Vic Dale wrote:
The speeds recorded in PoW's log (can you give me a useful URL to this document?) will have been recorded by Pitometer log and as I said earlier, the very cold waters in the Denmark Strait will have given an increase in speed through faster shaft revolutions, though with steam pressure still within the absolute maximum, due to the condensers working more efficiently than they would on the Arran mile.
Vic
PoW's log is unpublished, but Frank Allan of the HMS Hood website was kind enough to provide this data:
"0500- Log: 295.2; Distance Run through the Water: 28 miles and 8 tenths;
True Course: 240; Mean Revolutions per minute: 235.8
0600- Log: No readings taken following action; Distance Run through the
Water: 29 miles and 1 tenth; True Course: Var (various); Mean Revolutions
per Minute: 239" I was given this also "0700 listing is 28 miles and 4 tenths at 231.8
revolutions. " which probably should read in the same format as above.
For reference HMS Howe, on a two hour trial near the Orkneys, in May 1943, made 27.1 knots with 110500shp at 43,500tons @ 227.9 rpm with a foul bottom (9 months out of dock) using land fixes. In Aug 1942 during her 4 hour builders trials she made 27.7 knots with 113457 shp at 42530 tons @ 231.9 rpm with a clean bottom, but using only her log. I would guess that PoW displaced about 42000 tons at 0400 on May 24 1941, and was about 3 months out of dock.
PoW would have run her trials in the winter of 1940/41, so I doubt the water temp was much different, than in the DS.