SS Servia - Power Plant

Power Plant

Servia’s engine was similar to the one installed on the Guion Line’s crack passenger liner SS Alaska of 1881. It was a triple-crank compound engine with one 72" high pressure cylinder, and two 100” low pressure cylinders, and a stroke of 6.5 ft (2.0 m). The steam was supplied at 90 lbs by seven scotch boilers, each of which were 18 ft (5.5 m) in diameter and contained six furnaces. Six of these boilers were double-ended, while the seventh was single-ended and contained three furnaces. The power developed was 10,300 IHP, driving a single four-bladed screw. Servia's maximum recorded speed during her trials was 17.85 knots, and her average speed during a crossing was around 16 Knots. Although Servia did not achieve any speed records, she was a competitive liner that performed well, and in 1884 she managed to make a crossing in less than seven days, averaging at 16.7 Knots.