Lilac
Thursday, October 11th, 2007
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The engine room of the steamship Lilac, during Open House New York.
“The Lilac is the last unaltered steam propelled and steam hoisting lighthouse tender designed for work on the open sea and connecting bays and sounds. She is also the last such vessel to survive that was operated by the United States Lighthouse Service, the civilian manned agency responsible for maintaining aids to navigation from 1910 to 1939, when this work was assumed by the United States Coast Guard.”
steamerlilac.org
Bunks down below where you hear the waves lap. The Lilac was a Real Estate office in 1988, mired in the mud of the St. James River. It is now in the process of being restored.
R2D2′s dad. Actually a gyrocompass, the iron hull precludes the use of a magnetic compass.
Gerry, one of the Lilac’s crew, writes: “Compasses can work in iron hulls if properly compensated. The gyro compass was for accuracy in placing the bouys in those pre-gps days.”
Radar display in the wheelhouse.
You should take a tour on that Circle Line some time, I remember a trip on it during Junior High School field day, best part of the whole trip was the engine room and watching the guy changing the oil canister on the connecting rod while it was turning the crankshaft!
That was a feat all it’s own leaning over the edge of the railing and every revolution when the oiler came near he gave it a twist with one hand till he could remove it, then installed the replacement the same way- must have been a neat trick getting the threads started just right with so short time and one hand…
I seem to remember it was turning around 60 RPM or more.
You should take a tour on that Circle Line some time, I remember a trip on it during Junior High School field day, best part of the whole trip was the engine room and watching the guy changing the oil canister on the connecting rod while it was turning the crankshaft!
That was a feat all it’s own leaning over the edge of the railing and every revolution when the oiler came near he gave it a twist with one hand till he could remove it, then installed the replacement the same way- must have been a neat trick getting the threads started just right with so short time and one hand…
I seem to remember it was turning around 60 RPM or more.
I’ve never done the Circle Line, I should. That sounds like quite a show.
I’ve never done the Circle Line, I should. That sounds like quite a show.
You should sometime, it was a pleasant trip around Manhattan, I don’t remember how long a trip it was but seem to remember it was a good couple of hours or longer- all the way up the East river around the tip of Harlem and down the Hudson back to South Ferry- must be around 50 miles total or so.
If you go, I’d do it on a nice sunny spring or summer day because out on the water it got pretty chilly I remember.