The Bergen blog 2011

[Tom McNikon]

Happy new year everyone
Here's my first shots in a new year and I can promise it's not the last.
I saw the Bourbon Orca on my AIS and that's what brought me out the door today
and here's my new 2011 blog. Enjoy

Normand Skipper & Far Serenade at Dokken in Bergen

[Tom McNikon]

Skandi Hercules at Jekteviken



Bourbon Orca passes Knarrevik on her way to Stavanger

[Tom McNikon]

Nordkapp & Edda Fauna tonight
The 2 first images are also taken at 20:11
Now it's just to wait for 20 November to do the same thing again

[ombugge]

Nordkapp & Edda Fauna tonight
The 2 first images are also taken at 20:11
Now it's just to wait for 20 November to do the same thing again.

Not very flattering for the yard that built this hull. She looks like a fish ball tin that has been out in the sun for a day or two.

[pakarang]

Brilliant night time images... !

Love night time scenes!

[Sterkoder]

Not very flattering for the yard that built this hull.

Don't know much about welding, but from what I've heard, this is the result one gets when welders (ship hull building yard) is pressed hard on time to finish a hull.
If a welder welds hard ('molsveiser' as we say in norwegian) the hole length on each side of a spar, the iron plate of course will expand due to heat.
As the welder has finished his business around a set of spars and moved on, the iron plate has "nowhere to go" when it cools down, and it will be forever dented.
What the welders should've done was to put welding points on one side of a spar first, then cool down the plate before welding the length of the spar, then repeat on the other side.
As you understand, to weld in this "correct" way is very time consuming, and since it has no other results than aesthetics, the ship building yards all around is welding hulls together at highest possible speed....., the "wrong" way.

Any welders in here who could correct me...?

[pakarang]

Very interesting Sterkoder: thank you so much for that!

My first reaction was that it was due to a generally thinner hull plates than, let's say, 20+30 years ago. But now, I know more off course. She looks really dented I must admit, and it's interesting to see her ribs: reminds me of someone really skinny (as myself 30 years ago).

[ombugge]

I am fully aware of the causes of the buckling and I am also aware that the angle and lighting makes this look more prominent than it would in daylight.
Yes, thickness of the steel plates has something to do with it. Better metallurgy enable reduced thickness for the same strength, as does the ability to calculate stresses better than 30 years ago, when slide rulers were used and a large factor of safety added in.

Very little of the initial welding work is done manually. Ships hulls are largely built by welding panels laying flat, using automated welding machines, except for the first tacks, or first bead.
The panels are welded together into "blocks", which is finally assembled into the finished hull. In large shipyards the blocks can be several hundred tonnes each. They are turned to the most advantageous position to avoid overhead welding. What we see here is the result of this process, without any pre- or post-heating being applied, most likely.

I have seen skilled welders heat the panels with a blow torch at the right spots and at just the right temperature to relieve the stress. The steel "miraculously" pops back to it's original shape. Nobody with that skill level has obviously been involved in the building of this hull.

[Tom McNikon]

Finally another trip around the harbour
Since the new PSV "KL Brisfjord" was in the harbour and the evening was perfect, I just needed to catch some air hehe, så here's the second round of 2011 in Bergen harbour


G. O. Sars


Øydrott

[Tom McNikon]

Ocean Observer


Havila Jupiter


Havila Clipper


Olympic Zeus

[Tom McNikon]

KL Brisfjord

[Daniel]

That is some amazing pictures you have taken Tom
I really liked the last one, where you got the ships reflections in the puddle

[Seagull]

Impressive Tom, and interestingly a little “different” in style from you. To me there is an alluring sort of silky smoothness about them.

I keep coming back to Havila Jupiter. To have brought together that brilliant white light, the colours and dramatic angle of the ship and its ropes, and the smooth , rather mysterious, blending of sky and sea on the left of the image is truly astounding.

[pakarang]

This is really a FIVE STAR thread... the new additions to this thread is absolutely breathtaking, especially those where there is still some blue left in the skies.

Fantastic photography - to the fingertips perfection!

[Tom McNikon]

Thanks a lot everyone

The special about this night was that the full moon was just about to rise and the light from it was very strong, so it gave that "twilight" look on the images and a 3-5 sec. shorter shutter than normal on otherwise same settings plus I'm going for manual WB now.

KL Sandefjord this time, the worlds most powerful AHTS they say it is









Another angle of Havila Clipper


Artic Senior


Frakt Fjord

[pakarang]

TOM...

These images are nothing else than absolutely A-M-A-Z-I-N-G !

The blue skies and the water reflection is so perfectly rendered it takes my breath away. I knew for a very long time that nobody can compete with your high quality, and these are nothing else than a leap ahead again.

Look for example at that last image, the one of Frakt Fjord..... the light is stunning! WAOW!

[Tom McNikon]

Nordkapp is back to Bergen from the ship-yard on a very gray day

[pakarang]

Your images are of such high quality that I almost start wishing I had a Nikon...

[Tom McNikon]

you with a Nikon??

Finally!!! Far Samson in Bergen and I really had to go and document that on my cam
Farstad's largest vessel in their fleet with 121.5 meter loa and 14.740 GT

[pakarang]

DAAARRRN... these images are increadibly good.... your personal touch in photography, and especially the maritime ones, are really breathtaking!