1994
TQ7670 : SS Jeremiah O'Brien, Chatham - engine
taken 30 years ago, near to Lower Upnor, Medway, England
SS Jeremiah O'Brien, Chatham - engine
The Jeremiah O'Brien is a WWII 'Liberty' cargo ship built in 1943 and now preserved in San Francisco. She came to Europe for the 50th anniversary of D-Day. The vessel is 441' 6" long by 57' beam. The displacement tonnage is 14,450 long tons. Propulsion is by a 2,500 horsepower inverted vertical triple expansion engine. The cylinders are 24.5", 37" & 70" bores by 48" stroke. Steam pressure is 220 psi and service speed 76 rpm. The engine overall weighs about 271,000 pounds.
This is the main engine seen from the top level forward and looking aft. The nearest cover is the high pressure piston valve with the high pressure cylinder cover and relief valve beyond. Then it's the intermediate pressure slide valve, intermediate cylinder cover, low pressure slide valve and low pressure cylinder cover. I can make these all out but I know where I'm looking (it helps).
The engine, two boilers and all the auxiliary plant share one large space amidships. One torpedo amidships would take out the lot.
The Liberty ships were a standardised class known as the EC2-S-C1 cargo vessel and 2710 were built. The fastest build time was 4 days, 15 hours and 29 minutes from laying the keel to launch. The actual time from laying the keel to delivery into service was a bit longer at 7 days, 14 hours and 32 minutes.
Seeing this gorgeous vessel in the UK was a real treat as I have yet to get to San Francisco, Baltimore or Piraeus to catch up with the survivors in their usual ports.
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