# Steam driven lifeboats



## double acting (Sep 14, 2008)

The RNLI had steam propulsion before internal combustion engines,where on line can I obtain details of the system used. Water jets were used in place of propellers.

I visited the RNLI website but it had no technical data.


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## tiachapman (Mar 25, 2008)

never heard of that before


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## granty (Mar 17, 2008)

Hi
Dover had a Steam Lifeboat in the 20s 30s or there about
Granty


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## Ron Stringer (Mar 15, 2005)

How long did it take to flash up the boiler and raise steam?

"Hang on lads, we will be able to launch in 4 or 5 hours." (Jester)


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## Glencott (Oct 20, 2010)

Harwich had the DUKE OF NORTHUMBERLAND built in 1889. The first ever steam driven lifeboat and of revolutionary design, pumps drawing in seawater which was then forced out through vents in the sides of the hull at great pressure. As you say, no props! The boiler fire was never allowed to completely die and the boat could get under way relatively quickly. Sorry, no plans on Station.


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## DeepSeaDiver (Jun 5, 2016)

Thanks for the interesting thread topic. I have been looking around, but no major success so far. I have learned a few things but....


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## Clifford Cocker (Jan 21, 2008)

*Steam Driven Lifeboats*

never heard of them, but as I suppose we had in Victorian days such things as horse drawn steam operated fire appliances it could have been a step forward from hand propelled lifeboats.
I can recall however as an apprentice in the 40s working on what were called "Barmaid Boats".ships lifeboats where every thwart had a handle in from which by a series of cranks and pulleys a propeller was turned, never tried on in the water though, just on the davits.
Cliff Cocker


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## Varley (Oct 1, 2006)

Ron Stringer said:


> How long did it take to flash up the boiler and raise steam?
> 
> "Hang on lads, we will be able to launch in 4 or 5 hours." (Jester)


Flash steam generator would have been a way round that:

Wiki:

Flash boiler

A flash boiler is a type of water-tube boiler. The tubes are close together and water is pumped through them. A flash boiler differs from the type of monotube steam generator in which the tube is permanently filled with water. In a flash boiler, the tube is kept so hot that the water feed is quickly flashed into steam and superheated. Flash boilers had some use in automobiles in the 19th century and this use continued into the early 20th century.


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## Ron Stringer (Mar 15, 2005)

Seems a little too high-maintenance for the RNLI, David.


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## Mad Landsman (Dec 1, 2005)

With the early steam powered pumps on horse drawn fire engines it was claimed that they could be pumping in under a quarter of an hour. 
If the boiler was flashed up on leaving the fire station it was ready to use by the time they reached the fire, perhaps.


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## Deepankar Choudhury (Jul 9, 2018)

The hydraulic steam-driven lifeboat – so-called because it used waterjets instead of propellers – was based on an 1888 scale model built by Greens of Blackwall.


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## waldziu (Jun 17, 2008)

I can off this.
https://rnli.org/about-us/our-history/timeline/1890-first-steam-driven-lifeboat


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## Robert Hilton (Feb 13, 2011)

Thanks to all. A most interesting thread.


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## Varley (Oct 1, 2006)

#11 /#12

Very interesting thanks gents. It was, incidentally, an awkward bastard's question to visiting RNLI vice president. It has now been answered.


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## Deepankar Choudhury (Jul 9, 2018)

The first purpose built lifeboat to be stationed at Harwich was a pulling and sailing boat called ... This "City of Glashow " was 55ft long and was also steam driven.


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## Alan Maggs (Jan 31, 2010)

Hi Look up Steam Lifeboat City of Adelaide. Built in London in 1894 supposedly at Axel Stenross Museum in Port Lincoln South Australia. Government site says 200 HP I doubt this If NHP more Likely to be 20.
After I came ashore(Ex Deck Officer) I got land based steam Tickets and was an Examiner for 13 years in Melbourne so have some understanding of steam
regards Alan Maggs


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## Bob S (Jul 12, 2004)

As mention in #5 , Duke of Northumberland (ON-231) was the first steam lifeboat and based at Harwich.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harwich_Lifeboat_Station


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