Electricity During Sinking

[Gordon Mooneyhan]

I think the chances are that the lights may have started dimming due to lack of steam powering the engines driving the emergency dynamos. The boiler fires had not been fed for a good hour and a half since striking the iceberg before the lights went out. Another thing to consider is how much water did the boilers have in them just before the sinking. Off the top of my head, I remember somebody testifying during the inquiries that the boilers were empty, and ordered to be refilled. Were the boilers ever re filled? I don’t remember any positive testimony that they were refilled.

If the boilers were allowed to boil dry (most or all of the water gone), they could not have been refilled until they cooled down. Filling them while hot would result in the water flashing immediately into steam and the result would have been a boiler explosion. I don't believe there is any evidence of boiler explosion(s) within the wreckage or the debris field.

 

[Samuel Halpern]

The boilers never got empty. The water level dropped below the level setting of the water gage.

 

[Zirnitra]

there is only boiler implosion evidence on boilers from boiler room 2.boilers from boiler room 1 are scattered around but no sign of implosion. while they were not lit throught the voyage,they probably could attempt to hot start them before sinking thought.. aklso there are weird bend pipes around boilers from boiler room 2

 

[marina_irc]

there is only boiler implosion evidence on boilers from boiler room 2.boilers from boiler room 1 are scattered around but no sign of implosion. while they were not lit throught the voyage,they probably could attempt to hot start them before sinking thought.. aklso there are weird bend pipes around boilers from boiler room 2

They didn't have enough time to bring up the boilers in BR1. Nor did they need to. If BR2 could no longer supply the steam required for the pumps and electricity, then BR1 was meaningless. BR2 taking water means the ship is in her final plunge.

 

[Zirnitra]

there is no evidence of flooding in boiler room 3 and boiler room 2 only there was flooding boiler room 4 because water was coming out throught floor plates... hot start of boilers in boiler room 1 could have been attempted but to make them work would take 2 - 3 hours, you need to transfer hot coals from boiler room 2 and hot water to boiler room 1 .. even if they tried to hot start them there was no time for boilers to generate ny steam.

on wreck site furnace doors on boilers from boiler room 1 are missing,they got torn away. if they did not open furnaces they would stay in their mountings

 

[marina_irc]

there is no evidence of flooding in boiler room 3 and boiler room 2 only there was flooding boiler room 4 because water was coming out throught floor plates... hot start of boilers in boiler room 1 could have been attempted but to make them work would take 2 - 3 hours, you need to transfer hot coals from boiler room 2 and hot water to boiler room 1 .. even if they tried to hot start them there was no time for boilers to generate ny steam.

on wreck site furnace doors on boilers from boiler room 1 are missing,they got torn away. if they did not open furnaces they would stay in their mountings

I don't understand why you think the condition of the BR1 doors on the seabed is significant.

You appear to misunderstand what hot start is. It's only possible as a re-start option. BR1 was cold.

 

[Zirnitra]

i think it was possible to remove hot coals from br2 and transfer it to br1. but one way or another,it would be futile.

 

[Richard C Elliott]

i think it was possible to remove hot coals from br2 and transfer it to br1. but one way or another,it would be futile.

Not just futile but completely unnecessary. Why do you think that at any time during the sinking there was any need for additional steam production?

 

[marina_irc]

i think it was possible to remove hot coals from br2 and transfer it to br1. but one way or another,it would be futile.

By shovels. It's "possible" to do many things and understanding why that doesn't make an idea feasible is an important part of engineering practice.

 

[Kyle Naber]

Based on the electrical system on board, which depiction of the lights going out is most accurate?


(2:39:24)


(2:42:45)

I guess it’s a question of a quick flash vs. a slow burn.

 

[marina_irc]

Based on the electrical system on board, which depiction of the lights going out is most accurate?


(2:39:24)


(2:42:45)

I guess it’s a question of a quick flash vs. a slow burn.

I found the Annapolis textbook Naval Boilers from 1906. The standard for American steam systems was to fit stop valves at both ends of the auxiliary steam loops to prevent condensed steam from entering the auxiliary loops and to isolate them in the event of damage. This was of course on a warship, but explicitly some of those valves were of a self-closing variety. Until I find the fitment of valves to the auxiliary steam loops on Titanic I cannot be certain, but I believe it is possible that self-closing valves isolated the emergency dynamos so that they spun down slowly after the breakup, using up the steam pressure trapped in the lines and producing limited dim lighting for a minute or so.

 

[Samuel Halpern]

I believe it is possible that self-closing valves isolated the emergency dynamos so that they spun down slowly after the breakup, using up the steam pressure trapped in the lines and producing limited dim lighting for a minute or so.

But if the break caused electrical lines to be severed, the lights would go out in an instant.

SYMONS: "Head down, and that is the time when I saw her lights go out, all her lights."

 

[marina_irc]

But if the break caused electrical lines to be severed, the lights would go out in an instant.

SYMONS: "Head down, and that is the time when I saw her lights go out, all her lights."

Any emergency lighting circuits located entirely aft of the break might remain lit for a little while on the trapped steam pressure, though. So, I'm not sure I agree with either of the animations. In particular, the emergency dynamos as I recall (by all means correct mean) were connected to the navigation lights -- so the stern light in particular may have continued to receive current after the breakup.

 

[marina_irc]

@Samuel Halpern apologies for the second message, but I was looking into this more deeply and I read that the auxiliary steam system was connected to the main steam lines in the reciprocating engine room to allow all the boilers to feed the auxiliary steam loop, and that the main steam lines at least had automatically closing valves (per the British Government's official report on her loss). I would assume as the overall steam supply declined through the lack of firing that switching to this connection in the engine room to the main steam lines would be most desirable to maximise steam supply to the auxiliary loop. Once this is done, wouldn't this have effectively resulted in the isolation of the steam lines feeding the dynamos during the breakup when the breakup caused the main steam lines to fail forward of the automatic closing valves?

 

[Samuel Halpern]

Each emergency dynamo was driven at 380 revolutions per minute by a two-crank, compound engine with one HP and one LP cylinders. The emergency steam supply pipe that fed these engines ran along E deck above the watertight bulkheads and was arranged so it can take steam from the double-ended boilers in any of the three boiler rooms No. 2, 3, or 5. As a backup in case of accident to the main steam supply pipes, there was a connection that branched off of this emergency supply pipe to the pumps in the engine room that were connected to the bilges throughout the ship. There was also a cross connection to this pipe so that steam reaching the engine room from any boiler in the ship could be passed up to the emergency dynamos by opening two or three valves. A schematic of the main and auxiliary steam supply is shown in the diagram below.