John Penn and Sons
| Industry | Engineering |
|---|---|
| Fate | Amalgamated, 1899 |
| Successor | Thames Iron Works Ship Building and Engineering Co. |
| Founded | 1799? |
| Headquarters | London |
|
Key people
|
John Penn |
| Products | Marine steam engines |
John Penn and Sons was an English engineering company based in London, England, mainly known for its marine steam engines.
In 1799 engineer and millwright John Penn (born in Taunton, Somerset, 1770; died 6 June 1843) started an agricultural engineering business on the site at the junction of Blackheath and Lewisham Roads (close to modern-day Deptford Bridge) in south-east London. It grew in two decades to be one of the major engineering works in the London area. The focus of the firm remained in agriculture until the 1830s and 1840s, when Penn's son, also John Penn, took over the company and it began to specialise in building marine steam engines.
Penn Jr was an inventor of engines. One of the earliest engines he produced was the grasshopper beam engine, a six horsepower version being the first steam engine to power the machinery at the works. He shifted the focus of the works to marine engines. His 40-horsepower beam engines were fitted in the paddle steamers 'Ipswich' and 'Suffolk', and it is likely these were the first marine engines to be designed and built by Penn. He then focussed on improving the oscillating engine from the version patented by Aaron Manby in 1821. In 1844 he replaced the engines of the Admiralty yacht, HMS Black Eagle with oscillating engines of double the power, without increasing either the weight or space occupied, an achievement which broke the naval supply dominance of Boulton & Watt and Maudslay, Son & Field. His enhanced reputation due to this notable advancement was further augmented by Penn's introduction of trunk engines for driving screw propellers in vessels of war. HMS Encounter (1846) and HMS Arrogant (1848) were the first ships to be fitted with such engines and such was their efficacy that by the time of Penn's death in 1878, the engines had been fitted in 230 ships. Initially, ships were adapted to incorporate these engines, but in 1851, the Navy ordered its first ship specifically designed as a steam-screw auxiliary, HMS Agamemnon.
...
Wikipedia