THE QUEEN MARY

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 68, 20 March 1936, Page 4

THE QUEEN MARY

A SISTER SHIP

RIVAL SHIPYARDS

The intimation that the CunardWhite Star have tentatively approached four shipbuilding firms in connection with the construction of a sister ship to the Queen Mary has naturally given rise to many speculations as to where the new liner will be built, states the "Manchester Guardian."

The preliminaries, financial and other, to the placing of a contract of this nature and character will neces---sarily take a long time to carry through, but the average man who takes an interest in maritime affairs may care to know that there are at least five shipyards in the country which could build a ship of the size and type.

Having built the Queen Mary, John Brown'and Company, Clydebank, are naturally regarded as the favourites in the competition for the new contract. A berth of sufficient size to take the sister, ship is available, so that there would be no expenditure on the preparation of a suitable slip to add to the amount of their tender. Moreover, assumirrg that the new liner is to be almost exactly similar to the Queen Mary, there would obviously be a good many "savings" in their estimate on other accounts.

Swan, Hunter, and Wigham-Richard-son built the Ma.uretania, whose propelling machinery was constructed by their associated concern, the Wallsend Slipway and Engineering Company, Ltd., buf if the necesary expenditure on Wallsend's longest berth exceeds a certain amount its tender for the new ship would be bound to handicap it seriously in a competition on price with, at any rate, Clydebank.

The Tyne's strongest bid for the contract is likelier to come from VickersArmstrongs, who have in their naval yard at High Walker one berth which, without alteration, would take a ship like the Queen Mary and another which would with only comparatively slight alteration take one. The propelling machinery could be constructed at the firm's Barrow works. The managing director of Cammell, Laird's, of Birkenhead, has said" that the firm has also a berth in which a ship of the new Cunard-White Star liner's dimensions could be built. This yard built the Rodney.

The only other shipbuilding yard which, so far as one knows, has a berth which would take a Queem Mary is that of Harland and Wolff, Belfast. In the Musgrave Yard a berth, was prepared for the 1000 ft Diesel-electric liner Oceanic, which was projected by the old White Star Line. The keel plates of this proposed ship were, it will be recalled, actually laid down, but were taken off the blocks again when the company decided to order the motorships Britannic and Georgic instead.