# What is a "donkeyman"?



## Harry Flashman

I am not a mariner. This term was used to describe a character in the 1940 movie "The Long Voyage Home" based on a play by Eugene O'Neill. I would like to understand what job or occupation the term is describing.


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## Harry Flashman

Harry Flashman said:


> I am not a mariner. This term was used to describe a character in the 1940 movie "The Long Voyage Home" based on a play by Eugene O'Neill. I would like to understand what job or occupation the term is describing.


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## Harry Flashman

I'm sorry. Donkeyman was what i was looking to find out about


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## Norm

An engine room rating with the rank of petty officer who looked after a small boiler called a donkey boiler. 
On motor ships a donkey boiler would provide steam for auxiliary steam equipment. eg deck winches.


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## LTS

Not to be confused with the donkey women in Panama City


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## lakercapt

When on a coal-fired ship and an oil-fired ship the donkeyman was the senior rating in the engine room. He was the overseer of the firemen and trimmers and assisted the engineer on watch. Did the oiling of the main engine and auxiliaries. In port,
he was on watch when the engineers were on daywork and tended the engine room and boilers


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## Stephen J. Card

A donkey is an animal that does work. A donkeyman is one that tends the donkey. Old ships, as in sailing ships might have a small steam engine on board, for hoisting yards, lifting cargo from the hold etc. The small boiler for this purpose would be tended by the one that took the name 'Donkeyman'. As steam ships became the norm they usually had a small auxiliary boiler. Not for powering the main engine, but for the donkey boiler. All of the terms as you have given above were just 'nicknames' for the people working on board. The original term 'donkeyman' was for the one that tended a small boiler that was required for winches etc.


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## John Rogers

Some Gals I knew called me a Donkey Man.


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## John Gowers

Someone give John Rogers a bowl of cornflakes he is about to waken up.


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## John Rogers

I was a Donkeyman on the SS Beckenham. Watts Watts Sept 1952.


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## trotterdotpom

John Rogers said:


> Some Gals I knew called me a Donkey Man.


Haw haw. Reminds me of a letter I read in "Hustler" once. A bloke wrote in saying he couldn't understand the obsession with 12 inch penises, in the Welsh village where he lived, all the men had 12 inch penises. Their answer was: "Don't tell us, tell the Welsh National Tourist Board."

John T


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## duquesa

John Rogers said:


> Some Gals I knew called me a Donkey Man.


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## John Rogers

Nice photo duquesa dont ever get it cropped.


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## John Rogers

Duquesa I notice you have very short legs.


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## Mad Landsman

Stephen J. Card said:


> A donkey is an animal that does work. A donkeyman is one that tends the donkey. Old ships, as in sailing ships might have a small steam engine on board, for hoisting yards, lifting cargo from the hold etc. The small boiler for this purpose would be tended by the one that took the name 'Donkeyman'. As steam ships became the norm they usually had a small auxiliary boiler. Not for powering the main engine, but for the donkey boiler. All of the terms as you have given above were just 'nicknames' for the people working on board. The original term 'donkeyman' was for the one that tended a small boiler that was required for winches etc.


Back to OP for a moment,
Further to Stephen's reply. The actual etymology of the word:
Back in the late 18th century James Watt devised a unit of measurement for the power output of the steam engine. He related it to what was known and common at the time - The Horse Power, or the number of horses which would be needed to produce the same effect. 
In the 19th century when large steam engines were being installed it was realised that there times when all that power was not actually needed and so a small boiler and engine would be installed alongside. The large engine provided Horse Power but, using terminology which would be understood at the time the smaller engine only provided 'Donkey Power'. 
Thus the Donkey boiler, feeding the donkey engine, tended by the donkeyman. It just meant that it is a smaller engine, or smaller then a 'horse'.


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## Stephen J. Card

The mortician was preparing for the burial of Mr Schwartz.. While cleaning the body he saw that Mr Schwartz was similar to 'Duquesa'. The mortician decided to cut if off and save it a jar of alcohol. He took it home that night and showed it to his wife She saw it and let out a scream, "Schwartz is dead!"

Sorry. Definitely on topic!


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## John Rogers

We have to have a little fun in our old age Stephen, Oldie but a Goodie,


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## noelmavisk

John Rogers said:


> Some Gals I knew called me a Donkey Man.


*Was that because of your ears, or you were just too stubborn?*


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## DaveTX

Norm said:


> An engine room rating with the rank of petty officer who looked after a small boiler called a donkey boiler.
> On motor ships a donkey boiler would provide steam for auxiliary steam equipment. eg deck winches.


The boiler provided steam for the donkey engine. Later donkey engines were naptha or gasoline powered, often one lung engines with a good sized fly wheel and a winch drum. The donkeyman operated the donkey engine and handled the line on the drum. The donkey engine took the place of extra hands when lines like halyards needed to be hauled.


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## noelmavisk

DaveTX said:


> The boiler provided steam for the donkey engine. Later donkey engines were naptha or gasoline powered, often one lung engines with a good sized fly wheel and a winch drum. The donkeyman operated the donkey engine and handled the line on the drum. The donkey engine took the place of extra hands when lines like halyards needed to be hauled.


*Memory not good, but as I remember, I spent 4 years on 3 diesel powered ships, single and twin-screw. Don't recall a donkey-engine on either one but definitely a donkey-boiler and a donkeyman. All auxiliaries, pumps etc etc were electric, I think the donkey-boiler was used to provide steam for heating like hot water in the cabins and showers, and dhobi the boiler-suits.*


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## Rudolph.A.Furtado

Harry Flashman said:


> I am not a mariner. This term was used to describe a character in the 1940 movie "The Long Voyage Home" based on a play by Eugene O'Neill. I would like to understand what job or occupation the term is describing.


"DONKEYMAN" was the title given to the "OILER" of the Engine room of a ship.. His duty was mainly looking after the "Engine Room Boiler" andcheck and replinish "Oil Levels" of the running machinery(Diesel Engines) as well as cleaning of machinery spaces in the ship's engine room. I was a "Marine Engineer" of Indian origin from 1983 to 2008 serving mostly on Indian ship's and Indian crew.


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## Dj_Ordz85

Harry Flashman said:


> I am not a mariner. This term was used to describe a character in the 1940 movie "The Long Voyage Home" based on a play by Eugene O'Neill. I would like to understand what job or occupation the term is describing.


The Donkeyman is/was (depending what kind of vessel you are on) pretty much the bosun of the engine room greaser/motormen/oilers/firemen just as the actual bosun is in charge on the deck crew including deck boys/ordinary seaman/able seaman/ Trainee Intergrated Ratings and Intergrated Ratings


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