June 1983 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News

Fairbanks Morse Engine Division Receives $11.5-Million Navy Order

Colt I n d u s t r i e s , Fairbanks Morse Engine Division, Beloit, Wise., has been awarded an $11.5- million "transfer of technology" contract by Avondale Shipyards, Inc. of New Orleans, La. for a new series of Pielstick large diesel engines.

The Colt division has been manufacturing the Colt-Pielstick PC2 series of engines for 13 years, and now will begin manufacture of the PC4.2 series with power ratings up to 29,700 hp.

Announcement of the multimillion- dollar agreement was made by W.T. Hailey, vice president of sales for the Engine Division.

The U.S. Navy has selected the Pielstick diesel PC4.2 engine to power a new line of fleet tankers, the T-AO 187 Class, whose mission is the fueling of naval vessels at sea. The selection of diesel power was made because of significant fuel cost effectiveness and proven reliability. The Pielstick PC4.2 was chosen over several competitive engines of worldwide manufacture.

According to Mr. Hailey, the agreement with Avondale Shipyards will t r a n s f e r technical engineering i n f o r m a t i o n from Societe d'Etudes de Machines Thermiques (S.E.M.T.) of Paris, France, to Colt Industries. When this program is completed, Colt Industries Engine Division will have the capability to manufacture the PC4.2 engines.

According to T.T. Stevenson, vice president of industrial relations, 10 new technical and planning jobs have been initially created at the Beloit plant to begin implementing the transfer of technology. Several additional positions will be filled this year and the future outlook for added employment is promising.

The U.S. Government requires that the engines used on naval vessels must ultimately be built in this country. Fairbanks Morse Engine Division has been manufacturing the Colt-Pielstick PC2 Series under license and this new high-horsepower, medium-speed engine is a natural progression in manufacturing development.

Since the technology is not currently available in the U.S., four PC4.2 engines for the first two T-AO tankers will be built in France by S.E.M.T. licensee, Alsthom Atlantique. Engines for additional vessels will be built in Beloit as soon as the manufacturing facility can be made ready.

Current plans are f o r the fourth ship to be powered with two Pielstick engines built in Beloit. The total number of vessels in the T-AO planned program over the next several years is 19. The funding for the vessels is currently awaiting Congressional budgetary action.

The PC4.2 series of large engines are built in a 45-degree " V " configuration from 10 to 18 cylinders. The T-AO tankers will be fitted with two 10-cylinder models rated at 16,270 hp. (see caption). These engines can be used for stationary service for power generation as well as prime movers for ships.

The four-stroke engines have a 570 mm (22.44-inch) cylinder bore and a 620 mm (24.40-inch) piston stroke. The compression ratio is 11.79/1.

The Division also builds the Fairbanks Morse opposed piston engine which is in worldwide service for stationary power and marine propulsion.

For a free brochure fully describing the PC4.2 series engine, Write 61 on Reader Service Card

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