r/machinesinaction • u/Bodzio1981 • 29d ago
How Ships Use Ice for Maintenance Instead of a Shipyard!
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u/dr_xenon 29d ago
That is an insane thickness of ice. I was expecting them to be working on the sides of it, not digging a basement. Wonder how much further until they hit liquid water.
Wonder how long it has to stay above freezing before that frees up. Or do the melt out each screw and start working it back and forth.
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u/Ok-Answer-6951 29d ago
I don't know how thick the ice is, but whoever cut those steps in is a fucking artist.
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u/Timsmomshardsalami 29d ago
Liquid water, also known as, water
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u/dr_xenon 29d ago
If it didn’t specify liquid water some pedant would chime in “ice is water, just solid.” And if I did specify liquid water, some other pedant would chime in that liquid water is just water.
And so goes the innernet.
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u/SumpCrab 29d ago
It's spelled internet.
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u/etown23 29d ago
It’s not wrong to say “liquid water” versus just “water,” but it can be redundant in most contexts. Usually, when we refer to water, we mean its liquid state. However, using “liquid water” is useful when distinguishing it from its solid (ice) or gaseous (steam) forms.
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u/HawaiianHank 29d ago
hard as solid water? no. hotter than gaseous water? no. liquid water sounds just as ridiculous and it's not a useful qualifier in any situation.... and that's according to the department of redundancy department.
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u/youpple3 29d ago
What maintenance is performed here exactly?
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u/Throw_a_way_Jeep 29d ago
Maybe Propeller Polishing?
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u/ph1l_91 29d ago
first guess: maybe it's better when the propeller is freed from ice like this, to avoid breaking it when the ice breaks/melts and the ship starts to move with the propeller still attached to a bigger piece of ice.
second guess: to make sure the ship is manouverable as soon as it is "swimming" and not have the propeller still frozen.
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u/MuleFourby 28d ago
Yeah, I have a feeling this is correct. Not into boats bigger than a raft though.
I just don’t see another function of this. Seems pretty extreme to purposefully get a ship frozen in this much ice just to replace seals, bearings, or other any other maintenance items.
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u/username9909864 29d ago
Looks like a great way to destroy the hull
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u/CaveGnome 29d ago
Just begging for the front to fall off.
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u/MrEngland2 29d ago
Just begging for the front to fall off.
The front fell off?
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u/Theniceraccountmaybe 29d ago
Well yeeah
Does not happen often
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u/rolandofeld19 29d ago
Just tow it to another environment.
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29d ago
[deleted]
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u/Theniceraccountmaybe 29d ago
Let's be clear that's not supposed to happen, that's not normal
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u/HeavyMetalMoose44 29d ago
Soooooo just wondering how it gets freed up when they’re done.
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u/sshwifty 29d ago
Hairdryer
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u/zepplin2225 29d ago
But not one of those good Conair ones, no we're talking one of those hotel ones that you have to smack just right to get the heat going.
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u/Unhappy-Invite5681 29d ago
Those Siberians are wild people. The way they navigate the rivers and the seas is at a whole different level as I'm used to as a European inland captain. They work with what they have, which is mostly old Sovjet stuff.
And also, check this out. That's a river that is only navigable a few weeks per year when the water is not too high and not too low. But for the people living along the river this is their only way of getting supply, as is the case for many places in Siberia.
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u/10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-I 29d ago
Couple of warnings: 13 minutes of two boats fighting the current to what I’m assuming is some hard core Soviet nationalistic music. Mute on. Very cool though! Neat fact
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u/Regular-Let1426 29d ago
Why does the surrounding ice look like it's in stacked blocks? Is it just each time they cut down then across, or is it some other reason?
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u/kanguun 29d ago
I “think” they used a chainsaw layer by layer. At least that’s what it looks like to me. I’d like to know just how thick that ice is.
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u/Tim_22_Sky 29d ago
Exactly this. They go layer by layer allowing the ice to freeze deeper. If a leak will appear, they use a wooden plug and wool to stop it. Sometimes it doesn’t work and the whole pit will be filled with water.
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u/timesuck47 29d ago
So you are saying that maybe the ice all the way around the ship isn’t this thick and that they specifically took their time and froze each layer deeper and deeper to obtain those depths only around where they are working?
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u/Tim_22_Sky 29d ago
Yes, the thickness of the ice depends on the distance from the surface. Btw I found an old (1967) soviet book about this:
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u/TimeKeeper575 28d ago
Shoulder angel: you will never need this book Shoulder devil: but we wants to read it
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u/Mighty_Mighty_Moose 29d ago
I like the part of that video where he's trying to weld frozen hull plate but he'd be better off trying to seal it with chewing gum.
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u/FireSparrowWelding 29d ago
If they come across a native missing their tongue and a strangely larger than normal polar bear. They need to run fast as hell.
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u/BelievablePotato 29d ago
And now I need to watch that series again, it was so good (or at least the first season was)
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u/TimDezern 29d ago
That's amazing. I can't believe how thick the ice is , and how those ice breaker ships can break through that 😳
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u/Economy_Ad_196 16h ago
Can a ship break through that?
The steps go down a minimum of six feet and the ice is clear enough to see through.
That ice is rock hard, meters thick, and could probably hold up under Godzilla on a rampage.
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u/SMTecanina 29d ago
Kiun B has a very interesting YouTube channel that documents life in this region of the world.
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u/Sparmery 27d ago
How wouldn’t docks with mounts for the ships to rest on be more effective than having to chisel your way to any repairs?
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u/DG-Doctor-Gecko 9d ago
They more likely aren't there by choice. Probably got stuck due to the ice getting too thick ahead and the water they were in froze around the ship.
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u/tempfor_now 26d ago
Man you can tell how cold it is by the degree of "crunch" that snow is making. That's -20+ snow crunch.
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u/Longenuity 29d ago
Always make sure to first give a safety pat pat and say "she ain't goin' nowhere"
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u/sikon024 29d ago
There are few things on Earth more miserable than turning wrench outdoors at that temp