The hull of the future ORP Wicher will leave the hall on SPMT kits

A few thousand tons, nearly 139 metres long and a very small margin of error. Before the ORP came Wind It will be placed on the barge and the next stage will begin leading to its launching, the hull must be removed from the hull hall of the PGZ War Shipyard. SPMT sets will be used for this operation, i.e. multi-axial platforms designed to transport the heaviest structures.

About ORP launching preparations Wind Now. I wrote on our portal. This time, however, I will take advantage of the knowledge of a specialist, which in my opinion can be called a blood and bone shipbuilder – the president of the Polish Naval Shipyard Marcin Ryngwelski. On LinkedIn, he published another episode of his series devoted to the ship industry, this time on SPMT and hull transport to the barge. It is worth taking advantage of this knowledge and bringing it closer to you, dear reader.

First from the hall, then to the water

Just launching a frigate will only be one of the stages of the entire operation. Earlier, the hull of the ship must be removed from the hull hall of the PGZ Naval Shipyard and moved to a semi-solar barge, which will later serve to leave it for water.

The SPMT sets will play a key role during this stage, i.e. Self-Propelled Modular Transporter. They are self-propelled, multi-axial transport platforms used to transport very heavy structures, including ship sections, hull blocks and entire hulls.

Why SPMT?

One of the most important advantages of SPMT is very good maneuverability. Individual axles can be independently twisted and leveled, so even a very large set can be conducted precisely in limited space.

Modules can also be combined into long sets, adapted to a specific load. As Marcin Ryngwelski points out, their advantage is also the possibility of transporting individual parts separately and connecting them only at the place of conducting the operation.

The most difficult moment when entering the barge

However, driving from the hall alone will not be the most difficult part of the operation. As Marcin Ryngwelski points out, a particularly demanding moment will take place when about half of the hull length passes the end of the shipyard wharf.

Then the correct ballasting of the shoulder will be crucial, which will gradually take over the weight of the moving structure.

Operation prepared much earlier

Before the hull Burza exits the hall, the design office must specify all points of its support and the arrangement of the lateral beams on which the design will be based during transport.

In turn, the Technology Office prepares a technological instruction for the operation to the shoulder. As Marcin Ryngwelski points out, this document must be accepted by both operators SPMTas well as shoulder operators.

Launching the future ORP Wind It'll start on land.

For the future ORP Wind proper launching will only be the finale of the entire, well-prepared operation. The most attention will probably be drawn to the moment when the hull will first stand on its own water, but the earlier stages will be equally important, requiring precision, proper technical preparation and cooperation of many teams.

It will then be possible to see one of the most demanding stages of modern ship production – precise movement of a structure weighing several thousand tons using tens hydraulically controlled axes. Only after the end of this part of the operation will it be possible to move to the next stage, the final stage of which will be launching the first Polish frigate built within the framework of Swordfish program.

Firsthand knowledge and a few words about the author

By the way, I will take this place for a small ad of entries (episodes) by Marcin Ryngwelski. All interested shipbuilding Please visit his profile on LinkedIn. You can see how complex and at the same time an extremely interesting process is the construction of ships and ships – from the work of design and technological offices to the prefabrication and assembly of the hull to the transport of multi-tone structures.

It's also worth knowing who's talking about it. Marcin Ryngwelski belongs to a relatively few people in Poland who have direct experience with the construction of warships. The complex shipbuilding issues can be presented in a simple and understandable way without taking away their technical character. Just because I know Martin personally doesn't matter. The more important thing is that it can show the shipping industry from a side that few people have access to every day.

I write these words on my way to Gdynia, and it's hard not to think back to the beginnings of the Swordfish Program. Over a decade ago, construction of corvette-class ships for the Polish Navy was established. Later, the assumptions of the program were changed, and today the result is the construction of three multitasking frigates – Wind, Storm and Hurricane.

Therefore, I invite our Readers to follow my relationship with Gdynia. I will be there during events that only existed a few years ago in plans and discussions about the future of the Polish Navy. In a moment, the hull of the first frigate of the program Swordfish will leave the hall.

Mariusz Dasiewicz – publisher of the Shipyard Portal. He deals with the issues of the Polish Navy and shipbuilding industry. In his texts he focuses on modernisation programs of the navy and issues related to the development of the maritime security of Poland. It focuses on a factual analysis and transparency of the decision-making process.