Steamships
Reciprocating steam engines and scotch fire tube boilers used to propel
steamships with paddle wheels, paddle wheelers, and steamers with screw
propeller
There are three main types or reciprocating steam engines used in
steamships: compound, triple and quadruple-expansion engines.
Steamships with Compound steam engine
The steam expand in two steps from the boiler pressure to the exhaust
pressure using one high-pressure and one low-pressure cylinder.
Compound steam engines with three cylinders have been used, especially as
auxiliary engines to produce electricity onboar the ships. In that case there
were three cylinders with the very same diameter, on high pressure cylinder two
low pressure cylinders .
Steamships with Triple-Expansion steam engine
The steam expand in three steps from the boiler pressure to the exhaust
pressure using one high-pressure-cylinder, one intermediate-pressure-cylinder
and one low-pressure-cylinder. In large steamships the steam engines very large
and heavy low-pressure-piston could hardly be lifted by the low pressure steam
and it was therefore replaced by two low-pressure-pistons. In that case there
were four cylinders, one high- pressure, one intermediate-pressure cylinder and
two low-pressure cylinders.
Steamships with Quadruple-Expansion steam engine
The steam expands in four steps from the boiler pressure to the exhaust
pressure using one high-pressure cylinder, two different size
intermediate-pressure cylinder and one low-pressure cylinder.
The steamship Inchmona owned by Hamilton Fraser & Company had a
five-cylinders quadruple-expansion steam engine; one high pressure-cylinder two
different sized intermediate-pressure-cylinders and two equal sized low
pressure cylinders.
Screw-propelled Steamships
In the end of 1850 the screw propelled steamships become recognized as
superior to paddle-wheelers and after that the steamships began to supersede
the sailing ships.
The screw propeller has a number of advantages and it is better in rough sea
since the screw is continually submerged.
Side-wheelers, Steamship with a paddle-wheel at each side of the ship
Some paddle wheelers had one steam engine for each paddle wheel. Later
paddle ships had the paddle wheels mounted on the very same shaft and hence the
paddle wheels could not be used to steer the ship. A paddle steamer can carry
less cargo since the draught will influence on the paddle wheels efficiency. If
the paddle wheels are too much submerged they will not work at all.
Stern-wheelers, Steamship with a paddle-wheel at the stearn
The Mississippi River Stern-wheelers have a steering system that is very
different from other ships. On screw propelled ships, the rudder is behind the
propeller. A stern-wheeler has its very large rudder in front of the paddle
wheel. This makes these paddlewheelers more maneuverable in reverse than
forward going.
Navy steamships
Navy ships was originally propelled in the same way as the merchant marine
ships, but son they become provided with water tube boilers with higher steam
pressure and nowadays they are equipped with nuclear reactors for steam
generation. Especially the larger ones like aircraft carrier.
Steamboats
Steamboats are usually smaller steam-powered boats working on lakes and
rivers. In this particular site steamboats are steam propelled boats without
separate engine rooms.
A steamship usually carry a prefix before its names: SS=Steamship,
PS=Paddle Steamer, TS=Turbine Ship, SL=Steam Launch, RMS=Royal Mail Steamer
Some people claim that the American ship Savannah was the first
steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean in 1819. Savannah was a sailing
ship fitted with steam engines and side- wheels. During the twenty-nine days
voyage they used the steam engine less than four days. I don't consider that a
steamship voyage.
Curaçao a small Dutch mail carrier crossed de Atlantic Ocean
several times, mostly under steam power, in 1826-28 .
Steamships
Swedish Steamships
Steam
boilers Fire tube boilers and water tube boilers
Steam
engines Reciprocating steam engines
Jack A small flag at the bow of a ship
Swedish Steamships
Swedish
Steamship Blidösund from Norrtälje Two cylinder compound
expansion engine with Flodman's reversing link motion
Swedish
Steamship Bohuslän from Gothenburg Three cylinder triple expansion
engine with Stephenson's reversing link motion
Swedish Steamship
Bore from Västerås Icebreaker
Swedish
Steamship Boxholm II from Boxholm The ship was delivered in three parts and
assembled on the beach of the lake Sommen
S/S Bäsinge
from BorlängeTwo cylinder compound expansion engine with Stephenson's
reversing link motion
Steam ferry
Djurgården 3 from Stockholm Steam ferry
Domnarfvet from
Tomnäs engines manoeuvring levers on the navigation bridge
Drottningholm from
Stockholm
S/S Ejdern from
Södertälje nowadays the museum society "Ångfartyget
Ejdern" owns and runs her
Engebrekt from
Leksand Scotch fire tube boiler with one furnace
Swedish Paddle
steamer Eric Nordevall II from Forsvik A replica of the paddle steamer Eric
Nordevall built in 1836 and foundered in 1856
Flottisten from
Rättvik Built in 1890 at Hernösands mek. verkst.
Härnösand Sweden
Freja af
Fryken from Fryksta Single cylinder engine with Stephenson's reversing link
motion and an expansion slide valve
Frithiof from
Stockholm
Steam ferry
Färjan 4 from Gothenburg Steam ferry
S/S Herbert from
Alingsås Two cylinder compound expansion engine with Hackworth
reversing gear
SS Mariefred
from Mariefred She has sailed the same route, Stockholm - Mariefred, since
the very beginning
SS Motala
Expesss from Motala Hydraulically driven bow- and stern-thrusters have been
installed
Steam tug Nalle
from Oskarshamn scotch marine steam boiler with two rotary cup burners
SS Norrskär
from Vaxholm Three pressure atomized oil burners
SS
Polstjärnan from Karlstad Combined steam driven anchor gear and
winch
SS
Saltsjön from Stockholm Scotch fire tube boiler with three oil fired
furnaces
Icebreaker
Sankt Erik from Stockholm Four single-ended scotch fire tube boiler with
three furnaces each
Stockholm ex.
Postångaren Öland from Kalmar
Storskär
from VaxholmA new boiler from Novikat Oy was installed in 1999
Trafik from Hjo
Scotch fire tube boiler with two funaces
Tärnan av Waxholm
from Vaxholm Built in 1901 at William Lindbergs Mekaniska Verkstad,
Stockholm Sweden
Örnen from
Västerås Steam tug
SS Östa from
Svinninge Two cylinder compound expansion engine with Stephenson's
reversing link motion
Schooner Elegant
from Kalmar I know, this is not a steamship, but it was my father's boat
and I lived my first years onboard
Swedish Steamboats without engine room
Agnes from
Born, Dalarna
Forsvik from
Forsvik
Gerda from
Eskilstuna
Lagaholm from
Laholm
Nossan from
Nossebro
SS Thor from
Växjö
European Steamships
Danish steamers
Paddle
steamer Hjejlen from Silkeborg Hjejlen is the oldest steamship still in
operation in her original form
Steamship
Skjelskør from Frederikssund Two cylinder compound expansion engine
with Klug reversing gear
German steamers
SS Alexandra
from Flensburg Scotch fire tube boiler with two furnaces
Paddle steamer
Freya from Kiel
Steamship
Kapitän Meyer from Wilhelmshaven Two water tube boilers. 14 bar.
Originally three burners in each boiler, today only one
SS
Schaarhörn from Hamburg Two three cylinder triple expansion engine
with Klug reversing gear
SS Stettin from
Hamburg Steam ice-breaker
SS Wal from
Bremerhaven Steam ice-breaker
SS Woltman from
Hamburg Tug Steamer
Norwegian steamers
Steamship
Børøysund from Oslo Three cylinder triple expansion engine
with Klug reversing gear
Steamship Oster from
Bergen Scotch fire tube boiler with two oil fired furnaces
Paddle
steamer Skibladner from GjøvikThree cylinder triple expansion
engine. New engine 1888
SS
Styrbjørn from Oslo Steam tug
British Steamships
Waverley from
GlasgowPaddle steamer
Steamboat Thor
German Steamboats without engine room
Steamboat Fluth from
Bremen
Steamboat
Petit Four from Flensburg
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Steamships
© 2007 Lars Josefsson