Heavy Cruiser Prinz Eugen Photos

Boiler Room

A detailed look into the Prinz Eugen's boiler rooms and the machinery which powered the ship.

Boiler rooms

Each boiler had 4 burners with two of them shown here; one of the burners has been swung open for demonstration purposes. The square duct located above the two burners is the auxiliary blower discharge connection. The sign just above the gauge in the middle of the photo warns "Explosion danger! Turn off the burners before emptying water." Photo in Prinz Eugen's boiler room 3, compartment VIII 6.29.

Boiler rooms

This is an interesting view looking straight up to the deck underside in boiler room 3. The boiler face is the wall on the left. The control lines and wiring at the underside of the Panzerdeck / Zwischendeck are clearly seen. Photo in Prinz Eugen's boiler room 3, compartment VIII 6.29.

Boiler rooms

On a catwalk in the upper part of Prinz Eugen's boiler room 3, starboard side, looking aft, compartment VIII 6.29. The main steam piping seems to envelope the entire space. Just beyond the wiring on the left of the photo is the torpedo bulkhead. To the right is the boiler.

Boiler rooms

Another view in Prinz Eugen's boiler room 3, starboard side, of the aft boiler. The front of the aft boiler in this compartment is to the left.

Boiler rooms

The front plate to the port-side boiler has been removed to show the ends of the economizer tubes. Photo taken in Prinz Eugen's boiler room 3.

Boiler rooms

Aft on the port-side in the Prinz Eugen's boiler room 3, upper level. The by-pass main steam valve to control the steam to the forward engine room is shown in the center of the photo.

Boiler rooms

Aft on the port-side in the Prinz Eugen's boiler room 3. A multitude of valves are shown in this photo, including the main steam stop valve from the superheater. The small hand wheels are to control the soot blowers.

Boiler rooms

On the right, the photo shows the spring loaded exhaust valve from the main forced draft blower. The wheel in the middle has a plaque next it that reads VIII, indicating the compartment. Photo taken in the Prinz Eugen's boiler room 3.

Boiler rooms

In the Prinz Eugen's boiler room 3, aft port boiler. The panel on the right is the Askania control panel for the boiler. The large dial in the middle of the photo is the feed rate meter.

Boiler rooms

A view of the main feed pump (left center) in the Prinz Eugen's boiler room 3.

Boiler rooms

The auxiliary feed pump in the Prinz Eugen's boiler room 3.

Boiler rooms

The auxiliary blower and fuel oil pump in the Prinz Eugen's boiler room 3. Each boiler had a separate auxiliary blower and fuel oil pump unit installed.

Boiler rooms

This photo is taken in the Prinz Eugen's boiler room 1 (compartment VI 6.29). The crewman is standing in front of the aft port boiler; the large circular object just in front of him is the open door to the boiler's right burner. The filtered circular object on the extreme right is the air intake to the auxiliary blower.

Boiler rooms

The catwalk with the Askania controls to the starboard aft boiler in the Prinz Eugen's boiler room 3, compartment VIII 6.29. The device in the upper left corner is a command telegraph repeater. Just left of center and to the extreme right appear to be the wheel controls for the two circulating pumps. The inscription on each wheel reads 'to set in motion'.

Boiler rooms

A view of two of the burners on the starboard aft boiler in the Prinz Eugen's boiler room 3, compartment VIII 6.29. The ladder leading to the upper catwalks of the boiler room is on the extreme right.

Boiler rooms

The auxiliary electric driven forced draft blower is shown at the bottom, foreground of the photo. This view is taken between the two boilers in the Prinz Eugen's boiler room 3, looking outboard. The aft starboard boiler is on the extreme right of the photo.

Boiler rooms

The feed water transfer pump in the Prinz Eugen's boiler room 3. The pump was used to transfer feed water between the reserve tanks and for filling up the boilers when getting ready.

Boiler rooms

The circular object here is the bilge pump. This bilge pump discharged water from the tanks under boiler room 3 as well as boiler room 2. To flood the compartment, the discharge value could be opened, thus permitting sea water to flood into the compartment. Photo taken in the Prinz Eugen's boiler room 3.

Boiler rooms

A closer view of the bilge pump in the Prinz Eugen's boiler room 3. The rectangular objects above the bilge pump are fuse boxes.

Boiler rooms

A view of the Askania control panel in the Prinz Eugen's boiler room. The crew monitored and adjusted the boiler operating controls at the Askania control station. The various dials have labels indicating they monitor the boiler's temperature and pressure. On the right is a telegraph command repeater. The Askania control panel is located on the lower level between the boilers.

Boiler rooms

In the Prinz Eugen's Boiler room, lower level. Another view of the Askania control panel for monitoring and adjusting the boilers.

Boiler rooms

Another view between the boilers in the Prinz Eugen's boiler room; this view is looking from port to starboard. The Askania control panel is visible in the background with the oil pressure pump for the boilers in the foreground, immediately below the crew ladder. On the left is a burner for one of the boilers.

Boiler rooms

Another view of the Askania control panel in the Prinz Eugen's boiler room, looking forward. All of the Askania's covers have been removed, exposing the inner workings of the device. The reliance on mechanical control is clearly shown - the age before transistors and electronics. The large wheel in the upper middle of the photo is to activate/deactivate the boiler fans.

Boiler rooms

A feed water cooler in the Prinz Eugen's boiler room. The feed water cooler was used to draw boiler feed water samples for chemical analysis to ensure water purity used in the boilers.

Boiler rooms

This is an excellent view looking up the starboard side exit stairway in the Prinz Eugen's boiler room 2; taken from the fireroom platform level. Visible at the top of the stairway is the Zwischendeck (3rd deck). Just barely visible at the top of the stairway on the left are the boiler room emergency steam shutoff handwheel valves. Once closed, the valves could not be reopened from the Oberes Plattformdeck (1st Platform) but had to be reopened from the boiler room lower level valves, once the emergency was contained.