Battleship engine room

[Dreadnought]

The last USN battleship that carried them was BB48 West Virginia (Colorado class). Like the majority of her predesessors she carried twin 21" tubes. Launched in 1921. The following South Dakota class were cancelled and scrapped as the Washington Treaty took place. Your next new class of US battleship was the North Carolinia's (BB55-BB56) launched in 1940 and they were designed without them as would be the next ships in line the South Dakotas and then finally the Iowas.

West Virginia's bow mounted 21" torp tubes in drydock under the lower armor belt.
http://www.navsource.org/archives/01/014862.jpg

*The last WWII style torpedo to sink a warship (Belgrano).

[USSWisconsin]

I was thinking this thread was worth keeping alive and I noticed another neat little thread that goes with this subject

Machine shops in BB's

[USSWisconsin]

The Smoothbore 68 Pounder: A typical heavy gun at the end of the Age of Sail was the 68 Pdr 95 cwt. SBML , this gun had a ~L13.5 caliber bore of about 8.12” weighed about 5 tons without its carriage. It had evolved from a short barreled cannonade in the mid 18th century into a ~10' medium length cannon. It had a range of about 1,500 yards but was most effective at a third of this distance. The shot used in these guns had an 8” diameter and the additional 0.12” was typical of the windage provided, which eased loading but was detrimental to accuracy and velocity. A naval 68 pounder could be fired about once every two minutes by a well trained crew of sixteen men and was deadly to a wooden sailing ship. These guns formed the bulk of the armament of the first iron capital warship HMS Warrior (1860). These capable weapons were the results of years of evolution of the naval gun, and were the largest guns that could be effectively worked manually on the gundecks of a wooden broadside battery ship of the line. They were primarily considered anti-ship weapons for smashing holes into the waterline of an enemy vessel, but also had a potent capacity for firing anti-personnel canister shot, though their great weight normally lead to their being placed low in the battery thus limiting their usefulness in this role. They were widely produced and used and became a standard heavy gun throughout the world; normally equipped with several types of ammunition, a solid spherical shot of 68 pounds, an exploding shell with a time fuse, an anti-personnel canister shot with ninety large bullets, and an anti-rigging heavy grape shot which had fifteen small cannon balls. A ship fitted with a 68 Pdr could expect to devote 23 tons to each gun aboard, including the mounting, ammunition, equipment and crew, by comparison the 32 Pdr gun (approximately 6” bore) weighed about 12 tons per gun. In 1862 it was being argued before parliament that the 68 Pdr SBML with chilled steel shot was the best weapon for use against ironclads. The ML had an advantage over early ML guns in being able to take a stronger charge, as the breach mechanisms on BL guns improved this advantage disappeared. The reliability and familiarity of these guns helped them to stay in service on some older vessels until the end of the 19th century. These guns were capable of piercing 4.5” of solid wrought iron armor at 450 yards, and remained a force to be reckoned with well into the Ironclad Era. A few were even used in Britain's 1940 emergency defenses, with their fearsome charges of canister shot made ready to greet the German invaders.

[USSWisconsin]

Found some nice old illustrations



Liner engine


Paddle wheel engine



Armored cruiser engine

[USSWisconsin]

The valve gear for one of these VTE's is amazing, the upper and lower engines picture above are Vertical Triple Expansion engines. They have pistons, rods and a crankshaft as a gasoline engine has, but they work differently - there is a piston rod above the connecting rod in these. The steam is used three times, each time with a larger, lower pressure cylinder. This type of engine powered more battleships than any other type- though most of them were predreadnoughts.

[ArtyEngineer]

The knowedge of the guys that ran these engines and in fact "Knew every single nut, bolt, pipe, valve, cylinder, gear and linkage" on them just blows my mind. I bet the some of our Nuke Guys may struggle getting to grips with one of these beasts!!!!

Regards

Arty

[SharkPilot]

Years ago I took a trip aboard SS Jeremiah O'Brien around San Francisco Bay. Since I was a fireman-watertender aboard the SS Lane Victory, I spent most of the day in the engine room.
I had never seen a steam piston engine operate. She has a 2500 ihp triple expansion engine and it is quite a work of art in motion. It was fascinating to see such large parts move so quickly, yet so smoothly. I loved watching it.
It must have been even more amazing to see one of the really large engines like the pre-dreadnaughts or ocean liners had.
One can only imagine now...

[Dreadnought]

Main propulsion layout as compared to the NFL grid iron.

[Ytlas]

Main propulsion layout as compared to the NFL grid iron.

So what yard line does this thingie go?

As posted on Navsource's Mo section

[USSWisconsin]

Is that a main engine steam pressue relief valve?

[Ytlas]

Is that a main engine steam pressue relief valve?

The picture needs to be turned 90 degrees counter-clockwise. That's why I wrote "As posted" earlier. It's on the Port side.

[USSWisconsin]

does that put it on the 5 yrd or 40 yd line?

[Ytlas]

does that put it on the 5 yrd or 40 yd line?

Sure does

[Dreadnought]

A "hazy" look down Broadway, Sorry, but you will have to come see us to see the real thing when were ready. Sooooon.

[Ytlas]

A "hazy" look down Broadway, Sorry, but you will have to come see us to see the real thing when were ready. Sooooon.

Watch your shins and forehead. Always easier for me to just "Hurdle" each door.