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Author Topic: Underappreciated Engineers  (Read 9366 times)

Norseman

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Underappreciated Engineers
« on: January 19, 2016, 03:47:29 pm »

Hi Guys

Recently we have been mourning the loss of our musician heroes. It was once said to me that we do not laude and love our Engineers who have done so much for us.  I thought I would start a thread in praise of Engineers both old and modern. Any Engineering at all qualifies for this so I'll start with Henry Bessemer of Sheffield. He is of course most famous for the Bessemer process and steel but he had many other and sometimes novel inventions.

I am impressed that after suffering from seasickness in 1868 he designed the SS Bessemer (also called the "Bessemer Saloon"), a passenger steamship with a cabin on gimbals designed to stay level, however rough the sea, to save her passengers from seasickness. The mechanism – hydraulics controlled by a steersman watching a spirit level – worked in model form and in a trial version built in his garden in Denmark Hill, London. However, it never received a proper seagoing test as, when the ship demolished part of the Calais pier on her maiden voyage, investor confidence was lost and the ship was scrapped. http://www.howitworksdaily.com/why-swinging-saloons-failed/ OK it wasnt' a success but hey good try!


Dave


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Colin Bishop

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Re: Are Engineers Underappreciated
« Reply #1 on: January 19, 2016, 03:51:35 pm »

How about Stephen Payne who was substantially responsible for designing the Queen Mary 2?

Colin
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Subculture

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Re: Are Engineers Underappreciated
« Reply #2 on: January 19, 2016, 04:16:49 pm »

Stanley Hooker. Designed the two stage supercharger that helped raise the output of the merlin engine from 1000hp to 2000hp. Also a pioneer in the jet engine industry with Rolls Royce and Bristol and post retirement, was called back in and with his team helped save Rolls Royce from bankruptcy in the early '70's.

Good film about him here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=by4lH2whhjk
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Dave Cook

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Re: Are Engineers Underappreciated
« Reply #3 on: January 19, 2016, 06:58:40 pm »

Hi Guys , Could not agree more ( unsung hero,s)

Dave O0 O0 O0 O0 O0 O0
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Martin (Admin)

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Re: Are Engineers Underappreciated
« Reply #4 on: January 19, 2016, 07:13:40 pm »


 I was watching the story of the DC-3 ( on Quest ).
 Not a story about an engineer as such, but TWA went to  Douglas Aircraft and said, ' we want an aircraft better than the Boeing 247!'

Personal favourite engineers: Trevithick , Watt, Stephenson & Westinghouse
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Buccaneer

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Re: Are Engineers Underappreciated
« Reply #5 on: January 19, 2016, 07:17:07 pm »

Isambard Kingdom Brunel. 9th April 1806 - 15th September 1859. I will say no more.
John
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Netleyned

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Re: Are Engineers Underappreciated
« Reply #6 on: January 19, 2016, 07:25:08 pm »

You beat me to it NA39  :-))


Ned
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ballastanksian

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Re: Are Engineers Underappreciated
« Reply #7 on: January 19, 2016, 08:40:26 pm »

For me the DNCs of the Victorian Royal navy are gentlemen to doff the cap to.

-Sir Edward Reed 1863-1872
-Nathaniel Barnaby 1872-1885
-Sir William White 1885-1902

These engineers and managers of vast amounts of public money and turning them via their departments into many hundreds of warships and equipment, the like of which had not been seen before or since.

From sail to turbine, they either pioneered or enacted swift development of technologies that saw warships progress as 'Steam beings'. While the navy was sometimes seen as conservative, (the retention and development of muzzle loading ordnance for example) they embraced electricity, metallurgy and steam propulsion technologies.
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nemesis

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Re: Underappreciated Engineers
« Reply #8 on: January 19, 2016, 08:48:17 pm »

How about the simple blacksmith who was so important to settlers and the villagers, the most prolific surname there is, QED. Nemesis
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ballastanksian

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Re: Underappreciated Engineers
« Reply #9 on: January 19, 2016, 08:58:45 pm »

Every village had one. Very true Nemesis.
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Arrow5

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Re: Underappreciated Engineers
« Reply #10 on: January 19, 2016, 09:50:22 pm »

We must not forget an engineer who modified a Norton motorcycle and won a Gold Star at Brooklands for lapping at over 100mph in 1934 , the second woman O0 to do so, she refused to marry her  fiancé until he did the same (he did).   As a Rolls-Royce engineer working on Merlin aero engines  Miss Beatrice Shilling solved the  problem of fuel starvation while pulling negative G in Spitfires and Hurricanes. The device was referred to as  "Miss Shilling`s orifice" for some reason not explained.  ;)
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Sub driver

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Re: Underappreciated Engineers
« Reply #11 on: January 19, 2016, 10:38:26 pm »

How about
Sir Christopher Cockerell....inventor of the hovercraft...and also Sir Frank whittle jet engine inventor..
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BFSMP

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Re: Underappreciated Engineers
« Reply #12 on: January 19, 2016, 11:34:01 pm »

Alec Issigonis is a favourite of mine.

Jim.
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david48

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Re: Underappreciated Engineers
« Reply #13 on: January 20, 2016, 12:17:31 am »

What about the nameless ones that keep every thing going ,without engineers how would surgeons ,dentist function just to name two professions , a bit like a container ship 98% everything  that we use all relying on engineers to keep us doing what we do .
David
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Robotnik

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Re: Underappreciated Engineers
« Reply #14 on: January 20, 2016, 10:50:28 am »

I don't know the name of the engineer who conceived or designed them but for me, one of the greatest engineering feats were the Mulberry harbours used in operation Overlord.
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TailUK

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Re: Underappreciated Engineers
« Reply #15 on: January 20, 2016, 12:43:44 pm »

John Harrison,  Yorkshire, 1693-1776.  Carpenter and clock maker, Harrison's clocks and watches enabled accurate measurement of Longitude and revolutionised Marine Navigation.
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Martin (Admin)

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Re: Underappreciated Engineers
« Reply #16 on: January 20, 2016, 01:29:02 pm »

I don't know the name of the engineer who conceived or designed them but for me,
one of the greatest engineering feats were the Mulberry harbours used in operation Overlord.

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulberry_harbour#Design_and_development
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Ian K

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Re: Underappreciated Engineers
« Reply #17 on: January 20, 2016, 04:06:49 pm »

W.G. Armstrong

See Armstrong shipbuilders, ordinance and heavy engineering.

Also pioneer of water turbine generator, fitted at his own designed electrically lit home, Crag side house in Northumberland.

A true genius in my humble opinion!

Ian
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Netleyned

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Re: Underappreciated Engineers
« Reply #18 on: January 20, 2016, 04:48:28 pm »

Don't forget the thousands of pattern maker's who formed the original
Items to be cast to build all the fantastic steam engines and pumps.
Many still running today.


Ned
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irishcarguy

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Re: Underappreciated Engineers
« Reply #19 on: January 20, 2016, 06:42:56 pm »

I would like to add two Canadians, Alexander Graham Bell for the telephone, & Banting & Best, not strictly engineers but has saved Millions of lives with their invention of insulin for diabetics. Of course we can't forget Cornelius Van Horne who built our CP rail line through some of the toughest terrain on the Planet & finished it on time too. AS an after thought how about Marconi that gave us a working radio, just a few that need to be remembered as great men of their time. Mick B.
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irishcarguy

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Re: Underappreciated Engineers
« Reply #20 on: January 20, 2016, 08:18:09 pm »

I should note that Best was not recognised  for his contribution to insulin & the Nobel prize was given to Banting & MacLeod. However Banting shared his prize with his co/ worker Best. There are still some decent people & Banting knew Best should have been rewarded too.  Mick B.
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mook

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Re: Underappreciated Engineers
« Reply #21 on: January 21, 2016, 10:27:30 am »

IKB my hero I often wonder what he would have come up with if the was around now can I throw in Thomas Telford too :-))
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Arrow5

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Re: Underappreciated Engineers
« Reply #22 on: January 21, 2016, 10:39:37 am »

Babbage and his number machine.
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Nemo

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Re: Underappreciated Engineers
« Reply #23 on: January 21, 2016, 10:47:24 am »

Referring to the title of this thread, most of the engineers mentioned here so far have been anything but unappreciated! IMHO  %)
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Bob K

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Re: Underappreciated Engineers
« Reply #24 on: January 21, 2016, 11:06:57 am »

Sir Frank Whittle (jet engines), Barnes Wallis (bouncing bomb), George Stepheson (steam railways), Joseph Bazelgette (London's sewage system), and not forgetting Lilly The Pink (medicinal compound).
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