How many boilers powered the Titanic?

The Titanic was powered by 29 boilers.

The Olympic-class liner used 24 double-ended boilers and five single-ended boilers, for a total of 29. Together, they contained 159 furnaces and generated the steam needed by the ship’s two reciprocating engines. Exhaust steam from those engines then powered a centrally placed low-pressure Parsons turbine.

The boiler arrangement was part of Titanic’s unusual combined propulsion system. The two large triple-expansion engines drove the outer propellers, while the turbine drove the centre propeller. This design gave the ship substantial power while using steam more efficiently than a system based only on reciprocating engines.

The boilers were coal-fired, and operating them demanded exhausting manual labour. Titanic could carry thousands of tonnes of coal, but the furnaces consumed more than 600 tonnes per day when the ship was under way. Firemen and trimmers worked around the clock to move coal, maintain combustion and clear ash. The boiler count is therefore not the same as the number of furnaces: 29 boilers housed 159 furnaces.