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Titanic Engineer's Memorial

8K views 31 replies 20 participants last post by  rodfair 
#1 ·
For years I lived in or near Southampton and to my shame I didn't have a close look at the Titanic Engineer's Memorial. I've just returned from a weekend of revisiting my lost youth and had a close look. The Engineer on the left appears to be operating the reversing lever on a recip steam engine but I have no idea what Engineer on the right is doing. Can anyone tell me please?

I have to say that I was somewhat moved by the memorial.

http://www.maritimequest.com/misc_pages/monuments_memorials/titanic_engineer_memorial.htm
 
#3 ·
I wonder if its a manual watertight door control?

Mind you it seems to be set on a pedistal with hydraulic pipe at the base. Perhaps its a depiction of a ships wheel?

I doubt if the artist was a nautical man.

Mind you, it doesn't matter to me, its the rememberance that counts.
 
#4 ·
Thanks billyboy, I think that you may be right. I was thrown by the fact that the wheel appears to drive a vertical shaft that disappears into what looks like a closed tank. It's also 42 years since I last answered a telegraph that wasn't built into a control room consol!
 
#7 ·
Had a look at this a couple of time's to try and make it out, however, after giving my glasses a good clean I suspect Bob F is right. The pipe appear's to lead to the reversing engine cylinder which is next to his left lower leg. As for his right hand I would suspect it is answering the Chadburn.(*))
 
#10 · (Edited)
Hello all, maybe not the ideal place for this question, I don't want to stray too far off topic.

I'm puzzled by the term 'reversing engine', what's that please?

All my steam time was with turbines, so I understand the need for an 'astern' turbine.

I though Titanic was steam recip' so just valve change required for astern running, roughly comparable to a diesel engine reversing.

Was the valve gear so heavy to move it needed power assistance?
 
#18 ·
The Titanic had a Parsons type exhaust steam turbine using steam from main engines at 9 psi and powered the central prop with no reversing function.
the rotor blades were 18' to25.5' in length and the rotor casing 14 feet in length. total weight rotor and casing 420 tons

Manganese bronze prop 16.5 feet diameter, service rpm 165

A massive installation

Graham
 
#15 ·
So that the engine will restart? I have often wondered what would happen in a TE engine with the h.p piston stopped at the wrong crank positions.

I know that on the Smith-Johnson 3-cylinder compound locomotives, there was a reducing valve which admitted steam to the l.p. cylinders at starting; was there a similar arrangement on marine TE engines?
 
#16 · (Edited)
The name of the game was to stop the engine with the HPcrank balanced at TDC and the Stephenson reversing links in the mid-position ready to either go Ahead or Astern (depending on what the vessel was doing), other than that it was using the Impulse Valves to give it a shove.
 
#21 ·
The correct section of quote should be " exhaust steam from the main engines at a pressure of 9 lbs absolute which was then expanded down to 1 llb absolute"

Unfortunately what I actually wrote didn't always make it to the final print past the proof reader. (Cloud)
 
#25 ·
No problem Graham and I hope you enjoyed it errors and all... (LOL)

As we used to say in Harland and Bluff... "It wasn't me wot done it, I only held the drawing" (LOL)
 
#27 ·
Has the monument any indication on it to relate the monument to the Titanic, as the one in Liverpool has no indication as White Star did not want any reference to the vessel. The monument is situated a stones throw from the ex White Star HQ in the bottom of James St, now vacant and in need of refurbishment.
 
#28 ·
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