The Royal Australian Navy – From Coal to Oil

Location: Balls Head Coal Loader, Waverton.
Venue: The Mess Hall
Date: 3/5/2021
Schedule: Presentation: 10.30. Tour of the coal loader: 11.30am until 12.30 pm
Presenter: Colin Randall

This two-part event includes a presentation on the use of coal as a fuel by the Royal Australian Navy and a tour of the historic coal loader

With advent of coal fired boilers on ships, from the 1840’s, the supply of coal of the right quality continually exercised the minds of the boiler designers and naval engineering officers.

To that end the Royal Navy, from its earliest steam powered ships, undertook continuing and exhaustive testing of coals to meet the required standard.

Coal that met the standard was declared “Admiralty Coal”.

The coal chain that mined and moved coal from the mines and finally into the boilers involved physical hard work at every stage. The miners, the coal lumpers, the coal trimmers and the stokers were connected in a chain that involved back breaking physical labour.

With the transition to oil fuelled boilers, the burden of physical labour in refuelling ships was removed.

This presentation and tour examines the evolution of this fascinating but often overlooked aspect of naval operations.

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