Jul,Aug-Sep, Nov-Dec 1965-Jan 1966 - Navy League of Australia

•fOOOO0O0+0*i006i004+OOOmO0mOm0OOOO6000+6***0****OOOO**+O6**0*0O0***+00*0*000000O010**00*O0O*000+04otm*0*i0+++++aw+**+++++ i * i ++0 i *0 i 6>0+++++*+0+* i 0++++0 i 00++0+0 i *+*+*O0**O0i*i000++Sail Ho? Seafaring traditionalistsmay cringe, but Swiss engineer andinventor Zoltan Meszaros claimshis radical craft which employs arow of plastic vanes instead ofma*l. sailcloth and boom, has numerousadvantages over conventionalsailboats. The Stabil positions itsfibreglass vanes in the boat likevertical Venetian blinds, operatedby a control cord, enabling theskipper to tack and jibe effortlessly.And. Meszaros noints out.there is no danger of being crackedon the skull by the boom whencoming about in a stiff wind. "Infact." he says, "the whole principleof Stabil is to eliminate the needfor constantly fighting the wind, sothat sailing becomes a truly relaxingsport." The boat is being manufacturedby Poyliform of Ropraz(near Lausanne), with first deliveriespromised early next year. Price:complete boat $500; sail equipmentand rigging only. $100.Fire Afloat: A lifeboat designedto withstand fire at sea has beendeveloped by Bristol AeroplanePlastics. Ltd.. of Bristol, England.The Bristol Phoenix is a twentyseatmotorboat made of steel andcovered with a steel canopy inwhich there is an observation dome.It is fireproofed on the exterior tojust below the water line with aresinated asbestos coating and onthe inside with a thin lining of asbestoscloth. Compressed-air bottlessupply air to the engine and passengersand slightly pressurise thehull as the boat navigates throughan oil or gas fire at sea. In tests,the lifeboat was safely launchedinto an oil fire, withstood six minutesin heat of more than 1.000 degreesCentigrade while envelopedin flames licking upward 250 feet.At the end of the test the temperatureinside the boat was 73.6 degreesCentigrade. Even butter andwax placed aboard were unmelted.No price has been set for producton models.I-' re and Foam: For use at airport-. chemical plants, refineries andother potentially dangerous areas,the 3M Co. of St. Paul. Minn., hasdeveloped a new fire-fighting s>stemthat will prevent the reignitionof intense gas and oil fires. Thesystem consists of two agents: adrv chem'ca! which ext : ngu : shes thefire, and a fluorochemical foamwh ch prevents it from blazing unagain. The foam, called FC-IH.'Light Water and claimed to be thehe t fire-securing agent presentlyknown was used in a process developedby the U.S. Naval ResearchLaboratory at Washington, D.C..for ii-f at naval-air installation..Combined with a dry extinguishingagent, the foam raoidly soreadover ihe surface of Hltm'tif, materialand prevented the formationof vapors vvh'ch can relet the lire.Fly Away: A collapsible helicopterthat can be hauled in a smalltrailer (which also serves as takeoffand landing platform), and canbe out of its box and airbornew'thin five minutes, has been announcedby Dornier-Werke. CimbH.of Munich. Germany. The sing'eseatDorn:er-32 whirlybird has aunique and simple power systemwhich employs compressed air (sunn'iedby a turbine-driven compressor)to turn Is rotor blades. Operationis c'aimed to be foolproof andquickly learned. The comnanv expec.swide acceptance of the Dornier-32in such fields as sports, trafficregulation, mountain and seasearch-and-re-.cue operations, patrolof waterways, etc. The versat : lelitt'e helicopter weighs a mere 325pounds and has a maximum takeoffweight of 707 pounds. It hasa top speed of 70 m.p.h. and cruisesat 60 mp.h. Its operating range is56 miles, without auxiliary fueltanks.»«»»—— P0++0+o+o**+0++0*Sieen and Stops: A ship's rudderthat also acts as a ship's brake andenables a vessel to stop in onefourththe lime required by conventionalmethods has been developedby Nippon Kokan ShipbuildingCo. of Tokyo, Japan. Therudder consists of two metal leaveshinged together at the rear verticaledge of the rudder. To make aquick stop, the captain presses abutton which hydraulically opensout the rudder's leaves to form ;fiat vertical surface at a 90-degreangle to the keel, offering severresistance to the water. The brakingaction ts enhanced as the spinningpropeller forces a stream of wateragainst the extended rudder surface.This slip stream is deflected laterallyand forward to lurther slowthe ship and improve manoeuvrability.The rudder-brake will cost$30,000 on a 50.000-ton vessel..Solid Sender: "A dramatic breakthroughin firearms technology" inthe form of a "new and revolutionaryammunition and gun" is being(.lamed by Daisy ManufacturingCo. of Rogers. Ark. The ammunitionconsists of a "slug" of a solidpropellant affixed to a projectile orbullet head. When the trigger ispre.sed. a spring mechanism producera spurt of hot compressed airthat ignites the propellant. creatingpressure that fires the projectile atvelocities of up to 1.150 feet asecond. The ammunition does nothave a cartridge case or primercap. and the rifle has neither ahammer nor firing pin. The bulletand shooting system, developed byBelgian inventor Jutes van Langenhovenafter twelve years of intensiveresearch, is claimed to be applicableto all sporting firearms butwill be marketed initially only ina .22-calibre rifle, available earlynext year in the U.S. at a price ofabout S2S.Pag* Sixty-four THE NAVY, Nov -D.e.-Jan . 1965-1966Season's Greetings to the Navy from —A. G. Suttonit FoundersSEE US FOR —PIPE AND VALVE CASTINGSWATER AND SEWERAGE FITTINGSWe Carry Out Castings of all DescriptionsFERNVALE ROAD, BRASSALL, IPSWICH, QLD.TELEPHONE 81-2022T. J. PREST & SONS PTY. LTD.* SHIPPING CONTRACTORSir BULK GRAIN FITTINGS* REPAIRS TO INSULATION AND CARGO FITTINGSif FITTING OUT FOR GENERAL AND REFRIGERATED* CARGOES, DUNNAGE, TIMBERS AND BURLAP109 Beach St., Port Melbourne - 64-1494, 64-4507also atPORTLAND, VICTORIA — PORTLAND 740** * ** •** ^**^ * *^ ****** »##»»»»#^^#^