1883 torpedo boat steam engine running - video

[Jon]

1883 torpedo boat steam engine. 4:02 video:

This triple expansion expansion was installed in the German torpedoboat S1, in service from 1884 to 1900. This boat class S1 to S6, built by Schichau at Elbing, was the best construction in a competition of 6 shipyards, two of them British, the others German. In the following years, all the other boats S7 to S 87 were built by Schichau, growing larger and faster. S1 was a boat of 80 tons with a crew of 16 hands and had a maximum speed of 20 knots.(approximately 23 mph).
The description of the engine's technical details you can see in the video. It is a fine triple expansion engine with interesting features like Meyer valve for the high pressure cylinder and Trick slide valves for the other two cylinders. Reverse valve gear is the well known Stephenson's. Like most of the marine engines it is a condensor engine, feeding back the hot condensed water into the boiler.

Previously:

Steam engine powered bicycle - photo
Giant steam engine in Portugese shopping mall - video and photo
1900 restored Fowler steam traction engine
steam-powered tanks
uniflow steam engine
U-Boat 110 forward torpedo room controls - photo
steam-powered submarine

[Scotsman Hosie]

About as fine an example of 19th century German engineering. And the triple expansion made it super efficient. I'm amazed at the scale of mechanical engineering they rolled up their sleeves, and went to work on.