Loading Coal on to steam powered liners?

Question

I'm reading a book about the sinking of the Lusitania and it includes a discussion about how coal was bunkered in such ships. Apparently the Lusitania had longitudinal bunkers, whilst Titanic had transverse and may be one of the reasons why the former sunk in 17 minutes but the latter took over two hours. This led me to wonder how and where the coal was loaded into those bunkers. Was it done at the pier or quay where passengers boarded? Would this have not been extremely dirty? Or did they go to a bunkering point - like a steam locomotive being coaled 'on shed' usually by gravity from overhead hoppers.

Thank you Clive, but I was really referring to liners where, presumably, they didn't want to great and good getting covered in mess

Answer 1

Coal-ship, as it was called, was in the Royal Navy carried out by every member of the ship's company, including officers. Usually this was done by carrying sacks of coal up gangplanks and dumping coal into the bunkers from above. A dirty business during which everyone wore their drabs and bash hats etc.

Answer 2

It was a dirty foul nasty task and yes it was done far away from the passenger dock - - - essentialy ships such as the Lusitania and sister ships tied up to a dock where they would be serviced; provisions and coal loaded aboard, and then and only then would the ship be hosed down and moved to the passenger docks.

Coal Barges were the usual method; they tied up alongside and off loaded through ports reserved for such tasks. Manpower was still cheap so it was back breaking work shovel by shovel to shutes which shuffled coal into the bunkers. Certain men had the ugly task of standing inside the bunkers raking & arranging the coal. Automation came in by the 1920 s but by then coal had given way to oil.

However because coal was cheaper in France, and by then passengers would be aboard, the coal barges were usually off loaded on whatever side had the least amount of wind and passengers were advised to avoid that side during refueling. Realized I should clarify this a bit - - - most ships sit in what is called a Roadstead, anchored away from the docks or piers. Acnchored in the roadstead, barges carryiny provisions of all sorts move alongside the liners and off load. In other word no dock, then after coaling, etc, again the hosing down and then maybe to a dock. In ports such as Queenstown passengers were brought aboard by smaller boats.

See this link for picture of a coaling barge fueling a liner.
http://www.old-picture.com/american-history-1900-1930s/MINNEHAHA-Coaling.htm


Peace............................. v v v v w w w w w v v v v

Answer 3

bearstir has it, I'm always too slow lol, cheers.