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Originally Posted by ursa minor
Sorry FLL, we'll all just have to replay that sound in our minds. The new engines run a much higher speed than the old Enterprise engines. (That's why the new Caterpillar engines need the transmissions.) That cool pocketa pocketa sound only happens with low speed diesels. 
One of the less known but cool things about the old engines was that there was no reverse gear or neutral for that matter. To back up, the engines were stopped and then restarted running backwards. Lots of compressed air and fancy camshafts on the engines to make this work. I'm sure it got very interesting in the engine room if they ever had to stop in a hurry with the ship moving at cruising speed... |
The Old Mount before being lengthened did not stop quickly either as most large boats/ships don't. She went sideways in Alton Bay at Echo Point in the 60's after a sailboat in front of her tipped over. It took some work, fwd/rev, to get the Mount straightened out after they removed the sail boat