The Sea Experience of Bristol Siddeley Marine Gas Turbines

The paper presents the experience gained by Bristol Siddeley Engines Limited, over the first five years of operation at sea of aviation gas turbines adapted for use in various marine installations. Most of the experience accumulated during this period has involved the “Proteus” engine and the first part of the paper is devoted to covering this aspect, commenting upon matters such as engine life, failures, current development and future applications. The shorter experience gained applying engines to hovercraft is then dealt with, and finally reference is made to the current activities at Bristol Siddeley concerning the use of the “Olympus” engine for marine purposes.