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Jeffboat president Robert W. Greene III accepts plaque made of wood from Nashville's Ryman Auditorium from E.W. Wendell, president of Opryland USA, while Grand Ole Opry star Minnie Pearl looks on. Plaque will go aboard paddlewheeler General Jackson, a 274- foot showboat now under construction at the Jeffersonville, Ind., yard. Keel Laid At Jeffboat Yard For Paddlewheeler 'General Jackson' With an assist from Grand Ole Opry star Minnie Pearl, the keel has been laid for the General Jack- son, a 274-foot paddlewheel show- boat being built for Opryland USA Inc. of Nashville by Jeffboat, Inc. in Jeffersonville, Ind. Miss Pearl joined a Nashville delegation that included U.S. Rep- resentative Bill Boner at the cere- mony on the banks of the Ohio Riv- er. She and Opryland president E.W. Wendell presented Jeffboat president Robert W. Greene III with a plaque made of wood taken from the historic Ryman Auditori- um, long-time home of the Grand Ole Opry. The wood for the plaque was taken from the stage of the Ryman and has the General Jackson logo engraved on it. Following the presentation, crane operators lifted a 50-foot-long sec- tion of the Jackson's hull and posi- tioned it next to an 80-foot section already in place at the construction site. When completed in 1985, the General Jackson will become "America's premier showboat," Opryland officials said. It will oper- ate year-round on the Cumberland River, which flows beside the Opry- land USA entertainment complex in Nashville. The showboat will offer morning, day, and evening cruises, the latter to feature fine dining and an elabo- rate musical production. The the- ater in the vessel will seat 670 people for banquets or 1,000 people for theater-style presentations. Jeffboat, the nation's largest in- land shipyard, will assign some 130 employees to the Jackson's con- struction at the peak of the project. Nickum & Spaulding Associates of Seattle is the naval architecture and marine engineering firm on the pro- ject. Opryland has earmarked more than $10 million for the General Jackson project to cover vessel con- struction, a dock on the Cumber- land River, and passenger loading facilities. The Jackson is scheduled for launching in February 1985, and is expected to be in operation in Nashville by mid-year. Bender Monitors Protect Offshore Power Supplies —Literature Available Line isolation monitoring (LIM) has proven to be extremely effective in reducing costly downtime from overload in isolated power systems. Bender, Incorporated of Haverford, Pa., has developed a system said to be ideal for dc power supplies on offshore platforms and other un- manned facilities. The Bender system integrates a line isolation monitor, a main relay, individual relays for each distribu- tion circuit, and a transducer. This system continuously monitors insu- lation resistance to earth; sounds an alarm at pre-set, adjustable resist- ance levels; identifies faulty cir- cuit(s); and determines positive, negative, or symmetrical quality of fault(s). In addition, the transducer's built-in monitoring circuit provides advance warning to the LIM itself. Optional under/over voltage relay and dc/dc converter are available for additional protection and ease of maintenance. The Bender dc LIM system is designed for modular in- stallation conforming to Eurocard specifications. Plug/ socket connect- ors are 15-pole rated at 15 amps each, for easy installation. For further information on the Bender LIM, Circle 15 on Reader Service Card Hoboken Shipyard Gets $10-Million Navy Contract For Overhaul Of Oiler Hoboken Shipyard Inc. of Hobok- en, N.J., has been awarded a $9,954,162 firm-fixed-price Navy contract for the regularly scheduled overhaul of the oiler USS Canisteo (A0-99). Work is expectd to be com- pleted May 3, 1985. This contract was competitively awarded; nine bids were solicited and nine bids were received. The Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Re- pair, San Francisco, is the contract- ing activity(N62794-83-C-0001). Hyundai Delivers First Ship Built In Korea For Australian Owner At recent ceremonial keel-laying, 60-ton steel section of showboat was lifted into place on the building ways at Jeffboat yard. Vessels will be launched in February 1985. Hyundai Heavy Industries Com- pany, Ltd. in Ulsan, South Korea, has recently delivered the 23,500- dwt bulk carrier Kowulka (shown above) to her Australian owner, Gypsum Resources Australia Pty. Ltd. This vessel has special signifi- cance, as she is the first built in Ko- rea for an Australian owner. She will ply the Australian Coast carrying mineral gypsum from South Austra- lia to the eastern states to be used in the manufacture of building materi- als, and will return from the North of Queensland to southern ports laden with sugar. She is also ex- pected to trade between Australia and New Zealand. Gypsum Resources Australia is a joint venture between Colonial Su- gar Refinery Ltd. (CSR) and Boral Ltd., each of which holds 50 percent of the shares. Austocean Pty. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of CSR, awarded the newbuilding contract in June 1983. The Kowulka has an overall length of 551.2 feet, beam of 79.7 feet, depth of 45.9 feet, and full-load design draft of 32.15 feet. She is classed by Lloyd's Register of Ship- ping + 100A1 Bulk Carrier, +LMC, UMS, "Strengthened for Heavy Cargoes." Her main engine is the newly developed, fuel-efficient Hyundai/ Sulzer 5RTA58 having a maximum continuous rating of 6,800 bhp at 98 rpm. Operating at the normal continuous rating (80 percent) of 5,400 bhp at 91 rpm, her guaranteed service speed is 14 knots at design draft. Cruising range is about 11,000 nautical miles. 6 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News
