Answer the helm.

The muscle on the stock. The steering gear’s job is to put torque on the rudder stock and move the rudder. Two ways dominate. A ram-type gear uses hydraulic rams acting through a Rapson-slide tiller or crosshead — the classic choice for large rudders and high torque, in two- or four-ram arrangements. A rotary-vane gear puts a compact vane actuator directly on the stock — space-efficient and widely used. Either way the hydraulic power comes from electro-hydraulic power units: motor-driven pumps, reservoir, valves and piping.

Redundant, by rule. Because steering is safety-critical, classification societies and naval rules require redundancy: a main and an auxiliary steering gear, with duplicated, independent power units and changeover, so a single failure cannot leave the ship unable to steer. There is a local, emergency steering position at the gear itself, and protection — relief, buffer and hunting-gear — so the rudder is never over-driven. On a warship it is also shock-mounted and built for naval service.

Designed, built — and indigenised. This is an electro-hydraulic, controls and heavy-fabrication machine, which is exactly our competence. We design it to the rudder torque, the ship and the classification rules; we build the power units, the actuator, the control and telemotor and the structural fabrication; and we assemble and test it as a system. Where the need is to indigenise an existing design — to re-engineer it and build it here — that is squarely the work we do.