shaved to fit the outer diameter of the stern bearing at each end of the tube, and the reflection of that cut can be seen in the after end of the tube in the above photo.  It is critical that the boring, and then the bearings, follow a straight line, directing the center of the shaft to the center of the output end of the transmission, else vibration or whip may occur.

Once the two bearings are in place, shafts can be inserted, propellors added as work schedule dictates (perhaps later on), and the rudders might also be installed.

Shafts in machine shop await installation.

Rich also sent several views taken from the upper passenger deck, showing work continuing along the bulwarks.  He noted there were some 25 yard workers on the first shift, scattered over various parts of the ship, and approximately a dozen on the second, evening shift.

-  Dick Purinton

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