Steam & Excursion > Speaking of Big Steam!!!

I don't know if this has ever been discussed on this forum, but before I retired from the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, I had the rare and unique opportunity to see the old triple-expansion steam engine that was used to pump Drydock #1. Electricity took over her job many years ago. She is now partially buried in concrete in her old pump well pit about 50 feet below ground and only a chosen few (myself included) know of her existence! This thing is behemoth! She is about 30 to 35 feet tall and about 15 to 20 feet in diameter. I don't know what year she was built, but was told she was built by the same company who built the engines for the Titanic. Supposedly, she was buried partially in concrete after efforts to cut her up for scrap metal during the war had failed and after that, the Smithsonian's efforts to save her became too expensive and time consuming too. So from what I heard they just took all the apprentices and gave them wheelbarrows and told them to bury her. However, this too proved costly and time consuming and after about a month, they gave up! I saw her a few times while I worked there, but you've gotta know who to talk with to be able to see her! They keep her well hidden in her underground pit and there's no electricity down there! I must say that it was very eerie to see her all covered with dust and cobwebs under the light of just a couple of flashlights! Does anyone else have knowledge of this particular engine at PSNS?..If so, I'd like to hear more about her.

I would love to see that!

Stathi

Posted from iPhone

PorterNo2 Wrote:
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> I would love to see that!
>
> Stathi
>
> Posted from iPhone


Yes Stathi! She's a big, huge beauty! I've tried in vain to search for ANY information about her on the internet, but to no avail. If you google up "steam engines on the Titanic", you'll get a few pictures of what she looks like

Any way to scare up a tour, I'm sure Adam and Brian would be interested!

Stathi

Posted from iPhone

Are you thinking of the large...really large...early 1900's Nordberg type steam driven air compressor that was located in an addition to the main power plant? Because of the size of the wheel it was partly in a below ground floor pit. Located near the Cassion of Dry Dock #1.
Roger Beckett

up833 Wrote:
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> Are you thinking of the large...really
> large...early 1900's Nordberg type steam driven
> air compressor that was located in an addition to
> the main power plant? Because of the size of the
> wheel it was partly in a below ground floor pit.
> Located near the Cassion of Dry Dock #1.
> Roger Beckett


No Roger, this is a triple-expansion VERTICAL steam engine. There is no wheel or anything resembling such. It is hidden under a plain white, unmarked, newer building next to the powerplant by DD#1. I was told by the shop foreman that it was the original steam engine used to pump water to and from drydock #1 before the days of electricity when drydock #1 was first built! You have to decend 2 or 3 flights of rickity, old wooden stairs in the dark to get down to it! The valvegear and all the piping to and from her are still intact, albeit somewhat covered by a small amount of dumped concrete on the base! And as far as tours go. You know the Gov't. With all the submarine repairs and dismantling going on there...Forget about it! I asked to go down there about 6 mos. later and was told "What!... There ain't nothin' down there! You musta been seein' things!"



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/24/13 20:48 by patd3985.

Pat, I may know just the guy but it may take one of your jugs of plum wine....stay tuned, I'll give him a call tomorrow!

Cheers, Dave

I have a couple friends who work in the shipyard (including my roommate :) ) - I'll ask if they know anything about it.

No Luck Here...I called the guy, turns out he retired about 18 months ago but when I asked him if he knew anything about it he blurted out, "Uhhh, I heard a rumor about a giant pre-historic steam pump engine, and the guy who saw it said it was the original to the first dry dock at PSNS", but then abruptly stopped, saying that was all he knew...I feel he may be lying, or perhaps sworn to secrecy by the Feds...

Cheers, Dave

Hillcrest Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> No Luck Here...I called the guy, turns out he
> retired about 18 months ago but when I asked him
> if he knew anything about it he blurted out,
> "Uhhh, I heard a rumor about a giant pre-historic
> steam pump engine, and the guy who saw it said it
> was the original to the first dry dock at PSNS",
> but then abruptly stopped, saying that was all he
> knew...I feel he may be lying, or perhaps sworn to
> secrecy by the Feds...
>
> Cheers, Dave


I'm tellin' ya Dave, I SAW IT!!! I just don't understand what all the damned secrecy is about it! I talked to a friend of mine today who also knows about it and he said the same thing! I swear it's down there under the new building next(south) to the new power plant! He said Shop 99 folks are the ones with the knowall about it.