A propeller shaft is supported on the stern end of a ship hull by a
bearing within which optic fiber cables are embedded in close spaced
relation to the outer cylindrical surface of a bearing supported portion
of the propeller shaft for a monitoring wear thereof with maximum
accuracy. An optical data acquisition system having a light source and a
graphic display is operatively connected to the optic fiber cables
through inserted optic connector cables to transmit light from the light
source as a signal medium into the bearing so as to render the optic
fiber cables therein operative as sensors to detect and measure wear of
the entire bearing portion of the propeller shaft surface being thereby
monitored. Wear measurement optical signals within the wear sensing
cables are then transmitted back to the data acquisition system through
the optic connector cables for display of the shaft bearing wear
measurements.