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Battleship Texas BB-35
It should be remembered that the USS Texas began her career
as a coal burning ship and was converted into an fuel oil burning ship during
modernization in 1927. Because she was a coal burner in 1918, she was selected to join
the British Grand Fleet during WW1. The fuel oil burning Battleships of the U.S.
Navy were not sent to England due to a shortage of fuel oil during WW1 in
Great Britain. Coal, however, was plentiful in Great Britain.
BATTLESHIP TEXAS BB35 - SPEED AND RANGE
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Speed - max (note) |
1914
21.0 |
1945
20.4 |
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Range -nautical miles (note)
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8,400 nm @ 10 knots
9,605 nm @ 12 knots
3,665 nm @ 20 knots |
15,400 nm @ 10 knots
6,500 nm @18 knots |
SPEED
- Max attained: 22.28 knots, 21 - 29
Oct 1913 sea trials, off Rockland, Me .
The reason for the speed reduction in
1945 was the addition of blisters to the hull ( this widened the hull approx. 5 1/2
feet. maximum on each side ) in 1927 for added protection from torpedoes, and an
increase of total operating
weights.
RANGE
- The 1914 range at 10 knots and 12
knots are in conflict. The range at 12 knots should be less than at 10 knots,
this is assuming equal amount of coal. Data from two different sources.
BATTLESHIP TEXAS BB35 - ENGINES
The below mechanics,
did not change between 1913 and 1946 (time period of engine operations) Engine illustration
follows the data below
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Builder
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Newport News Shipyard and Dry Dock Company, Newport
News, VA. (The ship's builder)
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1915 - superheat, vacuum, steam expansion ratio,
tons of coal per IHP per hr etc
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Qty
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2
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Type
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Triple Expansion steam reciprocating. (piston not
turbine)
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Pressure
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Diameter
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Piston Cylinders
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1- high
1 - intermediate
2 - low
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39"
63"
83"
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Steam pressure
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295 psi coming in
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Stroke
Shafts
RPM - max
Reduction gears
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48 "
2 (1 per engine)
120 (at 20 knots)
none
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Shaft horsepower
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Design
Trial
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28,100
28,373
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ENGINE HISTORY :
The turbine engine was replacing the
triple expansion engine in the first decade of the 20th
century (ARKANSAS (BB33) was turbine propelled). NEW YORK (BB34), TEXAS
(BB35) and OKLAHOMA (BB37) were the last American battleships propelled
by reciprocating engines.
ENGINE BASICS : A steam engine is similar to an automobile
engine by having pistons, cylinders, valves, piston rods, crankshaft, etc.,
but with three major differences
 | The pistons are pushed down by steam entering at the top of the
cylinder then pushed backup by steam entering the bottom of the
cylinder (a 1-stroke operation rather than 4-stroke). The pressure
of the expanding steam causes the pushing.
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| The cylinder sizes are not all the same.
( 39" diameter, 63" diameter and 83" diameter) |
| The fuel (steam) from the boiler rooms enters the engine through
only one cylinder the 39" high-pressure cylinder then to the
63" intermediate cylinder and then separates into the last two
cylinders that are each 83" in diameter. Then to the condenser
where the steam is condensed back into water and pumped back to the
boiler room. |
BASIC OPERATION : After exhausting from the first cylinder
(the 39" high-pressure cylinder), the
steam enters a larger diameter cylinder (the 63" intermediate-pressure
cylinder) and exhausted for final use in 2 even larger cylinders
(the 83" low-pressure cylinders). Each
successive larger cylinder creates a larger volume of steam and
decreasing steam pressure. The increasing area of piston surface offsets
the decreased pressure. (Some commercial passenger ships used 4
different cylinder sizes. See chart
for engine performance comparison with other reciprocating engines in
other ships of 1909 to 1928).
When exhausted from the low-pressure cylinders, the steam is
converted to water in the condenser located against the outboard
bulkhead of each Engine Room. The converted water is pumped into fresh
water reserve feed tanks for boiler re-use.
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To see a diagram of the engine click on it.
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Engine
Rooms
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There were two engine
rooms located side by side and separated by a watertight bulkhead on the
centerline which contained a standard watertight door on the second level
of the engine rooms.
The bulkhead
extended from the third deck, which formed the crown of the engine, down for
half the height of the engine room. Below this point, a narrow centerline wiring
passage separated the two engine rooms. Each room was unusually spacious; 60'
long and an average of 26'9' wide. Captain Dyson reported : "The very large
engine room size was fixed so as to permit the installation of turbine
machinery, should such installations appear desirable in light of later
developments."
The watertight
centerline bulkhead was a hazardous expedient which could cause a sizable list
if damage flooded one of these large compartments.
It was accepted
to preserve the ability to operate one shaft. It was assumed that prompt counter
flooding of side void tanks on the side opposite the damage could correct the
list in minutes. The penalty, of course, was increased draft, greater
displacement, more stress on the damaged hull structure, and finally a reduction
in speed.
The use of such longitudinal bulkheads was common practice in foreign
battleships of this era. The engine rooms took
up all of the space between the magazines for No. 3 and No. 4 14" gun turrets.
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Source is "Ship's Data 6" Leeward
Publishing, for the above description.
Click
here to read an article on:
History of Steam
Reciprocating Engines
and the USS Texas
BB35
For
more details about the USS Texas BB35 click here....
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