OT: WWI German Diesel Submarine Engine

Note: WWI, not WWII.

Note also, the pneumatic fuel injection.

Folks, this was high tech stuff in 1917.

Dean
1917 Diesel Engine

I have always loved the mechanicalness of engines like that to see all the tubing and movement it like its alive , which I guess it is in a way

I like that cleaning the slip rings. With his hand and some sand paper.

Smoking near a running engine. OSHA would have a fit

(quoted from post at 11:46:25 11/03/18) I like that cleaning the slip rings. With his hand and some sand paper.

Smoking near a running engine. OSHA would have a fit

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Wasn't up to speed, easy job, have used big bars of compound to seat brushes in while generators were at speed. On the ship, we would use a canvas wiper on the ships service turbine generators while they were running at speed to wipe the slip rings every midwatch.
Used to smoke in the engine room on the tug all the time and we could have up to 4 diesels running down there.

I have done it also. Rarely had that much room. Used a stick on the small ones. Block of wood with a stone mounted on the bottom on
the large ones. The stupid rules that OSHA has would call that dangerous.

Agreed. Great video.

Think any of the engine built today will be running in a hundred years????? NO!!! The electronics will be junk. Many will be lucky to be running in 25-30 years.

I have a 1932 1KW Onan. I still use it.

I had a 2002 Volvo semi and in 2012 some of the dealerships couldn't work on it because they said the computer was outdated.

one or two places a person could lose a finger, or hand, or arm.

Those guys are real mechanics who will not get hurt around moving machinery.

Agreed, WJY, but consider the sailors in the engine room of a ship powered by a large triple expansion steam engine.

The link below is to a video showing the triple expansion steam engine in a WWII Liberty ship.

This engine produced about 1,800-1,900 SHP and could propel a Liberty ship at about 11 or 12 knots.

Operating and maintaining such engines required sailors to work in close proximity to the moving parts. These men knew what they were doing long before there was an OSHA.

FWIW, this is a small marine triple expansion steam engine. The triple expansion engines of the WWI armored cruiser SMS Blucher produced nearly 38,000 SHP but it was not enough. German intelligence failed to determine that the British had developed a new type of ship, the battlecruiser, which was turbine powered and lightly armored but mounted the heavy guns of a battleship. The SMS Blucher, the largest, fastest, most heavily gunned, and most heavily armored, armored cruiser built by anyone was obsolete when laid down in 1907. Though she could make over 25 knots, she was run down and sunk at Dogger Bank in 1915 by newer, faster, turbine powered, British battle cruisers mounting much bigger guns. Imagine the sailors in the engine room trying to get every last HP out of their engines during the battle. Most of her crew perished as she sunk.

Google SMS Blucher for more information.

Dean

Dean
Marine Triple Expansion Steam Engine

I remember hearing that when computers first came in cars in the 1980s. Instead some of them keep chugging along. Just installed seats in my 1990 F150 to make it more comfortable for the next 100K.

According to the notes it was never used on a sub but was stored until WW2 and used as a generator to power the local water supply until the mid 1960s.

After looking at the Liberty Ship video and noting all the hardware, pipes bolts and nuts understand we were building one every 42 days average during the war.

(quoted from post at 07:16:13 11/03/18) I have done it also. Rarely had that much room. Used a stick on the small ones. Block of wood with a stone mounted on the bottom on
the large ones. The stupid rules that OSHA has would call that dangerous.

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If these old timers were were so smart at keeping away from open exposed moving parts ? Why were so many of these smart people maimed or killed until moving components were shielded ?