September Update - Part 1: Big Structural Progress (Patreon)

Hi all, Kyle here!

We're going to do something a little unusual and split this update into multiple parts, as including everything in one would get a bit cumbersome. This first part is simply THG/structure, the next will be more on THG/Project 401, and then there may be one or two more parts after.

Here it goes again, again...

As I talked about before, I had been pretty busy doing more much-needed housework for some time. I finally finished up a huge part of that including remodeling of a room, and while I still have much to do around the rest of the house, I feel I can take time away from that and focus on THG stuff until the time comes for me to dive into more housework. I decided to pick up where I left off with the plating of Watertight Bulkhead N.

Work on Bulkhead N had been grinding along due to some issues working out exactly how the plating overlapped in places, but things started moving more quickly after that. In the last couple of weeks, I've finished blocking out the plating for Bulkheads L, M, and N, in addition to O which had been done earlier on. Bulkhead L forms the aft "wall" of the Reciprocating Engine Room, and Bulkhead M forms the aft "wall" of the Turbine Engine Room.

Note that the work so far is effectively just a blockout, as a lot of work still needs to be done to bring the plating and elements to a finished, game-ready state. Aside from the usual polishing steps, the plating also needs to be adjusted for camber and various measurements, which can't be done until more structure is in place for the decks. Plate overlaps also will need to be trimmed to avoid overlaps intersecting with other plates. There's also the matter of changes to bulkhead-adjacent hull frames and the addition of the stiffeners and other structural elements for the bulkheads.

Work will continue with the bulkheads, with Bulkhead K being next. The next batch will be more difficult due to the worse quality of the plans, but also easier due to the fairly simplistic nature of the between-boiler-room bulkheads.

Once blocking out of bulkhead plating is done, I will likely start putting deck beams in place. That and what comes after will depend on how long the bulkheads take, so we'll see.

For now, I'll leave it at that. Part 2 should be going up within the next day or two!