Editing Gas turbine (section)

==Marine applications==
{{main|Marine propulsion}}

===Naval===
[[File:Gas turbine from MGB 2009.jpg|thumb|The Gas turbine from MGB 2009]]

Gas turbines are used in many [[naval vessel]]s, where they are valued for their high [[power-to-weight ratio]] and their ships' resulting acceleration and ability to get underway quickly.

The first gas-turbine-powered naval vessel was the [[Royal Navy]]'s [[motor gunboat]] ''MGB 2009'' (formerly ''MGB 509'') converted in 1947. [[Metropolitan-Vickers]] fitted their [[Metropolitan-Vickers F.2|F2/3]] jet engine with a power turbine. The [[Steam Gun Boat]] ''Grey Goose'' was converted to Rolls-Royce gas turbines in 1952 and operated as such from 1953.<ref name="Walsh_01">{{cite book|title=Gas Turbine Performance|first1=Philip P.|last1=Walsh|first2=Paul|last2=Fletcher|publisher=John Wiley and Sons|year=2004|isbn=978-0-632-06434-2|edition=2nd|page=25}}<!--|access-date=2011-09-15--></ref> The [[Bold class patrol boat|Bold class]] [[Fast Patrol Boat]]s ''Bold Pioneer'' and ''Bold Pathfinder'' built in 1953 were the first ships created specifically for gas turbine propulsion.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scienceandsociety.co.uk/results.asp?image=10421693 |title=''The first marine gas turbine, 1947'' |publisher=Scienceandsociety.co.uk |date=23 April 2008 |access-date=13 August 2012}}</ref>

The first large-scale, partially gas-turbine powered ships were the Royal Navy's [[Tribal-class frigate|Type 81]] (Tribal class) [[frigate]]s with [[combined steam and gas]] powerplants. The first, {{HMS|Ashanti|F117|6}} was commissioned in 1961.

The [[German Navy]] launched the first {{sclass|Köln|frigate}} in 1961 with 2 [[Brown, Boveri & Cie]] gas turbines in the world's first [[combined diesel and gas]] propulsion system.

The [[Soviet Navy]] commissioned in 1962 the first of 25 {{sclass|Kashin|destroyer}} with 4 gas turbines in [[combined gas and gas]] propulsion system. Those vessels used 4 M8E gas turbines, which generated {{cvt|72000-96000|hp|kW|order=flip}}. Those ships were the first large ships in the world to be powered solely by gas turbines.

[[File:Smetlivyy2003.jpg|thumb|Project 61 large ASW ship, {{sclass|Kashin|destroyer}}]]

The [[Danish Navy]] had 6 ''Søløven''-class torpedo boats (the export version of the British [[Brave class fast patrol boat]]) in service from 1965 to 1990, which had 3 [[Bristol Proteus]] (later RR Proteus) Marine Gas Turbines rated at {{convert|12750|shp|abbr=on|order=flip|-1}} combined, plus two [[General Motors]] Diesel engines, rated at {{convert|460|shp|abbr=on|order=flip|-1}}, for better fuel economy at slower speeds.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.navalhistory.dk/danish/Skibene/Skibsklasser/Soeloeven_klassen(1965).htm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111115094226/http://www.navalhistory.dk/danish/Skibene/Skibsklasser/Soeloeven_klassen%281965%29.htm|url-status=dead|title=''Søløven class torpedoboat, 1965''|archivedate=15 November 2011}}</ref> And they also produced 10 Willemoes Class Torpedo / Guided Missile boats (in service from 1974 to 2000) which had 3 [[Rolls-Royce plc|Rolls-Royce]] Marine Proteus Gas Turbines also rated at {{convert|12750|shp|abbr=on|order=flip|-1}}, same as the Søløven-class boats, and 2 General Motors Diesel Engines, rated at {{convert|800|shp|abbr=on|order=flip|-1}}, also for improved fuel economy at slow speeds.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.navalhistory.dk/english/TheShips/Classes/Willemoes_Class(1977).htm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110820100754/http://www.navalhistory.dk/english/TheShips/Classes/Willemoes_Class%281977%29.htm|url-status=dead|title=''Willemoes class torpedo/guided missile boat, 1974''|archivedate=20 August 2011}}</ref>

The [[Swedish Navy]] produced 6 Spica-class torpedo boats between 1966 and 1967 powered by 3 [[Bristol Siddeley]] [[Bristol Proteus|Proteus 1282 turbines]], each delivering {{convert|4300|shp|abbr=on|order=flip|-1}}. They were later joined by 12 upgraded Norrköping class ships, still with the same engines. With their aft torpedo tubes replaced by antishipping missiles they served as missile boats until the last was retired in 2005.<ref>[[w:sv:Robotbåt|Fast missile boat]]</ref>

The [[Finnish Navy]] commissioned two {{sclass|Turunmaa|gunboat|0}} [[corvette]]s, ''Turunmaa'' and ''Karjala'', in 1968. They were equipped with one {{convert|22000|shp|abbr=on|order=flip|-1}} [[Rolls-Royce Olympus]] TM1 gas turbine and three [[Wärtsilä]] marine diesels for slower speeds. They were the fastest vessels in the Finnish Navy; they regularly achieved speeds of 35 knots, and 37.3 knots during sea trials. The ''Turunmaa''s were decommissioned in 2002. ''Karjala'' is today a [[museum ship]] in [[Turku]], and ''Turunmaa'' serves as a floating machine shop and training ship for Satakunta Polytechnical College.

The next series of major naval vessels were the four Canadian {{sclass|Iroquois|destroyer|0}} helicopter carrying destroyers first commissioned in 1972. They used 2&nbsp;ft-4 main propulsion engines, 2&nbsp;ft-12 cruise engines and 3 Solar Saturn 750&nbsp;kW generators.

[[File:USS Ford (FFG-54) Gas Turbine.jpg|thumb|An LM2500 gas turbine on {{USS|Ford|FFG-54|6}}]]
The first U.S. gas-turbine powered ship was the [[United States Coast Guard|U.S. Coast Guard's]] {{USCGC|Point Thatcher|WPB-82314|2}}, a cutter commissioned in 1961 that was powered by two {{convert|1000|shp|abbr=on|order=flip|-1}} turbines utilizing controllable-pitch propellers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/Point_Thatcher.pdf |title=US Coast Guard Historian's website, USCGC ''Point Thatcher'' (WPB-82314) |access-date=13 August 2012}}</ref> The larger {{sclass|Hamilton|cutter|0}} [[USCG high endurance cutter|High Endurance Cutters]], was the first class of larger cutters to utilize gas turbines, the first of which ({{USCGC|Hamilton|WHEC-715|6}}) was commissioned in 1967. Since then, they have powered the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy's]] {{sclass|Oliver Hazard Perry|frigate|1}}s, {{sclass|Spruance|destroyer|5}} and {{sclass|Arleigh Burke|destroyer|2}}s, and {{sclass|Ticonderoga|cruiser|0}} [[guided missile cruisers]]. {{USS|Makin Island|LHD-8|6}}, a modified {{sclass|Wasp|amphibious assault ship}}, is to be the Navy's first amphibious assault ship powered by gas turbines.
The marine gas turbine operates in a more corrosive atmosphere due to the presence of sea salt in air and fuel and use of cheaper fuels.

===Civilian maritime===
Up to the late 1940s, much of the progress on marine gas turbines all over the world took place in design offices and engine builder's workshops and development work was led by the British [[Royal Navy]] and other Navies. While interest in the gas turbine for marine purposes, both naval and mercantile, continued to increase, the lack of availability of the results of operating experience on early gas turbine projects limited the number of new ventures on seagoing commercial vessels being embarked upon.

In 1951, the diesel–electric oil tanker ''Auris'', 12,290 [[deadweight tonnage]] (DWT) was used to obtain operating experience with a main propulsion gas turbine under service conditions at sea and so became the first ocean-going merchant ship to be powered by a gas turbine. Built by [[Hawthorn Leslie and Company|Hawthorn Leslie]] at [[Hebburn-on-Tyne]], UK, in accordance with plans and specifications drawn up by the [[Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Company]] and launched on the UK's [[Elizabeth II|Princess Elizabeth]]'s 21st birthday in 1947, the ship was designed with an engine room layout that would allow for the experimental use of heavy fuel in one of its high-speed engines, as well as the future substitution of one of its diesel engines by a gas turbine.<ref>{{Cite journal | doi=10.1111/j.1559-3584.1954.tb03976.x|title = Operation of a Marine Gas Turbine Under Sea Conditions|journal = Journal of the American Society for Naval Engineers| volume=66| issue=2| pages=457–466|year = 2009}}</ref> The ''Auris'' operated commercially as a tanker for three-and-a-half years with a diesel–electric propulsion unit as originally commissioned, but in 1951 one of its four {{convert|1105|bhp|kW|abbr=on|order=flip}} diesel engines – which were known as "Faith", "Hope", "Charity" and "Prudence" – was replaced by the world's first marine gas turbine engine, a {{convert|1200|bhp|kW|abbr=on|order=flip}} open-cycle gas turbo-alternator built by [[British Thomson-Houston|British Thompson-Houston Company]] in [[Rugby, Warwickshire|Rugby]]. Following successful sea trials off the Northumbrian coast, the ''Auris'' set sail from Hebburn-on-Tyne in October 1951 bound for [[Port Arthur, Texas|Port Arthur]] in the US and then [[Curaçao]] in the southern Caribbean returning to [[Avonmouth]] after 44 days at sea, successfully completing her historic trans-Atlantic crossing. During this time at sea the gas turbine burnt diesel fuel and operated without an involuntary stop or mechanical difficulty of any kind. She subsequently visited Swansea, Hull, [[Rotterdam]], [[Oslo]] and Southampton covering a total of 13,211 nautical miles. The ''Auris'' then had all of its power plants replaced with a {{convert|5250|shp|kW|abbr=on|order=flip}} directly coupled gas turbine to become the first civilian ship to operate solely on gas turbine power.

Despite the success of this early experimental voyage the gas turbine did not replace the diesel engine as the propulsion plant for large merchant ships. At constant cruising speeds the diesel engine simply had no peer in the vital area of fuel economy. The gas turbine did have more success in Royal Navy ships and the other naval fleets of the world where sudden and rapid changes of speed are required by warships in action.<ref>{{cite book|title=Future Ship Powering Options: Exploring alternative methods of ship propulsion|publisher=Royal Academy of Engineering Prince Philip House|isbn=9781909327016|url=http://www.raeng.org.uk/publications/reports/future-ship-powering-options|year=2013}}</ref>

The [[United States Maritime Commission]] were looking for options to update WWII [[Liberty ships]], and heavy-duty gas turbines were one of those selected. In 1956 the ''John Sergeant'' was lengthened and equipped with a [[General Electric]] {{convert|6600|shp|kW|abbr=on|order=flip}} HD gas turbine with exhaust-gas regeneration, reduction gearing and a [[Variable-pitch propeller (marine)|variable-pitch propeller]]. It operated for 9,700 hours using residual fuel ([[Bunker C]]) for 7,000 hours. [[Fuel efficiency]] was on a par with steam propulsion at {{convert|0.523|lb/hp|abbr=on|order=flip}} per hour,<ref name="IMGT">Naval Education and Training Program Development Center ''Introduction to Marine Gas Turbines'' (1978) Naval Education and Training Support Command, pp. 3.</ref> and power output was higher than expected at {{convert|7514|shp|kW|abbr=on|order=flip}} due to the ambient temperature of the North Sea route being lower than the design temperature of the gas turbine. This gave the ship a speed capability of 18 knots, up from 11 knots with the original power plant, and well in excess of the 15 knot targeted. The ship made its first transatlantic crossing with an average speed of 16.8 knots, in spite of some rough weather along the way. Suitable Bunker C fuel was only available at limited ports because the quality of the fuel was of a critical nature. The fuel oil also had to be treated on board to reduce contaminants and this was a labor-intensive process that was not suitable for automation at the time. Ultimately, the variable-pitch propeller, which was of a new and untested design, ended the trial, as three consecutive annual inspections revealed stress-cracking. This did not reflect poorly on the marine-propulsion gas-turbine concept though, and the trial was a success overall. The success of this trial opened the way for more development by GE on the use of HD gas turbines for marine use with heavy fuels.<ref name="Innovation">National Research Council (U.S.) ''Innovation in the Maritime Industry'' (1979) Maritime Transportation Research Board, pp. 127–131</ref> The ''John Sergeant'' was scrapped in 1972 at Portsmouth PA.

[[File:20091105-TurboJET Urzela.jpg|thumb|Boeing Jetfoil 929-100-007 ''Urzela'' of [[TurboJET]] ]]
[[Boeing]] launched its first passenger-carrying [[Pump-jet|waterjet]]-propelled [[hydrofoil]] [[Boeing 929]], in April 1974. Those ships were powered by two [[Allison 501]]-KF gas turbines.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.boeing.com/history/products/jetfoil-hydrofoil.page |title= Jetfoil/hydrofoil Historical Snapshot |publisher= Boeing}}</ref>

Between 1971 and 1981, [[Seatrain Lines]] operated a scheduled [[intermodal container|container]] service between ports on the eastern seaboard of the United States and ports in northwest Europe across the North Atlantic with four container ships of 26,000 tonnes DWT. Those ships were powered by twin [[Pratt & Whitney]] gas turbines of the FT 4 series. The four ships in the class were named ''Euroliner'', ''Eurofreighter'', ''Asialiner'' and ''Asiafreighter''. Following the dramatic [[Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries]] (OPEC) price increases of the mid-1970s, operations were constrained by rising fuel costs. Some modification of the engine systems on those ships was undertaken to permit the burning of a lower grade of fuel (i.e., [[Marine diesel oil|marine diesel]]). Reduction of fuel costs was successful using a different untested fuel in a marine gas turbine but maintenance costs increased with the fuel change. After 1981 the ships were sold and refitted with, what at the time, was more economical diesel-fueled engines but the increased engine size reduced cargo space.{{citation needed|date=December 2012}}

The first passenger ferry to use a gas turbine was the [[GTS Finnjet|GTS ''Finnjet'']], built in 1977 and powered by two [[Pratt & Whitney]] FT 4C-1 DLF turbines, generating {{convert|55000|kW|shp|abbr=on}} and propelling the ship to a speed of 31&nbsp;knots. However, the Finnjet also illustrated the shortcomings of gas turbine propulsion in commercial craft, as high fuel prices made operating her unprofitable. After four years of service, additional diesel engines were installed on the ship to reduce running costs during the off-season. The Finnjet was also the first ship with a [[combined diesel–electric and gas]] propulsion. Another example of commercial use of gas turbines in a passenger ship is [[Stena Line]]'s [[High-speed Sea Service|HSS class]] fastcraft ferries. HSS 1500-class ''Stena Explorer'', ''Stena Voyager'' and ''Stena Discovery'' vessels use [[combined gas and gas]] setups of twin [[General Electric|GE]] [[General Electric LM2500|LM2500]] plus GE LM1600 power for a total of {{convert|68000|kW|shp|abbr=on}}. The slightly smaller HSS 900-class ''Stena Carisma'', uses twin [[Asea Brown Boveri|ABB]]–[[STAL]] GT35 turbines rated at {{convert|34000|kW|shp|abbr=on}} gross. The ''Stena Discovery'' was withdrawn from service in 2007, another victim of too high fuel costs.{{citation needed|date=December 2012}}

In July 2000, the [[Millennium (ship)|''Millennium'']] became the first [[cruise ship]] to be powered by both gas and steam turbines. The ship featured two General Electric LM2500 gas turbine generators whose exhaust heat was used to operate a steam turbine generator in a [[COGES]] (combined gas electric and steam) configuration. Propulsion was provided by two electrically driven Rolls-Royce Mermaid azimuth pods. The liner {{RMS|Queen Mary 2}} uses a combined diesel and gas configuration.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.geae.com/aboutgeae/presscenter/marine/marine_20040316.html |title=GE – Aviation: GE Goes from Installation to Optimized Reliability for Cruise Ship Gas Turbine Installations |publisher=Geae.com |date=16 March 2004 |access-date=13 August 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110416025534/http://www.geae.com/aboutgeae/presscenter/marine/marine_20040316.html |archive-date=16 April 2011}}</ref>

In marine racing applications the 2010 C5000 Mystic catamaran [[Miss GEICO]] uses two Lycoming T-55 turbines for its power system.{{citation needed|date=December 2012}}