FORTY MILES AN HOUR AT SEA

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 6, 7 January 1908, Page 4

FORTY MILES AN HOUR AT SEA

The fastest war vessel in the world— and that in these days is equivalent to saying tfte fastest craft of any sort afloat—has just been added to " the Bang's lyivee " by Messrs. White and Co., of Cowes, in the form of a new sea-going torpedo boat destroyer, which has been christened "Mohawk." • This new destroyer, when officially tried in the North Sea. last Friday maintained for six hours a speed of 34J knots or 39 miles 1280 yards per hour—a speed which many alleged express trains fail to keep up over a six hours' journey, arid makes the 26-knot trial average of the monster Cunarder Mauretania look quite a modest pace. But it is only man in a fearful hurry who would, given choice, choose to take passage in the smaller craft. The big (junarders are floating hotels, replete with every possible comfort and convenience, whereas destroyers are about the most comfortless craft man can design. The destroyer is a marine racing machine which, at full speed, makes "bad weather " of anything short of a dead calm. A feature of the Mohawk is that she is fitted with steam turbines and the WhiteForster express water-tube boiler, using oil fuel. The oil consumption is so low that the vessel will have a wider radius of action than much slower vessels. The following are some particulars of this ocean racer, which embodies all the newest ideas in her type:— Length, 270 feet; displacement, SOO tons; armament, three 12-pounder Q.F. guns, two 18-in. revolving torpedo tubes; radius of action at economical speed, 1500 nautical miles. The turbine machinery comprises five turbines (three ahead and two astern), driving three shafts and propellers. The power of the machinery is about 14,500 i.h.p. Steam is supplied by six water-tube boilers, each of about 2400 h.p., these boilers being fixed by liquid fuel on a system which has been experimented with successfully by the Admiralty for some years. No coal storage is provided in the vessel, and she will rely entirely on the liquid fuel installation.