Identify this machinery?

[hueydok]

Hello. Can anyone give me a clear answer as to what this item may be? I see these on numerous shipwrecks, and always assumed them to be the steam turbine, but with the massive gears (not turbine blades, but gears) I am questioning myself. The first photo is from the wreck of the John D Gill off of NC, USA - the other one is from some wreck near Key Largo (forget the name). Thanks for your input! See pics.

 

[miked]

As nobody else has replied in 2+ hours, I'll take a shot:
I have seen, on a different wreck, what looks to be the same device as in your first photo. It was mounted to the deck, near the hatch/opening leading to the cargo hold.
When I asked about it, the local DM said that it was part of the winch assembly for loading/ lifting cargo.

 

[H2Andy]

yeah, it sure looks like some sort of winch or something

 

[mikerault]

The only other "big gears" might be in the propulsion plant if it uses a steam turbine you need a set of reduction gears to reduce the high efficient speed of the turbine to the low efficient speed of a prop. These however look like wench gears.

 

[riverdiver]

It is a windless! It's used to bring up the anchor's sits on the bow of a ship you can see in the picture where the chain rests. The anchor chain would come up the hawsepipe across the deck to the windless through the grooves in the drum then down to the chain locker in the fore peek.

 

[H2Andy]

The anchor chain would come up the hawsepipe across the deck to the windless through the grooves in the drum then down to the chain locker in the fore peek.

dude, wow .. that's exactly what i almost said

 

[riverdiver]

for more pictures go to google images type in anchor windlass. Have any more ships gear or nautical terms you need to know, I am the man.

 

[hueydok]

Hello - thanks for the comments! After doing some Google image searches I would agree the items in question are definitely large windlass(s). In fact, now that I had a good search term I actually found a picture and identification of the one that I saw off the Keys - the wreck of the Slobodna. See pic below.

Thanks again for your help - I am always amazed how quick and thorough Scubaboard members are for stuff like this.

Safe Diving to all of you (headed out this weekend to the NC coast to dig up Megalodon teeth and dive the U-352)!

Hueydok
Raleigh, NC
Atlantic Ocean Resident!

 

[littledude222]

this is pretty interesting...

 

[inventor]

Uhh, Antikathara mechanism built by the Easter Island statues?

Sorry, really nothing to contribute here. But, can see the motivation for needing to know about the machinery. Folks are pointing to the fish, and I'm trying to get a corroded fishing reel to crank.

Guess I'm a