July 2021

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July was certainly a milestone month aboard the good ship Kerne which saw tremendous work by our engineers to complete the replacement and expansion of the 60 stay tubes and 28 plain tubes after 3 years of toil and Covid-induced frustration. Both weekend and weekday working parties worked tirelessly culminating on 27 July when the boiler was finally filled with approx.10 tonnes of fresh water, the top door bolted down, and hydraulic pressure slowly applied. At 230 psi a small number of weeps were experienced, but this was to be expected. It is critical not to over-expand the tubes, but to ‘nip’ these up as pressure is increased to the required test pressure of 1.5 x working pressure ie 270 psi. Once this is completed to our satisfaction, the Boiler Inspector can carry out the official test for certification. Fingers crossed, and when the tests are complete we can conclude the smokebox re-construction and set about other reinstatement work to the bunkers, electrics, telegraph and pipework that was necessary to facilitate the fitting of the tubes. Up top on the after and side decks, disk sanding was employed to areas of loose paint and rust before priming and painting in Hemperthane Red. In the Forward Cabin the Admiralty Pattern Oil Lamps have been finally wired in after we managed to conceal small 24 to 12 volt convertors within the lamps, again without damaging the original integrity of these fine examples. They certainly now look the part when illuminated. Whilst it may look to the uninitiated that not much has happened this month, it is hard to convey the tremendous effort put in by the crew and volunteers to get to this extremely important point in our very determined efforts to ensure that Kerne can once again be seen in steam in what is the 50th Anniversary of our ownership of this historical maritime treasure.

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