The atmosphere of the 1880s was one of major developments in engineering science as steam ships rapidly displaced sailing ships and steel overtook iron as shipbuilding’s raw material. For young marine engineers there was little in the way of literature to learn about the innovations, and marine engineers recognised the need to present and discuss ‘practical’ papers written for and by them. The lack of corporate professional status was another key issue of the time. These developments led to the formation of a Marine Engineers Union in 1887.

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