Vintage ship engine manufacturing

Yes, very cool, UNbefreekingleaveable how much shit they could accomplish 100 years ago, I worked as a shipyard electrician for a very short time here in Jax...Atlantic Shipyard, hell of an education, ~800' of ocean liner setting there in front of me was very impressive, to say the least....engine room on it had a 5 or 7 cylinder engine, built so that a cylinder could be non functional, down for repair, and the rest of the engine could be running in the middle of the ocean while it was being fixed....I had it explained to me HOW, but I forget exactly now....even taking a little Crowley tug boat apart, them cutting the entire top of the boat off, to get the engines outta there for overhaul/repair, basically rail road diesels.....turbo's and all, two engines, then send off for repair/exchange, in goes the new engines in pieces then to replace the entire superstructure, weld it in place, and out to sea it goes again....
my job was cutting and splicing about 50 billion wires, jeebus, drive me crazy with how many times the exact same stuff over and over again....
even in what passed for winter here in Jax....the hulls were very cold in morning, of course being ~33f overnight, but by 2pm the sunlight would have it so hot it was uncomfortable to lean on, and inside on some companionway near the hull was unpleasant.....

Very interesting eye opening job.....

:lol::D
 
True craftsmanship there, no CNC computer stuff, just turning the wheels.
 
Cool pics! You know its big when you are standing on the cross slide! Sure wouldn't want to flip that out of the chuck!

Machiningfrwend.jpg
 
1Michel said:
Not too many eye protection either huh?
Click to expand...

Yeah, I noticed that. Not sure if those guys didn't wear them or they just took them off for a photo. Safety glasses must have been for pussies.

My next door neighbor was a patternmaker at a foundry that made Liberty ship engine during WWII. He was describing them to me and I couldn't believe it. I recall he said the engines weighed 200,000 lbs and was the size of a small 2 story house.
 
Too boot, they made like one a day or week, I forget, but an astounding number.....like has been said, we didn't out FIGHT the Germans/Japs....we outPRODUCED them.....

:hunter:
 
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