One fact is clear; when you complete this book you will understand more about diesel marine engines than you ever thought possible. Illustrated

From the Author
The diesel engine is surrounded by a certain mystery that conjures up visions of massive motors with the ability to move mountains. The fertile mind of German engineer, Rudolph Diesel is generally conceded to be the origin of the four-stroke diesel engine in common use today. The engine was initially a rather clumsy and primitive product as were most other types of engines we have produced, in their early incarnations. The first venture Herr Diesel made into the realm of internal combustion engines ended with an explosion that tore the engine apart and nearly ended the life of the gifted inventor. The diesel is an internal combustion engine and it runs on a controlled explosion. That explosion is very real and it must truly be controlled. The second engine was an operating success. It was built and run in 1897. The diesel has performed well, ever since. The four-stroke diesel has evolved over the years and spread out to almost every area of utilization. Less common but still very important as a modern day power source is the two-stroke diesel. Invention of this engine is generally credited to an Englishman named Dugald Clark. The work of Dugald Clark won him a knighthood and he eventually became Sir Dugald Clark. The two-stroke diesel also found easy acceptance into the world of big engines and heavy loads. In this country the General Motors Corporation embraced the two-stroke diesel with open arms and Detroit Diesel was the result. There are many kinds of diesel engines that power our locomotives, submarines, towboats, and other heavy-duty vessels. There is also a new generation of high speed, high performance diesel engines that run in sport fishermen and faster yachts. As long as twenty years ago a Cummins four-stroke diesel actually ran in a racer at Indianapolis. It was so successful it was ruled out of competition. That Cummins had the potential to run the entire race without a refuel and at record speeds. Diesel engines have run at Bonneville on the Great Salt Lake where sheer, blinding, speed is the only god and men risk life and limb for that last fraction of a mile per hour. I accept this and I enjoy it at some level for I am a racer at heart but this is not the view of the diesel engine that I grew up with. The first diesel engine that I ever worked on was a 100 horsepower Atlas. This 100 horsepower engine weighed about 4,000 pounds. It turned 165 maximum RPMs and was still running in the same harbor tug after 35,000 hours. It looked as big as a house to me. In fact, it was as big as the voluminous engine room that contained it. I stood in awe and stared at that huge engine. The flywheel was as tall as I was and it had a ponderous power that seemed literally unstoppable. That was an honest hundred horsepower from a serious engine. I will always remember the smell. Diesel fuel from the engine, juniper from the planking, saltwater from the sea, and perhaps a bit of sweat from those who labored over that trusty power plant. All combined in one exotic fragrance I will never forget. Wherever men go down to the sea in real wooden ships that smell is to be found and it is never to be forgotten. As I grow older I sometimes walk aboard a modern fiberglass yacht and find myself waiting for that smell to come, but it never does. You cannot turn back the clock on the march of time and indeed, why try? Modern engines are lighter, faster and in many cases, stronger. You have only to listen to the high pitched scream of a turbo charger turning over 150,000 RPMs to know something special is going on inside the engine. Electronics have added their special twist to the new age of diesel power and as you read, you will learn what contributions to diesel operation have resulted from the marvel of electronic controls. Within these pages I will provide a detailed view of the construction, operation, and fascination of the diesel engine. I hope you will find the material within these pages to be both instructive and entertaining.