Class dynamics in the engineering department

[Being/Meaning]

Through some strange chain of research, I’ve fascinated myself with the engineering department on Titanic and ships of its vintage. I’ll apologize if this is the wrong place for this topic.

I’m really interested in how the professional engine room officers of a ship like Titanic saw themselves as compared to the semi-skilled labor in the boiler and engine rooms. Would they have seen themselves as being fundamentally “above” them? We’re they expected to take a kind of disciplinarian role over these young men? How much was there an idea that firemen and trimmers were basically [insert stereotype of Victorian British working class]?

Would I as a wiper or leading fireman have had any justifiable expectation of being promoted to an engineer or was that something above me entirely?

 

[Rancor]

Hey Being/Meaning.

From what I have read they seemed to be separate pathways. The stocker side of things was considered 'unskilled' labour (even though the good firing of a boiler took considerable skill). The career progression seemed to go:
Trimmer -> Stoker -> Leading Stoker -> Greaser -> Engine Room Storekeeper

So whilst a stoker would get the opportunity to work in the engine room on the machinery it doesn't seem commonplace for them to become part of the 'skilled' labour of the engineering team. I would be interested to know if a few of them did manage to make the leap though. Maybe another member has further knowledge in this area.

My source for the career path of a stoker is the book 'Down Amongst the Black Gang' by Richard P. De Kerbrech.

 

[David G. Brown]

Check out the licensing structure for both deck and engine departments. The big division is between licensed officers and unlicensed sailors or stokers.

-- David G. Brown

 

[B-rad]

Hey Being/Meaning.

From what I have read they seemed to be separate pathways. The stocker side of things was considered 'unskilled' labour (even though the good firing of a boiler took considerable skill). The career progression seemed to go:
Trimmer -> Stoker -> Leading Stoker -> Greaser -> Engine Room Storekeeper

So whilst a stoker would get the opportunity to work in the engine room on the machinery it doesn't seem commonplace for them to become part of the 'skilled' labour of the engineering team. I would be interested to know if a few of them did manage to make the leap though. Maybe another member has further knowledge in this area.

My source for the career path of a stoker is the book 'Down Amongst the Black Gang' by Richard P. De Kerbrech.

There is an antique shop that has some interesting nautical engineering books from 1910s-1940s. According to the shop owner a vast majority come from two people, one of which worked on a ship and started in the boiler rooms, but self taught himself via the books to eventually become an engineer aboard the America or the American (I forget). I don't know if the story is true, but I don't see why they would lie about it. Unfortunately they won't let me look through the boxes and now they know they have a market they don't make the books cheap (not that they were to begin with lol).