This is pure nostalgic beauty. I love those old and slow-turning engines, certainly the sound, the rhythm they often produce. I recorded the engine in my own ship (built in 1941) and put some percussion music to it. I invite you to take a look at the videoclip "Ship's engine song" on my channel and feel free to write any comment.
@Paul Rude : Each position on a ship's telegraph rings a mechanical bell or gong (in both the wheel house and the engineering spaces). The general rule is to move the telegraph handle through a full arc to produce multiple bell strikes. It's more important on the engineering end because of the ambient noise in the engine room. The bridge will signal a command and the engineer will acknowledge the command by matching his telegraph position with the one on the bridge.
As an ex-Captain I can tell you.It is to alert the men down below to the fact that an engine manoeuvre is required and the ringing to and fro penetrates the sometimes hellish din in the engineroom.It is not done for effect,believe me!
I suspect the excess movement of the telegraph is due to it being a 100+ year old unit. I believe in some jurisdictions (I probably read it in an old US Navy manual), you are not to move the telegraph past the intended position, in case a chain breaks with the telegraph in Full Ahead. ie to go from Stop to Slow Ahead, you just move the telegraph that far, not to Full Ahead or any Astern positions. Apparently newer telegraphs have a way to produce a multiple ring on a short movement. A change that was probably written in blood. Example, some of the engine room videos of PS Waverley, where the telegraph can be viewed, and is only moved to the intended position, with a lot of noise. Similarly the 100+ year old change from the old reversed port + starboard "helm orders" to left + right rudder orders. See the movie "Titanic" for this.
I got one question..when the captain is moving the throttle back and forth, he is not actually controlling the engine speed himself...he is sending a commend to the engine room, correct? also why is it necessary to move it back and forth so many times ?
