An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir April 2017 www.dfmagazine.ie 14 | Naval School's Engine Restoration Project by CPO/ERA RUAIRI DE BARRA PhotoS by A/B DAVID JONES H aulbowline Island, located in the second largest natu- ral harbour in the world, where the Lee flows down to meet the sea, is a place of rich history, and tucked away on this island, in an unassuming corner of a disused building, a historical gem had been awaiting rediscovery… In 2012 while passing the Seamanship bay on the Naval Base during some renovation works PO/ERA Alan Duggan chanced to come across a collection of old machinery. Looking closer he spotted what he thought might be a type of 'hot bulb' stationary engine, and he began to seek out information as to how it came to be there. PO Duggans was able to identify this rare engine at a glance because he has in his collection a Blackstone, Type W 1920, hot bulb, stationary engine in full running condition. However, there was a pause in his research of nearly two years, and a lot of nautical miles, before PO Duggan rotated ashore from his sea-going unit. 'Idle hands are the Devil's tools' goes the old saying, and never a man to stay still, PO Duggan renewed his investigations when he was selected to serve with the Technical Training School (TTS) of the Naval College, co-located with the National Maritime College of Ireland (NMCI) in Ringaskiddy. It was there that he decided that, "the classes of technical trainees would benefit from some hands- on instruction in two-stroke technology, as well as the opportunity to gain some appreciation of historical engineering". The TTS/NMCI has a selection of running and sectioned engines on which young tradesmen and engineers learn operations, watch keeping and maintenance. However, these are primarily four-stroke engines and PO Duggan thought that this old engine could provide a living classroom. Having sought sanction from Lt Cmdr Clodagh McConnell (OIC TTS) and Cmdr Steve Walsh, (OC Naval College & Associate Head of the NMCI). The project was brought to Support Command HQ to Captain (NS) Mick Malone who facilitated PO Duggan in gain- ing access to the engine's location. Cmdr William Roberts visited and secured assistance from the Naval Dockyard civilian employ- ees, which was a huge benefit. The first task was to correctly identify the engine, its name- plate having been removed at some point. PO Duggan contacted the curator of the Internal Fire Museum in North Wales, Paul Evans, who recommended locating the maker's marks on the crankshaft, head and bearing caps. These vital pieces of information identified the engine as a Vick- ers Petters Model VE2, two-stroke, hot-bulb, semi-diesel; a very rare item historically. It may well be the only one of this model still in existence; certainly it is the only one in Ireland or the EU. Trawling through the archives of the Internal Fire Museum led to the discovery that on June 29th 1922 the Cork Electric Tram & Lighting Company took delivery of this Vickers Peters Model VE2 onto the dockyard side of Haulbowline. (Haulbowline had been spilt in half by the British: a dockyard on the eastern half and a military installation on the western half. The dockyard side was handed over to the Board of Works in 1923 while the military side

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