“MAN ES to provide propulsion systems for Canadian Coast Guard’s AOPSs” –Naval Today

Three AOPSs at pier before the commissioning ceremony for HMCS Margaret Brooke (AOPV-431). Canadian Navy photo

Naval Today reports,

“German manufacturer MAN Energy Solutions (MAN ES) has received a contract to provide propulsion systems for two Arctic offshore patrol ships (AOPSs) for the Canadian Coast Guard.”

The Coast Guard versions of the Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships apparently have the same propulsion system as the preceding six Navy versions, but there are details about the propellers in this announcement that I had not heard before.

“Finally, MAN Energy Solutions will deliver 2 × MAN Alpha-branded five-bladed, bolted propellers that meet PC5 rules and which can even be exchanged underwater. These cater for higher cavitation inception speeds, possible shock impacts, and mission-critical conditions requiring additional redundancy, silent operation with minimal hydro-acoustic signatures, and suppressed underwater-radiated noise, the company highlighted.”

I don’t know what a “bolted propeller” is, but the idea that they can be changed without dry docking sounds like it might be useful, particularly on a vessel that operates in ice where we have had some experience with damaged propellers.

2 thoughts on ““MAN ES to provide propulsion systems for Canadian Coast Guard’s AOPSs” –Naval Today

  1. I’m fairly sure what they refer to are so-called built-up propellers. Even though the blades have fixed pitch, they are bolted to the hub in the same way as in controllable pitch propellers. Since there is no mechanism of any kind in the hub, the blades can be detached underwater and replaced individually in case of damage.

    It’s a standard solution in icebreakers and e.g. USCGC Healy has such propellers:

    Icebreaking ships usually carry 1-2 spare blades per propeller. You can find a photograph of Le Commandant Charcot’s spare blades on this page:

    https://mvdirona.com/2023/10/le-commandant-charcot/

    Smaller propellers such as those in USCGC Mackinaw are so-called monoblock propellers which, as the name implies, are machined from a single block of metal.

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