Deep into an exploration of the wreck of HMHS Britannic, one of the divers began to panic. He had lost his way – disturbed silt had left him blinded, and air was running out fast. Luckily, working by feel, he manoeuvred himself out of danger – guided by the unmistakable contours of a massive pipe flange he had marked earlier.

Corrosion-resistant pipe fittings and flanges have long been a trademark of the shipping industry. The precision engineered, high-quality alloy fittings we at Chemipetro supply to the petrochemical industry are also used in ship systems, so it’s worth taking a look at them.

Warfare has long been dependent on functioning Naval fleets, so when the arrival of submarine technology took the industry to a new level, much research went into making components capable of operating for extended periods of time underwater. Today, military scientists and industrial engineering companies work side-by-side to develop flanges worthy of the high-pressure pumping systems fitted to today’s turbo-powered behemoths – both above and below water.

In 2005, NPCA’s annual Marine and Offshore Coatings Conference coerced with the Fleet Corrosion Control Forum, NSRP and other bodies, to discuss the specific corrosion problems facing flanges and other fitments in naval submarines.

The conference added that a few subs “are used for scientific or business purposes.” This takes us full circle. That ill-fated diver got into trouble because his self-designed mini-submersible was too unwieldy to do the exploring for him. A case of bigger not always being best – which is why marine pipe fittings come in all sizes.