Electric Motor Rebuilt on Cruise Ship

Cascade General, Inc. has built a world-wide reputation for emergency repairs completed on-budget and on-time.  The latest example of our "can-do" philosophy was the engine room repair carried out on the 915', 39,000-ton displacement cruise ship Rhapsody of the Seas.

Despite being less than a year old, the ship began experiencing loss of power from its diesel-electric propulsion system.  Although it meant significant rescheduling, the decision was made to replace the stator - the static element of the motor inside which the rotor spins.

The design of the engine room made no provision for this eventuality, since the electric motors were expected to last the life of the ship.  Consequently, Cascade General's crews were faced with the daunting task of quickly creating a hoisting system capable of lifting and moving the 35-ton unit.

On the floor of Dry Dock 4, a robust platform was built to support this heavy load.  At the same time, inside the ship, work was under way to clear the complex maze of piping and wiring found in a modern engine room.  Workers then proceeded to weld lifting beams and eyes into position.

When the hull was opened, a skid platform was extended out onto the staging and the transformer was skidded out.  Then the motor housing was cut in half, the 8,500 KW electric motor dismantled and the rotor moved forward through a hole cut in the bulkhead.  Only now could work start on lifting the damaged stator.

After the delicate installation of the new stator was completed, work began to restore the engine room to full, operational status.  This was completed 17 days after the ship arrived.  Following successful sea trials, the ship was returned to service.

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Cascade General operates Portland Shipyard, the largest and most complete ship repair and industrial facility on the West Coast of the United States. We provide full-service repairs and conversions for tankers, cruise ships, bulk carriers, container ships, government vessels, tugs, barges and workboats. Cascade General's Portland facility includes a 60-acre (24.2 ha) yard, 550,000 square feet (51,096 square meters) of craft shops, more than 7,600 ft. (2,326 meters) of full-service repair berths, and two floating dry docks.