As a new apprentice to Brocklebank Line in 1961 we were taken to various Marine related businesses. I remember one trip to a Marine Propeller manufacturer and being amazed at the shear size of them and the Shaper machine that was cutting the surface of the blades.
One Saturday morning we reported to Head Office at Cunard Buildings and were taken over to Birkenhead and set foot on our first Brocklebank ship. I can't remember what she was but she must have been SS Maihar, SS Mandasor or SS Makalla because she had main engines that were Triple Expansion Reciprocating Steam Engines. I can picture the sight even now in my mind but would have difficulty in putting the minds view into words.
We were told that this type of engine was soon to be history and that Steam Turbines would be forming the fleet in the future, apart from the Diesel engined Mahout whish was still on the stocks at that time.
Obviously we young apprentices all hoped that we would be allocated to a turbine ship and not to this ancient bit of marine history that we were looking at. I think that our years intake did only sail with turbines with several of us also sailing on MV Mahout.
It was towards the end of my time with the company that I felt I had missed an opportunity not having served on one of the Up and Downers but by then it was too late.
I have this desire to find out more about this form of steam propulsion but have been unable to find much on the net except for simplified diagrams. Are there any older Brock's engineers out there who can share some of their memories with me/us and enlighten me as to what they were like to serve?
Also does anyone have any photographs of these engines that they could post.
Look forward to getting some good feed-back.
Stuart Smith
One Saturday morning we reported to Head Office at Cunard Buildings and were taken over to Birkenhead and set foot on our first Brocklebank ship. I can't remember what she was but she must have been SS Maihar, SS Mandasor or SS Makalla because she had main engines that were Triple Expansion Reciprocating Steam Engines. I can picture the sight even now in my mind but would have difficulty in putting the minds view into words.
We were told that this type of engine was soon to be history and that Steam Turbines would be forming the fleet in the future, apart from the Diesel engined Mahout whish was still on the stocks at that time.
Obviously we young apprentices all hoped that we would be allocated to a turbine ship and not to this ancient bit of marine history that we were looking at. I think that our years intake did only sail with turbines with several of us also sailing on MV Mahout.
It was towards the end of my time with the company that I felt I had missed an opportunity not having served on one of the Up and Downers but by then it was too late.
I have this desire to find out more about this form of steam propulsion but have been unable to find much on the net except for simplified diagrams. Are there any older Brock's engineers out there who can share some of their memories with me/us and enlighten me as to what they were like to serve?
Also does anyone have any photographs of these engines that they could post.
Look forward to getting some good feed-back.
Stuart Smith
