above The Titanic, newly dry-docked, shows a view of her shell plating at the bilge area.

The propeller boss collar nut is in place to protect the thread, while the tapered portion appears somewhat dull as it may have been sheathed in tallow and canvas before the launch to preserve its machined surface. (UFTM)

Fitting a propeller

he task of changing and fitting a propeller was a massive undertaking that required the ship to be dry-docked. the tail shafting and associated tunnel bearings were installed in the stern tube while the ship was on the slip before launching. Protective sheathing in the form of canvas and tallow grease may well have been wrapped around the machined tapered lengths that protruded from the stern tubes. At the same

time the large round collar type nuts were fitted in place to protect their threads. the Titanic was initially dry-docked in the thompson Graving Dock and the dock emptied. the two 38-ton wing propellers and the 22-ton centre propeller were brought from their storage area by the 200-ton-lift floating crane and deposited on the floor of the dry dock near the ships stern. Scaffolding was then erected around the area of the tail shafts, giving room for the propellers to be manoeuvred into place. Before fitting, the protective nuts were removed, the canvas and tallow sheathing removed, and the machined surfaces cleaned up. using the 13 large lugs that were provided for shackles that were built into the frames under the Titanics counter stern and a combination of the four pairs of bollards on her Poop Deck, in addition to the odd bollard on the dockside, these anchor points were used to sling the block and tackles that would fit or remove the Titanics propellers. it is likely that the centre four-bladed propeller was fitted first, being more awkward to manoeuvre between the stern frame and rudder pintles. the end of the propeller shaft, like the propeller bore, was tapered, and in the bore of the propeller a keyway was cut in the form of a straight parallel groove with a corresponding one in the shaft. the shaft was positioned so that the keyway was at the top, dead centre, and into the groove on the shaft

right A close-up view of the central propeller shaft housing after plating. In the background can be seen the port main engine propeller shaft housing and boss arm. (The Shipbuilder)

a mild steel key or feather was placed, and the tail shaft greased accordingly. the centre propeller was slung by chains looped around two of its blades near the hub, with its keyway uppermost and the larger bore of its taper facing the tail shaft. With the centre propeller lifted by a combination of slings, strops and block and tackles from both sides of the stern, to signals and commands from the foreman, the propeller was eased slowly into the vertical position and coaxed in such a way that it was offered up to the tapered shaft. using the combination of the pulley blocks and manpower gently ramming the hub with railway sleepers, the propeller was pushed home on its mating tapered tail shaft. As the centre propeller rotated clockwise, looking from astern, a large left-handed collar nut was handled by two men on to its respective male thread and screwed up as far as it would go by hand. in order to ensure it was tightened home, either a tommy bar was inserted in the holes in the nuts outer circumference and barred around (in a similar manner to an old sailing ship capstan), or a snug-fitting c spanner was used with a peg that located in the holes and a long handle for leverage. if necessary, the fitters would flog the spanner handle with sledgehammers until the nut was fastened up and the propeller boss was hard up against its locating spigot on the tail shaft. the nut was probably secured from working loose by a cottar pin inserted through a hole drilled through the shaft in line with one set of diametrically opposed holes to prevent it working back. over the nut a steel conical fairing was secured to protect the nuts and threads. this reduced the loss by eddying motion of the water and prevented fouling of the ropes. the two outboard propellers could be built up by first fitting the boss and then bolting on each blade. the slinging of them by pulleys was less complicated, but safety slings were still required to the Poop Deck bollards. As the wing propellers of the Titanic were outward turning, the tail-shaft thread and nut was left-handed on the starboard propeller and right-handed for the port propeller. in this manner the propellers were kept hard up when the shafts were rotating under normal ahead conditions.

above Titanics starboard tail shaft is fitted just before her launch. Note that the rudder has been secured by braces in order to keep it in the amidships position during the launch. The man on the shafts end is sitting on the shaft taper and leaning over the propeller boss, securing the nut. This nut, which has to be put into place to protect the threads, is of a round collar-type with about six holes in it so the nut might be tightened with a tommy bar or a C spanner. Halfway along the shaft may be seen the bowler hat of the foreman in charge of the gang, standing behind the shaft. (UFTM H1857) below The Olympics centre propeller slung by chains. Note the larger bore of the taper nearer the camera and the shafts keyway slot at the 10 oclock position. (UFTM H1457)

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titAnic mAnuAl

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AnAtomy of the titAnic