Talk:Pleuger rudder

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Is the Pleuger rudder as vulnerable as the Bowater link implies? has it sufficient power to propel the ship without the main engine running? Expert help is needed on that part of the topic. Fiddle Faddle 23:03, 30 April 2006 (UTC)

I can't answer the vulnerability question, but I can answer the question about Pleuger rudders being able to move a ship without the main engine running. Keep in mind that marine engines are not high horsepower engines, the way one might think they'd need to be to move something the size of a ship. Many tugboat engines, such as the Detroit Diesel 12V71N, produce only a few hundred horsepower, but very large amounts of torque. Torque is going to determine the ability to turn the boat's screw, or in this case, the screw on the Pleuger rudder. My recollection is that the Pleuger rudder motor is on the order of 125 horsepower, which assuming lower RPMs for peak horsepower (see the section on the relationship between horsepower and torque) should be enough torque to turn the propeller on the Pleuger rudder and move the ship.

If you can figure out how to put all that information into this article, have at it. If you need still more help, drop me a note. Tall Girl 12:32, 20 May 2006 (UTC)

So ... are we happy now? -- Tall Girl 22:17, 25 May 2006 (UTC)

Happy :) Fiddle Faddle 22:38, 25 May 2006 (UTC)

Cool beans! I can't think of much of anything else this page needs, so I'm going to remove the tag looking for an expert. If anyone can think of any additional research that needs to be done, put a note on my user page. -- Tall Girl 19:03, 26 May 2006 (UTC)