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Down Amongst the Black Gang: The World and Workplace of RMS Titanic’s Stokers
£12.29
One of the first works to look inside the powerhouse of Titanic-era ships—the manpower that generated the horsepower, including a list of the ship’s “black gang” and their fates.
Down in the fiery belly of the luxury liners of the Titanic era, a world away from the first-class dining rooms and sedate tours of the deck, toiled the “black gang.”
Their work was gruelling and hot, and this book introduces the reader to the dimly lit world and workplace of Titanic’s stokers.
It begins with a journey around some of the major elements of machinery that one might encounter in the giant ships’ engine and boiler rooms, sure to suit those with technical minds, yet in an accessible style that will aid the lay reader’s understanding.
The human side of working for the Titanic and her contemporaries is also involved in an exploration of stokers’ duties, environment, and conditions: what it was like to be one of the “black gang.”
Description
Publisher’s Description
Down in the fiery belly of the luxury liners of the Titanic era, a world away from the first-class dining rooms and sedate tours of the deck, toiled the ‘black gang’. Their work was gruelling and hot, and here de Kerbrech introduces the reader to the dimly lit world and workplace of Titanic’s stokers.
Beginning with a journey around some of the major elements of machinery that one might encounter in the giant ships’ engine and
boiler rooms, the sheer skill and strength that a man in this employ must have had is brought to the fore. The human side of working on Titanic and her contemporaries is also explored through an investigation of stokers’ duties, their environment and conditions: what it was like to be one of them. An oft-ignored part of Titanic’s story, the importance of the black gang and the job they performed is brought to life, making poignant their fate on the maiden crossing of Titanic. This certainly is a book that no Titanic-era ship historian or researcher should be without.
Contents
- Introduction to the Power Plant
- Engine Room Personnel, their Duties and Origins
- Coal, Bunkers and Bunkering
- About Scotch Boilers
- Stokers, Pokers and Smokers
- Main Propulsion Machinery
- Reputations, Stereotypes and Urban Myths
- The Low-pressure (LP) or Exhaust Turbine and Condensers
- The Black Gang’s Struggle to Save Titanic
- Other Labour-intensive Auxiliaries to Attend
- Aftermath and Repercussions
- The Coming of Oil-firing but Coal Burners Steam on and on
- Appendix: List of Titanic’s Engineering Department Including Electricians, Greasers, Firemen and Trimmers
About the Author
Richard P. de Kerbrech served a marine engineering apprenticeship, was a naval inspector, and studied naval architecture and shipbuilding. He is the author or coauthor of 15 books on maritime subjects, including “Ships of the White Star Line.”
Additional information
| Publisher | The History Press; Illustrated edition (1 Jun. 2014) |
|---|---|
| Language | |
| Paperback | 192 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 075249323X |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0752493237 |
