Has the Boiler Room ever been explored?

[Mike Spooner]

May be photos when the Olympic was converted to oil fire boilers June1920 the contrast could not be different they were jumping for joy as the muck grime coal dust and back braking shovelling coal had all gone. But it was to cost them over 200 loss jobs!

 

[Scott Mills]

They had try to get from outside but the way was blocked by debris.

Correct. I have been hoping that autonomous small form ROV technology that has really come a long way in the last decade, thanks in no small part to TEPCO and the Fukushima nuclear disaster, meets underwater archaeology. Thus, finally enabling the exploration and documentation of inaccessible portions of the Titanic wreck.

Unfortunately, this would take someone very wealthy with an interest in Titanic to actually come to fruition. I hate that this is the world we live, but it is what it is.

 

[Kodos the Executioner]

Hello, Lindsey.

I would always chuckle at the scene in Clive Cussler's "Raise the Titanic!" where the salvage crew drops down the funnel casings down into the boiler rooms in their struggle to keep the resurrected liner afloat.
I never considered actually using those as access points (no one would), but have always wondered if the access shafts behind the fan shaft for boiler room 6 (or forward in the case of room 5) on either side of the steam pipe shafts would be passable. They seem like clear shots, you certainly wouldn't have to take the twists and turns from the usual passages, and you know where the shaft leads.
You would be starting a deck or two more than your usual starting point (Boat deck or Shelter Deck C; but getting more iffy as the wreck deteriorates), and your ROV would have to be pretty small!

If only...

Cheers,

Kodos//
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"Mr. Lowe! Take a bosun's party and a Master-at-Arms, and get those children off the foc'sle at once!"

 

[Scott Mills]

I also hate to be the one to come out and say this, but given how quickly the wreck is deteriorating, I would not necessarily be opposed to limited interventions to get access to some of the more sensitive areas of the ship, from where information might be able to settle a lot of historical ambiguity.

And just in case you are wondering, by limited intervention I mean intentionally breaching areas of the hull or removing debris in a way that could cause limited damage to any part of the ship in the immediate area. Limited is the key here. Please do not read this as me being in favor of placing demolition charges all over Titanic!

 

[Michael H. Standart]

The thing is that going down where the stacks were and into the uptakes wouldn't lead you into the boiler room so much as it would lead you right into the boilers themselves. Those things are still right where the builders left them.

 

[Tim Aldrich]

The thing is that going down where the stacks were and into the uptakes wouldn't lead you into the boiler room so much as it would lead you right into the boilers themselves. Those things are still right where the builders left them.

Agreed. Unless the smoke box doors happened to be open or missing the only things to see would be the ends of the fire tubes. I had wondered about the Fidley trunks but I'm guessing there would be fans preventing (if they're still there) access.

 

[Kodos the Executioner]

Agreed. Unless the smoke box doors happened to be open or missing the only things to see would be the ends of the fire tubes. I had wondered about the Fidley trunks but I'm guessing there would be fans preventing (if they're still there) access.

Hence my amusement. Cussler's book had all the boilers come crashing out of the bow during the sinking.

The Fidley fans themselves are on G deck. I'm looking at the shaft *between* the flue/stack uptake and the Fidley shaft.

The grated areas.
(this appears to be from Bob Read's CAD plans; all rights and credits belong to him)

Kodos
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"Mr. Lowe! Take a bosun's party and a Master-at-Arms, and get those children off the foc'sle at once!"

 

[Scott Mills]

The thing is that going down where the stacks were and into the uptakes wouldn't lead you into the boiler room so much as it would lead you right into the boilers themselves. Those things are still right where the builders left them.

That is assuming the feeds and piping are still in place. To my knowledge nobody has gone down and looked to see if access to previously unexplored areas of the ship has been opened by either damage caused during the sinking itself (particularly the impact with the seafloor) or through the deterioration of the wreck.

That is the only possible bright side of the wreck's slow deterioration, while derbies might end up blocking obvious paths to areas of the ship, new and unexpected ones may open up over time.

Agreed. Unless the smoke box doors happened to be open or missing the only things to see would be the ends of the fire tubes. I had wondered about the Fidley trunks but I'm guessing there would be fans preventing (if they're still there) access.

Agreed. The thing is though, as I stated above, you cannot actually know until someone makes the attempt. If I had infinite dollars (or just Jame's Cameron's fortune), I think it would certainly be worth it to try. Worst case scenario is access is blocked; however, what does that cost you really? I doubt even a full day's diving time.

 

[Josh M]

I would have thought there could be a chance to access the forward boiler room by maneuvering down the fireman's forward spiral staircase in the bow that leads to the fireman's passage on the tank top deck; the fireman's passage then leads to the first boiler room. Of course there is probably a watertight door that was closed somewhere along the way here- probably blocking the entrance from the fireman's passage to the boiler room, but I am not sure.

I think Cameron did attempt to send an ROV down the staircase but determined it too difficult and decided not to risk it.

 

[Tim Aldrich]

I would have thought there could be a chance to access the forward boiler room by maneuvering down the fireman's forward spiral staircase in the bow that leads to the fireman's passage on the tank top deck; the fireman's passage then leads to the first boiler room. Of course there is probably a watertight door that was closed somewhere along the way here- probably blocking the entrance from the fireman's passage to the boiler room, but I am not sure.

I think Cameron did attempt to send an ROV down the staircase but determined it too difficult and decided not to risk it.

There are two watertight doors at the after end of the fireman's passage. Have a look at the tank top plan which is available on ET's main website.

 

[Josh M]

There are two watertight doors at the after end of the fireman's passage. Have a look at the tank top plan which is available on ET's main website.

Thank you, do you know if James Cameron ever explored the fireman's passage?

 

[Tim Aldrich]

Thank you, do you know if James Cameron ever explored the fireman's passage?

I have no idea if it has been explored or not.

 

[Robert T. Paige]

if the cable/wire was not problem the exploration would have been done,they would need send recevier and transmitter down to bottom then use radio controlled ROV [if ever those exsist] it would be really nice if hard-to-explore areas would be finally explored,ROV tecnology keeps progressing and they eventually get best one but wreck dont have much time left.

Cameron managed to explore engine room and reach the WTD to turbine room but the WTD was closed and full of debris so could not go more.... why they did not try go around and use ripped shell plating as access point to enter compartment?.

i am wondering what happened to engine telegraph in engine room, heard it was mounted on one of engine colunns but the telegraph was never found,only bridge telegraphs were found and one or two recovered.

I don't think it would be possible to have a radio controlled ROV. You simply can not receive and transmit radio waves through water and especially salt water. The radio waves would also be blocked by metal bulkheads , etc.in the way, too.
Unfortunately cable controls are the only means available for control of an ROV.

 

[Robert T. Paige]

I don't think it would be possible to have a radio controlled ROV. You simply can not receive and transmit radio waves through water and especially salt water. The radio waves would also be blocked by metal bulkheads , etc.in the way, too.
Unfortunately cable controls are the only means available for control of an ROV.

I waited too long to edit my post.
The. Radio idea seemed to be a good idea.
But upon looking further into the matter , unless there is some tremendous advance in technology there never would be any possibilities for ROV's from radio. Just a guess is that one of the biggest problems is getting the video from the camera in the ROV back to some type of display wherever it might.
And the problem with the cable is trying to get the ROV down to the place where you want to look and back to the surface is the problem of the cable getting snagged or entangled along the way to and from the place.

 

[Ioannis Georgiou]

Thank you, do you know if James Cameron ever explored the fireman's passage?

If you mean the fireman's tunel it is mainly destroyed when bow wreck hit the bottom. I think it was Bill Sauder who mentioned that they were able to see inside though the hole on the starboard side and see it collapsed as far as I remember.