Engine Room

This image shows the low-pressure turbine section of one of the USS Midway's main propulsion units, which is part of the ship's engine room. The visible labeling—"AHEAD," "ASTERN," and "MAIN STEAM"—indicates the flow direction of superheated steam driving the turbine blades. The overhead piping distributes high-pressure steam from the boilers to the turbine, converting thermal energy into mechanical rotation to drive the ship's propeller shafts. The humorous paintwork ("The Pride of the Pacific,” "The Big Eng”) is typical of crew personalization found in engineering spaces.