> I recall hearing about a UNIVAC shipboard computer where the drum ripped > loose from the deck when the ship was maneuvering quickly.
This is a myth. Warships of the era (1960s/70s) are loaded with really big heavy spinning things (motor-generators and amplidynes), and they do not rip off the deck during maneuvers or rough seas. If anything, the drum bearings were probably tortured to death. I was on RANGE SENTINEL and VANGUARD (freighters turned missile trackers, basically) in the ghost fleet maybe 8 years ago, and in the old computer and telemetry rooms, everything was clearly WELL fastened down. Also, they had the most expensive raise computer floors I have ever seen - all very heavy duty stainless steel construction. I think each riser for the floor tiles was a solid 2 inch diameter post. And I need a 2305. -- Will ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
