Show 'em ... _#6

As the heading suggests, this post is one of a series.

To follow, start with Show 'em what you can do_#1 and proceed in chronological order.

This is an experiment. Feel free to submit comments or suggestions, including alternative and improved translations.

Block 3

For the French, see Les paris gagnés de DCN

A giant Meccano® set

The methods now used to integrate elastically-mounted blocks and suspended cradles with their hull sections mean that workers spend far less time in small spaces.

Gone are the long arduous hours installing vital equipment in tightly confined spaces. Since the Le Triomphant, the first new-generation SSBN (French designation: SNLE-NG), DCN has made extensive use of pre-outfitted blocks and assemblies. Elastically-mounted blocks on suspended cradles accommodate all the main rotating machinery, each cradle being fully assembled  before integration with the relevant hull section. The integration of the largest and heaviest packages can require months of planning and preparation.

Examples include the 190-tonne power & electricals module, the shaft line (18 metres in length by 800 mm in diameter), the 150-tonne aft motor and the 1,000-tonne propulsion module.

Caption: Positioning an elastically-mounted block

Running commentary

• The French subheading (Un mécano géant) translates, word for word, as 'A giant mechanic'. I have assumed that the author meant to write Un Meccano géant (in French the brand name is written without an accent). Certainly the two are pronounced the same. If I'm right, it illustrates an application of #1 of 101 Things a Translator Needs to Know, which is entitled Translators don’t translate words – they translate meaning. I also added the ® after 'Meccano' in line with best practice.
• The first paragraph is a re-write in an attempt to clarify it and make it more concrete. Perhaps someone out there can do a better job.
• Readers with even limited knowledge of naval matters are typically familiar with acronyms like SSBN, hence the importance of using them in the same way as naval writers do. It is also important, however, to include the French designation out of respect for French people who read the English translation, not least DCN (or today DCNS) employees. This slows the text down, but is difficult to avoid when writing in one language about products created in another.