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»	Cruise Talk » Ocean Liners and Classic Cruise Ships » SS America

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Topic: SS America

Ernst
First Class Passenger
Member # 5369

posted 06-10-2006 08:57 PM

Look what I found:

'After fireroom of the SS America, showing three of the six B&W boilers installed'

In preparation for my next cruise I got hands on the book 'Steam it's Generation and Use - The Babcock and Wilcox Company' (37th edition, 2nd print)

A very nice book giving a very general overview on 'steam' with a small chapter on marine appications where I found beside other photos and drawings (passenger ships: exterior view of the United States, America and Independence) this nice picture - I guess a good excuse to start a thread on the SS America.

[ 06-10-2006: Message edited by: Ernst ]

Posts: 9746 | From: Eindhoven | Registered: Jan 2005 | IP: Logged

Garnett
First Class Passenger
Member # 6346

posted 06-10-2006 09:30 PM

Nice shot.

I would have loved to have toured the operating engine/boiler room of an operating steam ship. Unfortunately, I never got the chance.

The closest I came to it was back in the 1980's when Captain Rolf Bassenburg of the then named "Caribe I" (now Regal Empress) gave me a tour of that ship's engine room. Of course, she was (is) powered by diesels, not steam.

Garnett

Posts: 72 | From: North Carolina, USA | Registered: Mar 2006 | IP: Logged

Linerrich
First Class Passenger
Member # 4864

posted 06-11-2006 09:27 AM

Back in the '70s and '80s it was relatively easy to get tours of the engine rooms of ships, before security and insurance concerns became so high. I was fortunate enough to have seen boilers and engines for many steamships.

One tour that stays in my mind is from the OCEANIC--the 1st Engineer was proud of the clean condition of the engine room, and told us that it was "so clean, you could eat off the floors--but we wouldn't let you because you'd get the floors dirty!"

Rich

Posts: 4210 | From: Miami, FL | Registered: Jul 2004 | IP: Logged

lasuvidaboy
First Class Passenger
Member # 4527

posted 06-11-2006 01:22 PM

Back in the late 1980s, I was lucky to visit the USS Missouri for a short cruise around Catalina Island off L.A.. One of the highlights was one of the engines room where in one area you could see all four propeller shafts working at the same time.

Posts: 7654 | From: Hollywood Hills/L.A. | Registered: Mar 2004 | IP: Logged

Ernst
First Class Passenger
Member # 5369

posted 06-11-2006 02:03 PM

There are still some ships where you can get in the engine room - even these days. Unfortunately these big steam installations are getting rare. (but some smaller one are still around - e.g. paddle steamers in the U.S. and Europe have steam engines - and I have been to some of these engine rooms)

Posts: 9746 | From: Eindhoven | Registered: Jan 2005 | IP: Logged

linerguy
First Class Passenger
Member # 4289

posted 06-12-2006 11:10 AM

Back in the late 80's, I was in the engine rooms of the SS United States. My friend and I made our way all the way down to shaft alley and got to the point where the shafts exited the bossings,....very cool.

This was when her interiors, while in a state of chaos, were still intact. I remember finding racks and racks of drinking glasses all with the USLines logo etched on them; and almost all of them broken. I did manage to come home with a car load of stuff though.....

-Russ

Posts: 1486 | From: Bright, Indiana | Registered: Dec 2003 | IP: Logged

Willem
First Class Passenger
Member # 3005

posted 06-12-2006 11:31 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Linerrich:

One tour that stays in my mind is from the OCEANIC--the 1st Engineer was proud of the clean condition of the engine room, and told us that it was "so clean, you could eat off the floors--but we wouldn't let you because you'd get the floors dirty!"
Rich

It still is and today's Chief Engineer is still proud.
I had the chance to visit the engineroom and boilerroom on the seaday between Tunis and Barcelona.

Willem

Posts: 1469 | From: In the namesake city of Cape Hoorn. | Registered: Apr 2002 | IP: Logged

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