Mattyboy,
Steam/motor ships don't sail at all, and for them to do so or be handleable under sail would require far more canvas than could ever be rigged with the gear available, ergo if you broke down it wasn't an option that would be considered quite simply because it wasn't a viable option.
That being said, there are a few cases out there where ships have had engine/propeller damage meaning they could only proceed at very low speed and at such times they've rigged hatch covers and the like to try and assist the vessels passage, but only if the vessel was proceeding before the prevailing wind and that wind was reasonably light/moderate.

Nice remark Capt.Bob :-) It's called "Seemansgarn" in german

Was it as time consuming setting them up as sails if the engine ever broke down?

My Dad was longshoreman in British Columbia from the 50s to the 90s. He told me they used tarps to cover the hatches in rain and snow when loading cargoes such as pulp and paper. Malim you are correct.

Spot on Malim. You describe it very well. When i was Dock Cranedriver there was nothing worse with periods of rain relocating Beams, Strongbacks, Hatch slabs etc on to ships holds only for it to stop raining and take them all off again.It was boring and time consuming. The tents came in very handy as it was the ABs job to do it not mine.

Yes, I see how that could be an advantage Captain Bob. That had crossed my mind but I thought, as a landlubber, it might look like I was a bit weird but now that you've said it, it makes perfect sense.

If the engine breaks down mid-ocean, they can use the tarps as sails. They're just testing the rig.

The tarpaulins are in use as hatch tents, that is covering the cargo hatches to protect the contents from rain etc.
Before the advent of mechanical hatch covers, cargo hatches were covered by lots of heavy wooden boards and steel beams, all of which were very time consuming and labour intensive to remove/replace. Therefore, whenever it rained during cargo operations hatch tents would be rigged using tarpaulins suspended from the derricks. It was also common practice to do this at the end of the working day as no cargo was normally worked overnight or indeed at weekends.

What are the tarpaulins for? Keeping the cargo dry ?