英国皇家海军最先进驱逐舰怕热

The engines powering the Royal Navy’s cutting-edge fleet of Type 45 destroyers are unable to operate continuously in the warm waters of the Gulf, MPs were told on Tuesday.

周二，英国国会议员们被告知，英国皇家海军(Royal Navy)最先进的45型驱逐舰(Type 45 Destroyer)的发动机无法在波斯湾(the Gulf)温暖水域持续运行。

Executives from BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, Northrop Grumman and General Electric were grilled by the defence select committee about the failures that have caused the UK’s newest and most advanced destroyers to break down repeatedly in recent years, leaving them without power for propulsion or weapons systems.

这种缺陷导致英国这款最新、最先进的驱逐舰近几年来反复发生故障，丧失驱动推进系统或武器系统的动力。英国国会防务特别委员会就此盘问了BAE系统(BAE Systems)、罗尔斯•罗伊斯(Rolls-Royce)、诺思罗普•格鲁曼(Northrop Grumman)和通用电气(General Electric)的高管。

Responding to questions about why the power systems failed in warmer waters than the UK, John Hudson, managing director of BAE Systems maritime, said the original specifications for the vessel had not required it to sustain extremes. “The operating profile at the time was that there would not be repeated or continuous operations in the Gulf,” he said.

在回答为何动力系统在比英国温暖的水域会失灵的问题时，BAE系统海事董事总经理约翰•赫德森(John Hudson)表示，该舰最初的技术规格并未要求它承受极端条件。他说：“当时的运行环境要求是，不会反复或持续在波斯湾执行任务。”

Tomas Leahy, of Rolls-Royce naval programmes, said the destroyer was now operating in “far more arduous conditions than envisaged in the specifications”.

罗尔斯•罗伊斯海军计划部门的托马斯•莱希(Tomas Leahy)表示，这款驱逐舰如今是在“比技术规格所设想的恶劣得多的环境”中执行任务。

However, the Ministry of Defence denied that this was the case. “The Type 45 was designed for worldwide operations from sub-Arctic to extreme tropical environments and continues to operate effectively in the Gulf and South Atlantic all year round.”

但英国国防部(Ministry of Defence)认为事情并非如此。“从设计上讲，45型驱逐舰是用来在从亚北极区到极端热带环境的世界各地执行任务。它仍在波斯湾及南大西洋有效地展开行动，全年都是如此。”

The six ships, which cost the taxpayer ￡1bn each, are the backbone of Britain’s combat force at sea and are among the most advanced missile destroyers in the world. They are the Royal Navy’s first all-electric ships and are driven by two Rolls-Royce WR21 gas turbines and two Wartsila diesel engines.

这六艘45型驱逐舰每艘耗费了纳税人10亿英镑，它们是英国海上战斗力量的骨干，也是全球最先进的导弹驱逐舰之一。它们是英国皇家海军首批全电推进的舰只，由两台罗尔斯•罗伊斯WR21燃气轮机和两台瓦锡兰(Wartsila)柴油发动机驱动。

The WR21 is designed to deliver significantly improved operating costs by using an intercooler recuperator, which recovers exhaust and recycles the gas into the engine.

在设计上，WR21通过使用中冷器和回热器大幅提高运行效率。中冷器和回热器会回收废气，供发动机循环使用。

But, as a rule, power turbines slowed down in warm temperatures, MPs were told. This had not been recognised by the system, which continued to demand more power. Eventually the generators would come to a halt. “This is not the fault of the WR21,” said Mr Leahy. “It is the laws of physics.”

英国国会议员们被告知，一般来说，动力涡轮在温暖的环境下会减慢转速。整个系统却认识不到这一点，继续要求提供更多动力。最终，发电机会陷入停机。莱希表示：“这不是WR21的错，这是物理定律。”

MPs could hardly believe what they had heard. “I am absolutely stunned,” said Douglas Chapman, of the Scottish National party. “To have a ￡1bn asset that you put into a war zone and we don’t know if those people we put there can come out alive — I am just astounded.”

英国国会议员们简直不敢相信他们听到的话。苏格兰民族党(Scottish National Party)的道格拉斯•查普曼(Douglas Chapman)表示：“我完全蒙了。我们将一个价值10亿英镑的资产投入战区，却不知道我们派到那儿去的那些人能否活着出来——真让我感到震惊。”

The MoD is having to set aside tens of millions of pounds to fix the destroyers. The plan is to install two extra diesel engines which will require cutting a hole in the hull of the brand new destroyers.

英国国防部现在不得不拨备数千万英镑来修理这些驱逐舰。目前的计划是再安装两台柴油发动机，为了做到这点，必须在这些崭新的驱逐舰的船体上切割出一个洞。