Down Amongst the Black Gang: The World and Workplace of RMS Titanic's Stokers

This book is a wealth of information.It is written from and engineer's perspective but is communicated in such a way that a layman can understand it.If you want to know what the mechanical and engineering functions that propelled the great Olympic Class ships, such as RMS Olympic, RMS Titanic, and RMS Brittanic than this book is for you.This book also provides insight into the miserable work that the fireman, greasers, trimmers, and stokers performed day after day in rough as hell conditions.A glimpse into a different time when ships were built and maintained by men and not machines.

A book for those who are interested in the propulsion system of the Olympic-class vessels - lots of photographs and illustrations to help you further understand the workings of each system. It would seem that the book is more about the engineering aspects of the ship than individual "black gang" members - which is far better for those that are interested in the engineering of the ships.Only part I was disappointed was the lack of coverage of the funnels - their makeup and all that - but, that's really nit-picking - but they are part of the boiler systems and frankly, I thought they should be covered - they are covered in other sources - but seeing this book is about the propulsion system - oh well, only my thoughts.Yes, this in an engineering book - and hence it may be a tad dry those non-engineers - but if you are interested in this - then it's right up your alley - I was telling an engineer friend about this book and I was reminded of a T-shirt I saw: "Engineers are not boring people - they're just interested in boring things."

A good review of the inner workings of the engine department of trans Atlantic passenger liners before World War I. Recommended for those who want to to learn about what enabled these ships to cross the Atlantic. The author conveys the hard work these invisible men did to make the world trip possible.

Very useful. been a Titanic enthusiast for 50 years or so and had only ever read brief and similar accounts of the engineers and their world. Helps to have a basic knowledge of steam engineering. if so, you will enjoy this book thoroughly. Maybe a little light on the human interest but what can you say after 100 years has passed on the individuals. Having said that, there is more here than in other books. well researched and illustrated.

She got this as a prize at my boat party...Titanic. She is reading it since 2 of her great great uncles went down on Titanic.

The "black gang" -- the name given to those who literally shoveled their way (and Titanic's) across much of the Atlantic -- is the basis of this most interesting book on a little-known aspect of Titanic. While the book admittedly is somewhat technical in nature, the research is first-rate. It describes vividly the hellish working conditions of these tough men, and also the procedures used "down below," well out of sight of the passengers above. Though most of the illustrations of course are of ships other than Titanic, they illustrate the subject successfully and are well-chosen. Recommended reading, especially for liner buffs.

The stories of the transatlantic liners rarely, if ever, show what was happening below decks. Most books tend to concentrate on the opulence of the furnishings and the rich and famous passengers that graced them.This book is a fascinating record of the men who toiled in harsh conditions for little pay and who were looked on with contempt. A great tribute to the unsung heroes of the stoke hold.

I have been looking for this information for years. I ran steam plants in the Navy and have been interested in Titanic for many years. It confirmed what I had figured out myself and answered the questions I had.

Having spent many years as a Royal Navy stoker, I decided to buy this book as I wanted to know what it was like during the turn of the century, as a stoker on a coal burner. Coal had been replaced with oil fired boilers when I was in the navy and now, steam powered ships are a thing of the past, except those still running in preservation.This book is full of photos and diagrams of machinery that powered these mighty Olympic Class Vessels and what it was like to be a fireman, trimmer or greaser in these massive ships. Stokers were men who fired the boiler aboard Royal Navy Ships and Merchant ships they were known as firemen, although better known as the Black Gang. You will be amazed on how much detail this book goes into. Not only does it cover the boiler rooms, but the massive triple expansion reciprocating engines that drove the mighty three propellers. Just buy this book, you will be amazed how much detail it covers about the life of the engine and boiler room crew who hardly ever saw the light of day and lived and work in harsh conditions, far away from the rest of the ships crew and passengers who worked and enjoyed the most luxurious parts of an ocean going liner.

I gave the book a 4 because it covered an area often neglected in seafaring and especially the Titanic, namely the Stokers & Engineers. This book details what it took to make these great liners move, the incredible hard work and danger, lowly paid often mistreated and badly fed. These were hard men indeed .The book also covers the experiences of the crew as they struggled to keep their ship afloat and how most of them paid the ultimate sacrifice. Only thing preventing a perfect 5 stars is ocasional typographical errors and disjointed sentences that would have been eliminated by better editing.

This book was a winner to me, I do not know of any other book that describes the goings on of firemen/trimmers/engineers from that era of time as good as this book does. This is a must, I have read it twice through, it is really well researched and well put together so someone with little knowledge can follow it.I would urge everyone to read this book, get to know your past and see what people had to do to earn a crust at the time of steamers.Regardsharry

I bought this book as my grandfather was one of the stokers on RMS Titanic. Fortunately he survived or I wouldn't be here to write this! I'm delighted that Richard de Kerbrech chose to write this book solely about the stokers. It does contain a lot of technical details which men would find very interesting. (Can I say that?) but it is very informative on the lives and work regime of the stokers.I'm sure my grandfather would be impressed. Thank you Richard.

A brilliant account of the appalling conditions experienced by those heroes down below. A stark contrast to the conditions up on deck.