Q&A · 2:03:23-2:04:17

Would triple-expansion machinery have changed Dreadnought's funnels?

A technical challenge tests the evidence and caveat linking turbine power density to Dreadnought's two-funnel arrangement.

Question

Would Dreadnought really have needed more funnels if she had used triple-expansion engines instead of turbines?

Short answer

Contemporary naval-architecture studies are cited in support of three or possibly four funnels because the boilers and vertical engines would have required a different, less power-dense internal layout.

Notes

The viewer challenges a simple link between engine type and funnel count, prompting a more qualified answer. The issue was not merely equal stated shaft horsepower but the boiler and machinery arrangement needed to produce it. Vertical triple-expansion engines would have occupied and divided the hull differently, while turbines concentrated more power within the available volume. The caveat is explicit: this is not a naval architect's calculation, but a reading of naval-architecture papers and specialist discussions.