South Tyneside College - steam turbine

Image: © Chris Allen Taken: 29 Nov 2002

This is a set of cross compound geared steam turbines set up for display at the South Tyneside College. I understand this area was to be cleared and I suspect it has been scrapped. This was one of a pair of 25,000 horsepower Parsons geared turbines installed in the Battle-class fleet destroyer HMS Corunna built in 1944-47 and commissioned in 1947. She was scrapped at Blyth in 1975. The two water-tube boilers and two steam turbines driving twin screws could propel her at up to 35.75 knots. When I visited the college it had this display turbine, several workable steam turbines, a reciprocating steam engine and several diesels including a huge single cylinder Doxford, opposed piston two stroke. This latter is in bits at the Anson Museum in Cheshire. The ladder in the foreground is inside a cylinder from a modern Sulzer marine diesel of the type known colloquially as a 'cathedral diesel' and used in modern container ships.

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