Firemen: The Hardest Job on an Ocean Liner

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Firemen: The Hardest Job on an Ocean Liner

Рет қаралды 211,952

Күн бұрын

The firemen (sometimes known as stokers) on an ocean liner worked in the belly of the ship and were responsible for keeping the boilers fueled and the steam pressure up. This would have been the hardest job on Titanic or any other ocean liner of her era. It was a complicated, difficult, and grueling job that only the toughest men could do. In this video, we go over the work and life of a ship's firemen and trimmers.
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Sources:
1. “Down Amongst the Black Gang: The World and Workplace of RMS Titanic’s Stokers” by Richard P. de Kerbrech. 2014.
2. “Titanic: The Ship Magnificent: Volume two: Interior Design & Fitting Out,” by Bruce Beveridge, Scott Andrews, Steve Hall, Daniel Kistorner, and Art Braunschweiger. 2008.
3. “Titanic: Living in 1912.” Jakesimpkin.org. www.jakesimpkin...
4. “The Only Way to Cross,” by John Maxtone-Graham. 1972.

Пікірлер: 518

@TheGreatBigMove 3 жыл бұрын

Would you sail on a historic ocean liner if it meant you had to work as a fireman during the voyage? If so, what ship would you choose?

@ranger_fnm 3 жыл бұрын

I would choose the SS Bremen, but not as a fireman haha

@thelightningshoe92 3 жыл бұрын

NEVERRR

@JackJoToons 3 жыл бұрын

I would choose the Olympic

@SQUAREHEADSAM1912 3 жыл бұрын

I’d choose either the mejestic, or the Mauritania.

@TheJordan08 3 жыл бұрын

I would pick uss West Point (AKA SS America)

@KeyK0ng 3 жыл бұрын

My grandfather was a Cunard Fireman, never knew what he actually did until now. After finishing his time at sea, he went to work on the docks and then a shipbuilders yard.

@PinacoladaMatthew 3 жыл бұрын

Whatever you have today, you owe it to him in some way

@josiahricafrente585 3 жыл бұрын

I love channels like yours, because they discuss lesser-known topics with such detail and passion that shows how those obscure parts of history are just as interesting and poignant as the popular ones. These men had a life just as much as any other, and channels like yours bring awareness to that. So, thanks for doing what you do!

@TheGreatBigMove 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you, Josiah! I appreciate your kind words and I’m glad you enjoy the channel.

@1Dropboys 3 жыл бұрын

Brilliant way to put it. I can never pinpoint why I love videos such as these. You've done so for me :)

@worstgamer1162 3 жыл бұрын

@@TheGreatBigMove did fireman’s have back pains?

@unnamedchannel1237 3 жыл бұрын

Yes and the best part no stupid music overlay louder than the person talking

@manga12 3 жыл бұрын

@@worstgamer1162 oh you have no idea just like the railroad it would break you in short order, but there is a real art to it you have to watch your fire and spread the coal or fuel around, and when to stoke more in. but you get used to it and there is a handling technique

@theblackbear211 3 жыл бұрын

I'm a Licensed Chief Engineer and I started at the bottom over 40 years ago. Even in a modern engine room, 50C (122F) is not unheard of, and if you are below 40C (103F) you're generally sailing in a cold ocean. There are even a few coal fired vessel left - though the fireman is no longer shoveling into the furnace - he has to monitor the fire and keep the equipment operating. Coal still needs to be shifted and trimmed by hand. There is still plenty of hot, dirty, hard work involved in keeping ships operating. Not quite what it once was - berthing has come a long way. But its a good thing to remember where we've come from.

@Derin7890 3 жыл бұрын

Any stories?

@theblackbear211 3 жыл бұрын

@@Derin7890 I'll have to think if any are suitable. :-)

@therandomytchannel4318 Жыл бұрын

Some German tourist boats are still coal fired and guys shovel coal by hand. Not sure if they still dump the ash overboard or not

@theblackbear211 Жыл бұрын

@@therandomytchannel4318 There are a few coal fired tourist boats in the US also that are small enough to hand fire. There is one large tourist ferry (originally a railroad ferry) on Lake Michigan which is coal fired - with a mechanical stoker, and grates. (SS Badger, 4,244 GRT, ~7,000 IHP) She has a pair of 4 cylinder, Skinner Uniflow Compounds.

@UPnDOWN 3 жыл бұрын

My great-grandfather was a fireman on Titanic (one of the few lucky enough to survive, certainly from my perspective!) Just wanted to say thanks for putting this together, as I don't really know much about what kind of life he had on the ship, only what his job was.

@matthewcole4753 Жыл бұрын

Do you know more about his story? How he survived?

@GTgaming69 3 жыл бұрын

3:35 guy is smoking a cig on top of a pile of coal next to a furnace. Fuckin legend

@HarrisChoudhry 3 жыл бұрын

Good eye

@mabamabam 3 жыл бұрын

You mean there is a tiny glowing ember next to a huge roaring boiler? How positively dangerous.

@brainwashingdetergent4128 3 жыл бұрын

The trimmer behind him also smoking a cig like a boss.

@Bialy_1 3 жыл бұрын

And most likely the air via cig was slighty cleaner...

@rc8rsracer1 3 жыл бұрын

Coal take a ton of energy to light. A cigarette is no danger

@whovianhistorybuff 3 жыл бұрын

Engineers "disappeared" Translation: he got battered over the head with a shovel and then thrown in the furnace to hide the evidence.

@harrietharlow9929 3 жыл бұрын

Pretty much.

@notmenotme614 3 жыл бұрын

Or buried in the bunker

@Bialy_1 3 жыл бұрын

@@notmenotme614 It should be number one worst idea on "how to cover the traces of this crime". hehe

@FlanimationStudios 2 жыл бұрын

@@notmenotme614 random bodies coming out of the coal chute. I’m sure it happened at least once.

@gregorykayne6054 2 жыл бұрын

Sounds like!

@steamandsmoke97 3 жыл бұрын

Arguably the most important responsibility of a Fireman, even more important than actually firing the boiler from a safety standpoint which you didn't mention, was maintaining the water level in the Boilers. You can't make Steam without water (and it is indeed fresh water since all ocean going vessels have to run Condensing in a closed loop to prevent corrosive saltwater from getting into the system). It's one thing to fire the boiler, but if she runs dry, then KABOOM! is what immediately follows. At 2:15 you can see the duplex feed pumps mounted vertically to the wall which took their water from the Hotwell, and at 11:47 you can see the sight glass fixtures right next to the smoke ducts on the Scotch Boilers. It was sometimes difficult to read the glass in the dim, smokey confines of the boiler room, and the glass had to be blown down every watch to make sure they were reading accurately and not blocked with rust or sediment. Usually the boiler water levels were maintained by the most senior Fireman on the watch, known as the "Top Watch" or the "Boiler Tender" of the watch.

@horsewithnoname12345 3 ай бұрын

Thank you for the addition.

@dajones1128 3 жыл бұрын

i have preformed this job. Shovel 1 3/4 tons of coal a hour into 2 scotch marine boilers on the SS J.Clare Miller...6 furnaces....3 each boiler.

@doodledangernoodle2517 3 жыл бұрын

Cheer up, Sleepy Jean!

@masterskrain2630 3 жыл бұрын

I'm so glad that when I was a Boiler Tech in the Navy in the 70s, We burned Oil, rather then coal on the Gearing Class Destroyer I was serving on.

@keithgutshall9559 3 жыл бұрын

Did same on an Adam,s class destroyer,a hot nasty job . Standing water check level was worse!!

@pilotbug6100 3 жыл бұрын

press F to pay respects to the firemen on that ship

@starliner2498 3 жыл бұрын

A gearing class? that's really old

@BeachsideHank 3 жыл бұрын

@@starliner2498 They were a modification of the legendary Fletcher class, basically a stretch version to accommodate more fuel for trans Atlantic convoy escort duty during WWII. After the war some were converted by the FRAM process in the early sixties to extend their life and also save the Navy money. I was a Boiler Tech aboard two of this class of ship sailing out of Newport R.I., 1969- 1973. Not unlike the Firemen of old, Snipes as we were called, were pretty much given wide berth by the rest of the crew- the fireroom was a hot, dirty, dangerous place to be and even the smallest mistake could have devastating consequences to the men on watch, and oftentimes we had attitude because of this. In February, 1973 there was a boiler explosion aboard the destroyer USS Basilone, which killed seven of her crew: ussbasilone.org/its-a-cold-february-in-73-by-jim-elliot/ They odds of a Snipe making it out of the "hole" during a mishap were virtually non- existent, we knew this, we accepted it, and another thing in closing- officers rarely, if ever, came down our hole, you can figure out why.

@starliner2498 3 жыл бұрын

@@BeachsideHank all the while rolling and pitching in the high seas, I wonder how much of it could be automated

@robinfryer479 3 жыл бұрын

They used to die. Invariably 1 or 2 would die every voyage. “boys” were put in charge of the ships cook, and had to report to him at the end of their watch. The cook would strip them, stand them in a bowl and sponge them down. Thus they would survive. I was a stoker, for a while, in an oil-fired ship. It was a doddle! Very hot, yes, but no physical strength was required. And of course we cleaned the burners, changed the nozzles, and cleared the carbon from the furnace crowns and walls. It was burned up by the fire.

@MilloSpiegel 3 жыл бұрын

imagine that, they were so overheated they had to be washed after a shift. If the posibilety would have existed they woul probably been hosed down

@kastallion 3 жыл бұрын

I remember from a previous video, of yours, that firemen was suggested were better paid than this video seems to suggest. Terrible nature of the work, I wouldn't last 1 day there! Respect for those men

@georgen9383 3 жыл бұрын

I too, was confused. In previous said video it sounded like they were paid well as opposed to other ship's crew. Then here, we are told they were underpaid. Hard to take a stab at this from 100+ years later, but a bit confusing. Otherwise, extremely well researched and presented.

@noahellis3672 3 жыл бұрын

I can only imagine how tough and extremely difficult it was to be a fireman and a trimmer on a coal fired steamship. No modern ventilation or air conditioning, backbreaking work, having to share the crew quarters in a barracks style arrangement in the bow of the ship. I bet in some of those ships a bath consisted of standing over a drain and having someone pour a bucket of water over you, lathering up and then pouring water over you to rinse.

@therandomytchannel4318 2 жыл бұрын

You would think some smart guy would have invented a contraption called an " automatic stoker" to lessen the manload and let machines do the job, but I guess that would show up years later

@jerrystauffer2351 Жыл бұрын

@@therandomytchannel4318 why would you want that? If it gets mechanized I lose this cushy job!

@merafirewing6591 Жыл бұрын

@@therandomytchannel4318 until some wisecracking stoker decided to mess it up.

@DsFk80s 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing. The engine room is basically a prison on a ship. But at the same time they powered society within the ship.

@TigTig-Kitty Жыл бұрын

My grandfather was a Firefighter on a few WW2 submarines. He would tell me stories about the war time, the subs conditions & I was mesmerized. I wanted to be a Firefighter so bad, but I was super tiny. I was 5'0 and 80 pounds in my mid teens. I Ended up taking EMS courses & working with the ambulance service. I had a growth spurt & grew 6 inches gained over 20 pounds & a lot more muscle tone. I managed to work with the Volunteer Firefighters in a few very small towns/villages for a few seasons doing videotaping of the scenes & first-aid to anyone who needed it. I spent 23 years in EMS & I thank my grandpa for giving me an adventurous spirit & absolute fearless side.

@DarqeDestroyer 3 жыл бұрын

1:21, 11:45 Look at the muscles on those men. The stoker with his shovel in the furnace at 1:21, the biceps and the veins on him. These men were likely never inside a purpose-built gymnasium in their lives, but they have muscles of iron. It gives an inkling of how arduous their labor was.

@TheGreatBigMove 3 жыл бұрын

Great observation!

@duartesimoes508 3 жыл бұрын

Now just imagine the brawls, inshore. 💪

@digestiveissue7710 3 жыл бұрын

They're probably a lot stronger than someone who's job is at the desk, but visually, they look pretty average for healthy adult men. It doesn't really take going to gym not to be fat or too skinny.

@12Casual 3 жыл бұрын

@@digestiveissue7710 They only look healthy because you cant see the inside of their lungs. Great irony that basically their only free time activity was smoking

@billybongthornton777 3 жыл бұрын

@@12Casual id put money on them over most gym rats in a fight.

@AMD7027 3 жыл бұрын

Left out one thing, firemen did have one privilege, due to the conditions they were given their own private promenade where they could go up on deck and get fresh air. This area was clearly viewed on the Titanic by first class passengers to their distaste.

@andymunns2579 3 жыл бұрын

Great video (I was probably one of the last firemen to work in a stokehold on the NSW coast). Great treatment of social and technical matters. Initially they tried to get the firemen to work sailors hours - 4 hours on / 4 hours off, but exhausted firemen lying about the deck meant the ships couldn't steam, hence the 4 hours on / 8 hours off system. The video mentions big ships could have Irish or Glaswegian/Gorbals firemen. Other ships had Lascars, Chinese or African crews, but never mixed. Small ships though might have 2 boilers and 6 furnaces, but with only 3 firemen, therefore 4 hours on and 8 hours off. The 3rd fireman had to be employed to make the ship go, but there might be only 2 engineers though (who worked the 24 hours on system). Often no trimmer was carried. Firemen also complained about companies buying cheap rubbish coal (low heat, high ash, clinkers), which greatly increased their workload. On smaller ships, the fireman was also expected to grease the engines and assist deckhands during berthing. The complete story must also mention what life ashore in the slums was like. Firemen at least needed food to work, and they had the "Black Pan" of galley leftovers to pick at. Like Navvies ashore, firemen needed a lot of food to do the work. Crowded tenements often had street toilets, which was normal for the time. Heads on ships were poor, but superior to toilets ashore. People washed in tubs, and baths were only for rich people.

@Hiro_Hari 3 жыл бұрын

As someone who’s been a fireman on a steam locomotives I know how lucky I’ve got it compared to these troopers

@basstard4639 3 жыл бұрын

Awesome video. I never knew how much work those men did. I was definitely ignorant by thinking they just shoveled coal. Again awesome video.

@SgtSledgehammer12 3 жыл бұрын

I found your channel by accident and it is honestly already my favorite history channel. I absolutely love how much research goes into your videos and how informative and easy to understand you make them. As a sailor myself, it's always important to know the roots of maritime travel.

@kvyatalpinista8942 3 жыл бұрын

Amazing video man. If you allow me to suggest some topics, if not for videos, for you to read about: - sinking of the principe de asturias, de Brazilian titanic - that Italian ship that sank literally after being launch, I forgot the name - classism in Ocean liners - longest serving ocean liners

@robrowe2298 3 жыл бұрын

Great video, my Grand Father was a Royal Navy Stoker in the 1890s and I often wonder about the working conditions he faced. He was invalided out due to health issues and I wonder how much of that was due to his work in the stokehold of a warship.

@maxideas9393 Жыл бұрын

All of it, most likely. That was one of the worst jobs in the world at the time.

@masaharumorimoto4761 3 жыл бұрын

Fascinating! In Sea Cadets I was lucky enough to get a 2 week sea phase on a Canadian Destroyer, the Iroquois, It was just me and 1 other cadet so life was normal on the ship, the Stokers were a different breed of people... I couldn't stand in the turbine room for more than 5 min with ear protection, I can't imagine a whole deployment!!!!!

@gregriutzel7834 2 жыл бұрын

Finally someone that speaks for us. I was a fireman on oil fired ships, and then went to solid fueled stationary boilers. It was easy to learn, but it was constant work. The only difference between us and automation was automation didn't have unions or families. Thank you!

@funnelvortex7722 3 жыл бұрын

Adding to a previous comment I left here: I know the common adage is "Wooden ships and iron men, iron ships and wooden men", but in all honestly this work sounds far more grueling than hauling ropes and climbing rigging. Sign me the hell up for crewing on a tall ship, but no way in hell you'll convince me to work in a steamship's boiler room. Diesel engines must've been a godsend.

@jamesharding3459 3 жыл бұрын

Oil fueled boilers aren’t very hard to run. About the same as a diesel.

@commonsense1907 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for another informative video. I've read firemen had to learn skills which would mean the difference of a crucial extra knot when navies burned coal. Also, Mississippi River boats often burned wood up until the 1880's. When at high speed they often burned a cord or more of wood an hour. They would go ashore and load wood on the ship. A term, known as wooding ship. Sometimes sparks would exit the stacks when racing. As evidenced on Currier & Ives prints. During races, the pressure relief valves were often tampered with so they did not release.

@AaronShenghao 3 жыл бұрын

“Captain the ship is on FIRE!” “Call the fireman.” !?!

@AlextheHistorian 3 жыл бұрын

In that case, they'd use the term "fire brigade" to refer to the men who put out fires.

@AaronShenghao 3 жыл бұрын

@@AlextheHistorian It’s a joke on British English / junior enlgish, most kid’s books won’t have “fire brigade” or “fire fighter”, but instead “firemen”

@AlextheHistorian 3 жыл бұрын

@@AaronShenghao I know it's a joke, I chuckled softly to myself. I just thought people who read your joke might wonder the alternate word for firemen was in a situation like that.

@someonestolemyname 3 жыл бұрын

Just call them here, we need someone to put out the fire on the ship and someone to put out mine

@brianstabile165 3 жыл бұрын

Firemen:were here,oh that is not our job wrong guys call the firefighters

@mikeseier4449 3 жыл бұрын

Fascinating video. Although the firemen certainly worked extremely hard,.. It seem by your description that the trimmers maybe had it worse because on top of the work on board they had to coal the ship in dock.

@TheGreatBigMove 3 жыл бұрын

Possibly! It’s certainly up for debate.

@johnwalsh7810 3 жыл бұрын

My Great Grandfather was a fireman at sea for a few years after leaving the farm where he grew up in Ireland. It was the hard work of being a fireman that taught him how to work boilers so when he decided to stay in the US permanently he was able to be hired to work and maintain the boilers in a small factory.

@Vegas_Des 3 жыл бұрын

This was an insanely informative video. I can’t believe the care that goes into keeping those boilers running efficiently

@MrJoeyWheeler 3 жыл бұрын

One must love the unfortunate irony in the end there. Tale as old as time. "WE DEMAND BETTER WORKING CONDITIONS!" "Alright, we have improved the working conditions and efficiency. half of you are now no longer necessary, good luck with your job hunt."

@skaldlouiscyphre2453 3 жыл бұрын

The elimination of some jobs improves the conditions of the people who once did them once the short-term disruption is resolved and they have new jobs.

@woodywoodman2319 Жыл бұрын

As a retired Boiler Tech and Gas Turbine Mechanic (best of both worlds!) ... I can say USNavy Engineers had the respect they deserved! Especially the BTs!!!

@rafterbarr1506 3 жыл бұрын

"Kilroy Stoking Regulator" much like the shirtless "horator" pounding on a drum in a rowing galley, some things didn't change in the galley even after steam.

@dosrios57 3 жыл бұрын

Mention in this well made Documentary should have been made of the 'Lascar Seaman' Employed by British Shipping companies to work as Stokers and trimmers and what became of them upon the transition from Coal to Fuel

@TheGreatBigMove 3 жыл бұрын

Interesting, I hadn’t come across this before. I’ll have to look into it.

@Thx1138sober 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks, dude for covering these fascinating and ignored aspects of maritime history.

@andreiuul1 3 жыл бұрын

germans hiring hungarians and romanians in order to avoid tensions... oh boy, it must have been a fun work environment

@RaptorJesus 3 жыл бұрын

I assume their next two choices would've been Serbs and Bosnians. You know, just to continue the trend of "almost literal war between the crew".

@forthrightgambitia1032 3 жыл бұрын

Probably not the two at the same time...

@xRepoUKx 3 жыл бұрын

Hungarian: how do we do this? German: ze manual is on ze top shelf, please put it back tidily ven you haf finished!

@merafirewing6591 Жыл бұрын

@@forthrightgambitia1032 I would imagine the brawls being intense with Hungarians, Romanians, Serbs, and Bosnians in the same place with the Germans and possibly Austrians?

@funnelvortex7722 3 жыл бұрын

Firemen: Proof that the men stayed iron when the ships became iron.

@juliusraben3526 3 жыл бұрын

That "suprisingly populair video" is also the first one that i got recommended xD since then ive been happily watching every recommendation :P

@xXCREEKSTARXx 3 жыл бұрын

Theres no way those guys wouldve been nice and accepting, straght edge dudes. The working conditions are hell to bare, just imagine being exploited like that, working in these conditions and not being drunk all fkin day lol. People would probably just jump in the burners for free

@torquetrain8963 3 жыл бұрын

Well said. Thanks to this channel for preserving this important history. Love the reciprocating steam marine engines which are probably still the torquiest and strongest engines of any type to this day.

@gon4455 3 жыл бұрын

Above decks, graceful and harmonious full of comfort and joyous lovelyness and niceness with little baby angels singing. Below deep within the bottom bowls of the ship. Hell on Earth!

@Lichnaya_pravda 3 жыл бұрын

Before I watched this video, I thought it will be about the people who extinguish flame in case of fire on the ship.

@exexpat11 3 жыл бұрын

Damage Controlman - Controls Fires and Damage onboard ships Fireman Apprentice - Lowest Engineering Rank in US Navy Fire Controlman - Those that maintain the Radars, Ranging Equipment, and Missile Guidance Systems on US Navy Warships Hull Technician - Those that maintain hull integrity and the plumbing on ships

@Mondo762 3 жыл бұрын

^^^^^^^^Engineer, US Merchant Marine (ret).........I once had a Chief Engineer that had worked on coal burners running between Seattle and Alaska back in the 1950's. Having sailed on plenty of WW2 steam ships I can attest to the nature of the Black Gang even up through the Viet Nam War and later.

@What_was_wrong_w_jst_our_names 3 жыл бұрын

11:23 you sold that pun so hard man 🤪

@Master_of_Failure 3 жыл бұрын

I work in a hot sweaty warehouse all night loading trailers for trucks. There's a lot of similarities between my job and this and it's frightening. We go unseen and unheard As long as your package gets there on time nobody cares. But for the most part that's how we like it we show up we do our job and we go home.

@TheEgg185 3 жыл бұрын

I worked as Amazon delivery driver spending 11 hours a day in their rolling ovens. 🔥🔥🔥 I certainly felt like a steam ship fireman and was thinking the same as you. The customer clicks a button and receives their package, blissfully unaware of the hell people had to go through to get it to them. It makes me wonder what other jobs are like this that we don't know about. Perhaps every job?

@rosslangsjoen6820 4 ай бұрын

Absolutely excellent. And the black gang didn't entirely change as long as ships were powered by steam.

@pobinr 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for not adding background music. Great vids

@TheGreatBigMove 2 жыл бұрын

I've considered it in the past and have added it to parts of some of my videos where appropriate. But until I find a really good fit, I probably won't add background music to the majority of my videos. I know a lot of people have strong opinions about that.

@Sevenspent 3 жыл бұрын

Amazing these men worked in 120F on a ship while some workers today complain about 90F indoors on solid ground.

@tonyperone3242 3 жыл бұрын

The actual topic here is the state of labor relations at sea. Not much has changed since then. There are yet people who's labor is essential, but they are still treated with contempt.

@sumvs5992 3 жыл бұрын

Nothing's changed? I'm not going to say that it's got much safer or better, but it seems in the modern day, people will be operating from control panels. People aren't shovelling coal into boilers or transporting that coal from its storage to the firemen. And even in nuclear powered vehicles that militaries have, safety will be very important. You don't want a submarine being lost because the reactor wasn't properly maintained, because that cost a lot of money. That would also make these vehicles look bad in the public eye and susceptible to loss and then everything about these vehicles would just spiral out of control. So, no safety has definitely improved since the birth of the coal powered ocean crossing boats.

@hedgehog3180 3 жыл бұрын

@@sumvs5992 I imagine that's not the subject of this comment and they're talking about stuff like dock workers, shipyard workers and ship breakers who often have horrible conditions and sometimes work in basically slave like conditions.

@sumvs5992 3 жыл бұрын

@@hedgehog3180 Slave like conditions? How fucking dare you?

@vermas4654 3 жыл бұрын

Since you have made a video on the great German liners, would you be willing to make a video on Bremen and Europa, the two Liners of the Lloyd in the 30s? Both do have pretty interesting stories

@low_quality_films 3 жыл бұрын

@the great big move I feel u have a lot of respect for these people and I appreciate it a lot

@SlavaUkraini85 2 жыл бұрын

Love every single of your videos, so great to get a better understanding of that time period. A question related to that: in the Titanic movie when they are about to hit the iceberg one of the firemen says: „close all the dampers?!“ Do you know what that means and why they do that?

@coffeecocaine8878 Жыл бұрын

I love every bit of these engineering details, along with the tidbits of food and logistical stats on the Titanic. This is greater entertainment for me than watching music videos all day every day.

@priatalat 3 жыл бұрын

The amount of trouble we have to go through to just make steam always astonished me.

@812guitars 3 жыл бұрын

Great video. Super informative on a subject that's been virtually invisible.

@alexis_ian 3 жыл бұрын

Great feature video! Pitty how people view fireman at the time I wonder if the Titanic disaster and the near mutiny on the Olympic changed that?

@hedgehog3180 3 жыл бұрын

In general the perceptions of the working class were changed by Socialist movements in the late 19th and early 20th century that pretty universally succeeded in pushing through labor safety laws, better wages, 8 hour work days and universal suffrage which meant that politically the working class couldn't be entirely ignored anymore. Universal suffrage in most countries was achieved by an alliance between socialist and feminist movements, with working class women of course being part of both as Emma Goldman talks about.

@osirisandilio 3 жыл бұрын

For a great story about lead fireman Frederick Barrett of the Titanic, check out Saving the Titanic. Awesome story

@jeremyfisher8782 3 жыл бұрын

Great video! When I first started reading books about the Titanic and ships during this time period ... your videos would have been a HUGE help in understanding the jobs/duties of each specific ship worker. Perfect length of video ... really great work!

@TheGreatBigMove 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks, Jeremy!

@mactherebellionleader5394 3 жыл бұрын

This is my favorite and most reliable source of ship information, thank you so much for the reliable information. Also I have a request, can you make a video about the first superliner Kaiser Whilhelm Der Grosse? I love the ocean liner and I have not seen a video of it on youtube yet :(.

@TheGreatBigMove 3 жыл бұрын

Yes, I want to cover some of the earlier German liners at some point. Stay tuned!

@mactherebellionleader5394 3 жыл бұрын

@@TheGreatBigMove Thank you so much! It means a lot for a creator to respond to a community. Im glad you are making a video about them.

@OKFrax-ys2op 3 жыл бұрын

Well this kinda fireman love a hot one! Not like you’re neighborhood ones!

@timmy841212 3 жыл бұрын

Lol I clicked for the eye candy in the thumbnail, stayed for the historical lesson. 😊

@TheEgg185 3 жыл бұрын

You: 🏳️‍🌈

@timmy841212 3 жыл бұрын

@@TheEgg185 Duh. 😂

@91_C4_FL 3 жыл бұрын

In today's money, Captain Smith made around £116,698.09 or $160,637.84 annually.

@TheGreatBigMove 3 жыл бұрын

Yes, he earned a pretty solid salary. Keep in mind, though, that he was at the height of the career arc for a merchant seaman.

@JWRogersPS 3 жыл бұрын

He was the highest paid ship's captain at the time.

@N3braskaDude 3 жыл бұрын

i would choose the titanic and be one of the survivors that got through the doors before they closed

@TheGreatBigMove 3 жыл бұрын

Interesting, but here’s something you might not know: the firemen could have still escaped even after the doors closed. There were escape ladders which ascended through the decks from the boiler rooms. I believe they were located in the funnel casings, but don’t quote me on that.

@supertrinigamer 3 жыл бұрын

@@TheGreatBigMove That could be why the watertight doors failed fantastically

@MrHowzaa 3 жыл бұрын

@@supertrinigamer becuase one snook forgot to close the manhole cover?

@johnbockelie3899 3 жыл бұрын

"Has any one seen the chief engineer?." Meanwhile his skeleton is on fire in a furnace.

@kikoeta 3 жыл бұрын

I subscribed after the bunkering video, this channel is absolutely wonderful and a total guilty pleasure of mine

@TheGreatBigMove 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you, but there’s no reason to feel guilty 👍🏼

@vanessa9558 2 жыл бұрын

Wonderful, wonderful video. I’d always been so curious about them and yours is the first video I’ve come across on here that has been dedicated to this topic. Amazing job, and thank you so much for compiling this information for us!

@shahxad6533 Жыл бұрын

I just started watching 1899 & the First episode "The Ship" had me thinking abt the Firemen. & wow Ur Video developed my interest more. I'll be watching alot more of ur videos.

@h0ckeyd 3 жыл бұрын

I might be seeing things but one of those dock photos looks like it has the Southwestern hotel in Southampton in the background (opposite side of the road to the White star HQ) both buildings still stand btw.

@blatherskite9601 3 жыл бұрын

At least the Titanic's stokers didn't have to suffer their awful accommodation for very long.

@lostphoenix1911 3 жыл бұрын

3:39 I find it funny that they’re smoking.

@toddkurzbard Жыл бұрын

One of the stories I've read (from Lightoller if I remember correctly) has always stuck with me; the writer describes one of those hard-nosed engineers who went below to give the firemen a tounge-lashing, or maybe to "encourage" a better performance then he was currently satisfied with. He was never seen again, the rumor going around (according to the author) that he was brained in the head with a shovel, and his body shoved in one of the furnaces.

@viphomeconcerts 3 жыл бұрын

These are great videos. I really enjoy this series on ships. Thank you!

@peteacher52 3 жыл бұрын

Well done!!

@Momo_Kawashima 3 жыл бұрын

People then: I just ended my 23 hours turn of shoveling coal into a furnace and doing maintenance to a working engine, now I'm going to drink three bottles of whiskey at once and then I'm going to sleep People now: chair isnt comfortble im sad

@brainwashingdetergent4128 3 жыл бұрын

Imagine being a stoker at the battle of jutland. Just stoking away all the while knowing a 2500lb shell might drop in to say hi.

@whovianhistorybuff 2 жыл бұрын

True during a battle at sea some of the men whose job it is to stay below deck are probably under just as much pressure, if not more so than the officers on the bridge or men manning the gun turrets, there was a royal navy recruiting ad I remember well about navy chefs. Could you fry an egg? On a ship? On a ship in a storm? On a ship in a storm turning sharply? On a ship in a storm turning sharply under a surprise missile attack? That's just one egg, Now imagine you have 200 sailors who urgently need to be fed to remain operational, What's going to crack? You or the eggs?

@samuelfellows6923 2 жыл бұрын

Or a submarine torpedo 😱

@thomaspick4123 2 жыл бұрын

Ben Hur showed it well below decks. Be a chained oarsmen rowing. Getting rammed. Drowning with the ship. See KZfaq clip: All Wars Are Bankers Wars. We should not have all this war nonsense. A fleet of merchants ships, okay. Naval war ships are a waste of money and human life. Their purpose is to murder and destroy.

@Nikki_Catnip 2 жыл бұрын

These men were absolute beasts! I wouldn’t wanna go up against anyone of them. One of the first pics.. my god. The dude is absolutely STACKED. Huge pecs, big biceps, huge forearms. If a bunch of guys like that mutinied, I’d give them whatever the hell they wanted and go lock myself behind a safe door! Lmao

@matthewamaral4825 2 жыл бұрын

Being a power plant firemen this gives me pride

@brianperry 2 жыл бұрын

I started my life at sea in a boiler room on the Queen Elizabeth .1967/8....Then original ship. You had to go through an airlock that 'punched your ears' as you opened the inner door...Also, the telegraph still had 'Action Stations' on it, presumably from WW2. I did three trips to New York then payed off, I didn't want to spend my time in a hot, noisy engine room. I transferred to being a deck hand eventually an Able Seaman on a VLCC ...mostly in the fresh air... My youth over fifty years ago now, but fond memories

@stevebell4906 3 жыл бұрын

You should do some videos about the strikes and the Unions and the fight for a 12 hour day ...30 dollars for a 12 hour 7 day week...and the company tried to cut the pay to 20 dollars a month!..For Firemen..The Marine Firemen, Oilers and Water tenders .

@TheGreatBigMove 3 жыл бұрын

The struggle between labor and the shipping companies is very interesting and I’ve been thinking about how I could do a video on that topic.

@stevebell4906 3 жыл бұрын

@@TheGreatBigMove Lots to cover...East coast and West cost and the different Unions and who they represented....And just how big some of the players were like United Fruit...

@blip-hn6is 3 жыл бұрын

i wanted to watch this vid but it is premiered so it got buried so deep in my sub. glad i found it again.

@SlavaUkraini85 2 жыл бұрын

so interesting! thanks much! was always wondering about these things

@leha4630 3 жыл бұрын

Yes The diesel engine was a godsend from heaven when it came on board.

@whovianhistorybuff 2 жыл бұрын

As was the oil burning steam boiler.

@JETZcorp Жыл бұрын

Good lord. I thought being a fireman on the railroads was a difficult job. I'm going to locate the fuel pump on my car and thank it for it's service.

@fergusmoffat1760 28 күн бұрын

What is not mentioned here, is that ocean liners were not the only ships requiring stokers. So did all of the freight and packet steamers around the world that had taken over from the sailing vessels (not to forget utility vessels such as tugs). They too, would eventually either be pensioned off or converted to oil-firing, but the employment opportunities for ocean-going stokers did not end with the conversion of the liners. It did end, though... that much can be acknowledged.

@CaptainAhab117 3 жыл бұрын

God bless those men.

@conradmcdougall3629 3 жыл бұрын

"HEY, YOU TWO!!! GET OFF THE BOW RAILS AND STOP PLAYING THAT DAMN CELINE DION SONG"!!! I think I found out why he looks so angry. Titanic movie reference.

@nataliekhanyola5669 3 жыл бұрын

🤣🤣😂😂

@xerox8080 3 жыл бұрын

The Titanic song by Celine Dion is number one in my "Songs I Hate the most" list.... 😠🤢😡👹So play this song, give me a shuffle and pray for your life... 💀☠☠

@TheIPGCorporations Жыл бұрын

My great, great grandad was a chief stoker in the British Navy. He was involved in conflicts from the Second Boer War & The Boxer Rebellion.

@andrefiset3569 3 жыл бұрын

I am surprized the liners of the time didn't have screw conveyors like the steam locomotive had.

@johnsiders7819 3 жыл бұрын

There was not enough room I read on the titanic for them other ships did have them I have hand fired 3 locomotives there is a art to it can’t mound it’s up in the middle you have to place your shots on the back and sides or cold air will warp the fire box sheets and they will not steam right I rode the locomotives at cedar point they are steam I noticed that even moving the safety valve was popping off when we stopped I walked up and talked to the fireman and engineer they were both teenagers I explained how to do it right and not work near as hard they were not trained well and had a fire box full of coal and the draft set wide open I was not able to cab ride but after a few rides and talks at stops those kids were getting really good at running that Vulcan narrow gauge locomotive!

@Kshep84 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the video! The story of my people.

@JackJoToons 3 жыл бұрын

I'm thrilled for this one!

@TheGreatBigMove 3 жыл бұрын

It’s a very ‘hot’ topic.

@TheJordan08 3 жыл бұрын

@@TheGreatBigMove lol

@JackJoToons 3 жыл бұрын

@@TheGreatBigMove Haha, nice one!

@Sebi076 3 жыл бұрын

great and informational video!

@tommyluvstraci 3 жыл бұрын

Very educational. Thanks!

@pacificrules 2 жыл бұрын

I thoroughly enjoyed this and many of your videos. MORE PLEASE !!!!

@TheGreatBigMove 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you, more to come!

@pacificrules 2 жыл бұрын

@@TheGreatBigMove Thank you Shipmate.

@laaity Жыл бұрын

I fired a steam locomotive a couple of times I'm also a trimmer And it really is a job for tough people When that engine reaches speeds or the engine works hard That fire begins to bite if you fire correctly and when the engine is happy

@Artofficial1986 3 жыл бұрын

I'm spoiled rotten by cookies, candies and fizzy drinks. 👁👄👁

@scottarcher3449 Жыл бұрын

Well done brother and family .....that is the million dollar idea congratulations

@derkaiser50 3 жыл бұрын

I think i could survive (without passing out) up to 115 degrees Fahrenheit, because I'm from Mississippi, the heat may be up there in the hundreds but because of the humidity it feels hotter, which if my theory is correct would make Mississippians great stokers cause we're already used to high temperatures

@nebfer 3 жыл бұрын

Well one thing Im wondering is just how much coal would a shovelful actually weigh? I know that Titanic had around 176 Firemen/Stokers and 29 boilers (24 double ended, five single, in six boiler rooms, with the five singles in BR-1, BRs-2-5 having five double, with BR-6 having four double), with 53 boiler ends each with three Furnaces for 159 on the ship, each boiler "end" was crewed by three men working in four hour shifts (four on eight off, repeat), as such each firemen on shift worked one "boiler end" and three furnaces. Each boiler room had 10 firemen (it seems except number 6 has it only had eight boiler "ends"), with a quartet of Trimmers (of which their where 73 on Titanic) From what I know that with all 24 double ended up and running Titanic consumed some 850* tons per day, roughly 35 tons per hour. Going with that that is roughly 1,400 pounds per guy per hour or some 23/24 pounds every minute. Roughly a ton of coal every two minutes was being shoveled into the boilers. *I've seen either 600 or 800ish tons (at 600 tons would be about 16/17 pounds per minute) So how often would they actually need to put coal into the boilers.

@roymarshall_ 3 жыл бұрын

Did not need the HD roach footage today

@victorponce7238 3 жыл бұрын

I did not know this. That sure was hard labor. I thot it was a brain dead job. Nope. You proved that wrong. Thanks for the info. It is part of history. 😃