Thirty-two Yarrow small-tube boilers supplied geared turbines rated around 50,000 shaft horsepower, well above the battleship design's original figure. Trials drove Eagle to roughly 24.75 knots and suggested that still more boiler output was available. Pipe leaks and machinery vibration, however, forced the Navy to stop short of the theoretical maximum. A conversion's speed depended on the whole engineering plant, not boiler power alone.
Notable Point · 25:08-28:15
Powerful boilers meet a battleship conversion's piping limits
Eagle's machinery exceeded its expected power and speed, while leaking joints and vibration kept the converted ship from using all of it safely.