Coal trimmer

The coal trimmer or carbon overcoat was a professional in the maritime and inland waterway transport, both in the merchant navy and the navy. With the introduction of diesel-powered ships of the profession lost its importance and today is no more.

The coal trimmer had the task heranzuschaffen on coal-fired steam ships, the coal from the far distant from the boiler room partly coal bunkers. The actual firing of the boiler for steam generation took over the stoker.

The work was driven generally in the three guards - cruise. This meant that a trimmer worked four hours had eight hours rest and then again held a cruise of four hours of work plus eight hours of rest. Twenty-four hours passed thus, eight hours of work, and sixteen hours off duty.

The working conditions of the trimmers were by today's standards often almost unreasonable. The coal bunkers were lightless, winding and criss-crossed by ribs, supports and stringers ship spaces that were part of the same amount, sometimes higher than the boiler rooms. The coal was, unless they are independently trickled down from the bunker holes dug with the help of trimmer blades in wheelbarrows. The wheelbarrows were then placed on wooden planks that were on the coal to the boiler room and unloaded there in front of the boilers. In the bunkers, which were often filled with stuffy air and coal dust, was a simple cable lamp as a makeshift lighting. In high bunkers, which ranged over several decks, the work was not without danger, when the coals avalanche broke and slid down ( by funneling during Abschaufelns or by sea caused ).

The coal trimmers were on the lowest rung of the board hierarchies. Stoker usually began as a coal trimmer and could change after two years in the boiler room.