This volume covers the development and decline of the steam engine from the late-18th century to the present day. It is not a history of the steamship, but the story of the machinery which powered those ships. It aims to tell the story of marine engineering development through the steamship and the job it did both in commercial and naval terms. Steam set ships free from the vagaries of wind, but in the early days the space requirement for machinery and fuel was a high price to pay for the new propulsion. However, once steam had established itself its power became its own driving force. But now, at the end of the 20th century, the age of steam is rapidly drawing to a close. In dealing with the long and slow evolution which is the story of steam, the book highlights all the signficant changes, such as the first innovations in Britain, the early developments on the American rivers and coasts, the developments of the triple-expansion engine, the creation of the steam turbine and, much later, the application of nuclear power. The growth of new industries ashore and the prospects of employment for skilled engineers, unskilled stokers and trimmers are other important aspects of the story. This illustrated work should be a useful reference for anyone interested in the story of the steamship, either commercial or naval.