Thordon Bearings’ US West Coast Distributor, Pacific Marine Equipment has completed the installation of a pair of TG100 mechanical propeller shaft seals to Hornblower Cruises & Events’ 1000-passenger capacity twin screw flagship, Inspiration Hornblower. thordon-cutaway-bearing-imageHownblower, a river cruise operator in the U.S., operates a fleet of 70 sightseeing and dinner cruise vessels in several cities across the Golden State, the United States and Canada. After several years of development, Thordon Bearings introduced the TG100 mechanical seal in 2013 for small vessels operating water-lubricated propeller shafts in both abrasive and clean waters. Suitable for propeller shaft diameters of 100mm (4-in.) to 305mm (12”), the TG100 is manufactured using hard wearing silicon carbide seal faces and Thordon’s proprietary elastomeric polymer bellows. Since its market introduction, Thordon Bearings has supplied more than 180 TG100 seals to operators of a wide range of vessels, including workboats, naval patrol vessels, ferries, yachts, tugs and tow boats. The TG100 has an emergency seal that permits stand-alone operation to allow the vessel to safely return to the nearest port, preventing permanent seal damage. The unique omega “Ω” shape of the proprietary elastomeric bellows minimises torsional vibration and maintains the required spring force throughout the allowable range of axial shaft movement. This elastomeric bellows has no shelf life and no scheduled replacement.