NORTH EAST MARINE ENGINE BUILDERS

[Hornbeam]

Like 'fitter' on this forum' I have been puzzled about this one and have been looking through various publications on early crosshead Marine diesels and the one that stands out is the 'Fullagar' which was quite popular between the Wars not only was it used as a Ships Engine but also on power generation on Military Bases.
The Still engine was very similar but not as popular.

[Hornbeam]

Further to my previous and as I am doing the 'Dog Watch' whilst the Daughter is getting some work done at her abode I have been having a search through t'internet this morning and came across a Thesis written by Denis Griffiths under the heading of "Development And Decline of the British Crosshead Type Marine Propulsion Diesel Engine"
For those who are interested grab yourself a cup of Coffee and possibly a Ciggie? as it is quite a long and interesting read. : it does emphasise my earlier point in regards to Shipowners unwillingness to embrace the Diesel engine to the point where a combined Diesel/Steam Engine was built in two versions the first working on the same Piston/ Conrad and the second as a seperate T/E engine but using the same Crankshaft, known as the Scott/Still the Engineers had to be double barrelled with combined Steam and Diesel Tickets or Experience of both.

[fitter]

Before Doxford built their first slow speed engine in 1921, the 540L4 that was installed into the Yngaren of 1921, (excluding single cylinder prototypes since 1911), Karl Otto Keller, a Swiss engineer who had been working for Vosper Thorneycroft on submarine engine design, was sent to Doxfords to investigate the possibility of an opposed piston design engine for the otherwise steam powered Vickers K class submarine. In 1915 he submitted a design for a quadruple, six cylinder engine installation driving two propellers. Doxfords made a single cylinder prototype that was sent to the Admiralty but the proposal was never taken up. The prototype was then sent to the City and Guilds Institute in London and has never been heard of since. Obviously, having invested in castings and forgings for the proposed design, Doxfords would be anxious to recoup the commitment and a series of two cylinder generator engines were fitted to a few ships. Sun Shipbuilding, Pennsylvania, installed some in their Doxford powered ships for Henry Ford of Ford motor company fame for his Great Lakes bulk carriers. Doxfords were building their own steam engines that predated the diesel engine and the diesel engines. They continued the steam engine production throughout the Second World War. After the war they said they didn't have the production facilities to produce steam, slow speed main engines and auxiliary engines so they stopped manufacture of the auxiliary engines. PIctures of Doxfords steam engines and the two cylinder generator engines appear on page 4 in this thread. I acquired a set of microfiche slides of the drawings of the six cylinder submarine engine and these are in John Jordan's book on the history of Doxford engine design, illustrated on page 11 in this thread. The book is still available.

[Hornbeam]

Interesting Fitter, so Doxford did build smaller two cylinder sets to power the Dynamos I did wonder, looking at the photograph with the 'Top Hats' missing and I wondered if they were ever fitted to the smaller engines or just possibly pinched by Divers or, the set just happened to be down for mtce when the Americans hit her In what would now be called a "Perfect Storm" a saying I am sick of hearing since that film came out and now used every time when a few problems come together
A perfect Storm to me is rolling around the North Atlantic in Winter hoping that the seventh wave will not cause too much damage and thinking about the poor souls in Wartime who found themselves in the sea due to a U Boat attack. Brave men to go back to sea after that ordeal.

[Hornbeam]

Got her, she is apparently the Kansho Maru built in Japan her main engine is down as a B&W, as yet I am still looking for information on her Main Engine configuration although I don't think it it will be a Doxford lookee likee so it looks like the picture is one of her Diesel Auxiliaries. Plenty of other info about the vessel on t'internet. She was under repair at the time she was hit.

[fitter]

Doxford 760 J9 engine on test.This was one of two J9engines built at Doxfords.
the first was the prototype for the tanker North Sands, built at J.L. Thompsons, North Sands yard for Doxfords and chartered by John I. Jacobs.
The engine pictured was for the Houlder Brothers Bulk Carrier, Orenda Bridge, also built at J.L.Thompsons Yard
760 was the diameter of the cylinder bores, 9 was the number of cylinders, J was the initial of the surname of the designer of the engine, Percy Jackson.

Doxford 760 J9 engine on test bed