titanic reversing - engineer's job
manchester
found this in one of my old sets of antique books.
manchester
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International Library of Technology
(c) 1907 International Textbook Company
Volume: Marine Engines - Marine Pumps
(from Section 30, MARINE-ENGINE MANAGEMENT, pgs 33-34)
UNDER WAY
ROUTINE DUTIES
62. After an outgoing ocean steamer has discharged the pilot and is
fairly on her course at full speed, she may be regarded as being
permanently under way, and henceforth the attention of the
engineer-may be directed principally to watching the gauges,
thermometers, bearings, and oil cups; but he should never for an
instant lose sight of the fact that it may be necessary at any time,
for one of various urgent reasons - for instance, to avoid a collision
with another vessel or with an iceberg, or in answer to the call "man
over board" - to stop the engine hurriedly.
He should, therefore, pay the strictest attention to any signals from
deck that might be made for that purpose, and he should not absent
himself from his post at the throttle, or remain in a distant part of
the engine department for a longer time than is absolutely necessary,
and he should always be prepared to hasten to the throttle whenever it
might become necessary to do so. He should be especially careful in
this respect while running in a fog, or during a dark night or stormy
weather, or in the track of icebergs and on regular steamer routes, or
on a lee shore, or while approaching land.
Even when these conditions do not exist, careful attention to the
signals should never be relaxed, as people may jump or fall overboard,
when it is important to stop the vessel and lower a boat as quickly as
possible in order to rescue the person overboard. When the signal to
stop the engine is received while under way at full speed, without
first receiving the signal to slow down, especially if the signal to
stop is immediately followed by the signal to go astern full speed, it
is understood to mean that there is danger ahead or a "man overboard"
and that it is extremely important that the signals should be obeyed
immediately; and, if the signal to go astern or "back strong" should
be received while the vessel is under full headway the case is still
more urgent and not an instant should be lost in reversing the engine.
The engineer of the watch should always be prepared for an emergency
of this kind, and he should never forget that prompt action on his
part at such a time may save his ship or some other vessel from
destruction, or save a life.
Frank White
jmanc...@att.net says...
>
>Dredging up an old subject -- how quickly the engine room responded --
>found this in one of my old sets of antique books.
>
>manchester
Thanks for sharing this!
<snip interesting entry>
You know, one of the things I liked about Cameron's movie
was that it showed what must have been the absolute frenzy
set off in the Engine Room when the signal to reverse
engines came. The engineers HAD to have realized that
going from full ahead to reverse engines could only mean
that the ship was headed for disaster, and that everyone's
life might well depend on how fast they could get the
props reversed. It must have been a white knuckled hell
in there for a few minutes.
Heavy Sigh.
FW
vince garcia
right on. They must have realized it could ONLY be an iceberg or another
ship.
JEFF LOKKERHEIM
job to reverse engines. back in the day."
now theres such a considerablke advance for the engineers, as to
hydraulics and pneumatics to operate such devices, such items fro the
engine room today are as vital as the actual captain..
also the option to have the captain or the engineer at the helm.
On Sun, 14 Apr 2002 01:21:45 GMT, manchester <jmanc...@att.net>
wrote:
michaelangelo
It must have been a white knuckled hell
> in there for a few minutes.
>
I imagine the last few hours would have been pretty tense too!
Mike
--
-Rochdale Underground Airways-
JEFF LOKKERHEIM
thought, maybe a test of the crew, or possibly maybe another ship
"way" to close. but what actullay went through his mind was...
"what the hell is going on up there!?!"
maybe