CSS Neuse: Machinery
Less is known about the machinery of the Neuse than about any other aspect of the ship. Judging from the layout of the surviving hull, a single boiler provided steam pressure for two engines that turned one shaft. Near the stern of the ship this single shaft was geared to turn two propeller shafts. With this arrangement, it is doubtful that the propellers could act independently and be used to help maneuver the ship.
The best information available indicates that the ship’s engine and boiler was taken from Pugh’s Mill, a saw mill local to the border of Lenoir/Craven Counties. The boiler was able to produce about 800 horse power according to a newspaper article from the time.
The ship’s propellers probably had a diameter of about six feet because the screws on the Albemarle were of that size. It is also very likely that the shafts and screws were manufactured in Charlotte, NC where the Confederate Navy had a facility for heavy forging. This navy yard is known to have produced the shafts and screws for the Albemarle.
The best information available indicates that the ship’s engine and boiler was taken from Pugh’s Mill, a saw mill local to the border of Lenoir/Craven Counties. The boiler was able to produce about 800 horse power according to a newspaper article from the time.
The ship’s propellers probably had a diameter of about six feet because the screws on the Albemarle were of that size. It is also very likely that the shafts and screws were manufactured in Charlotte, NC where the Confederate Navy had a facility for heavy forging. This navy yard is known to have produced the shafts and screws for the Albemarle.
