WORLD'S BIGGEST LINER.

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 206, 30 August 1921, Page 2

WORLD'S BIGGEST LINER.

BID FOB SEA StTPBEBtACY. j FITTING OUT IN GERMANY. J ( The biegc.-t liner in the world—the White Star Line's .16,000-ton Majestic ~ (formerly the German steamer flismurck) is no .longer a mystery ship. Mr W F (iilibs, chief of construction J for the Internutional Mercantile Cornpanv, and the man who amazed the -hipping world by recreating within a few'months plan, for the LeynUl.an when the Germans demanded £200,000 for a copy of them, has 'been aboard the former Biemarek at her dock in Hamburg and has made a thorough inspection of the ship and her plans. 11l an interview given to "The Marine Journal," Mr. Uitob* tell? of what has done on the -Majestic, and what it is intended to do. In the firet place, Mr. Uibbs points out, although the Majesties gross tonnage y 201)0 greater than that of the Leviathan, the two bi{T liners are practically sister ships, they were constructed by the name liuildcrs, Blohna and Vos?. of Hamburg;, on the same general lines, and their mechanical equipment is almost identical. This latter similarity is to be changed, however, for Hip Majestic is to be converted from si coal to e an oil-burning vessel. What marked economies will result from llli« move can be judged from the fact that it is expected that it will 'be possible- t<. make two more round voyages per annum under oil fuel than under coal. With oil it will not ■be necessary for the Majestic to stay more than three days in port, while with coal the vessel's detention would average a week. BURNING OIL FUEL. Enough oil can be carried on the Majestic for a full round trip, 'but with coal it would be necessary to fuel on both legs of the voyage. In addition to the saving in time, there will be the advantage of being able to bunker with oil at the American end of the run, where this fuel is much cheaper than a/broad. And the saving in the weight of fuel consumed a day will amount to fully 25 per cent, the daily consumption of oil being only 000 tons, as against 1200 tons of coal. Still another marked economy will be in the size of the engine room force, only 250 men being needed with oil fuel, as compared with 450 for eoa.l-'burning. The only a': orations to 'be made in the Majestic's propulsive equipment will be to the furnaces, which will 'be converted for oil-burning. There will be 48 boilers of the Yarrow water-tube type built by Blohm and Vose. These are the same as on the Leviathan, but there are two more of them. The four dozen boiler* are placed in four 'boilerrooms, and when the vessel is under way, all but one or two of the furnaces will 1)0 kept going simultaneously, it being more economical to keep a great nunrber of the boilers working , at comparatively low pressure than a small number of high pressure. With the use of oil-burning there will be a saving in boiler repairs, and this will reduce the time necessary for Tepairing as compared with the use of coalfired boilers, and the ship will be kept more continuously in service. ENGINES MADE IN GERMANY. The Majeatic will have eight turbines, without gearing and dvrectly connected to the propellers. These have been built by Blohm and Voss and are of the Parsons type. There wiU be four ahead aud four astern, two on each shaft, with high pressure turbines on one inboard shaft, intermediate pressure on the other inboard ehaft, and two low-pressures on the outboard shaft. The steam will pass first through the high, then through the intermediate, and will ten divide and pass half through each of the low pressure, turbines. The general arrangement is the same as on other large liners, including the Aquitania, Imperator, and Leviathan. Seventy thousand horsepower will be generated. In addition to changing the furnaces to oil-burners, all the oil tanks have still to be put in. These will occupy the full space now taken by the coal bunkers, the -saving effected 'being in the ability to carry a fuel supply for the round voyage, as against one-way bunkering with coal. While the hull and 'machinery are practically complete and part of the superstructure is finished, much yet remains to be done. Tt will probably be a year before the Majestic can be placed in service. Her stacks are not up. There will be three of these, and one will be a dummy for ventilation purposes, as on the Leviathan and ex- : Imperator. The interior equipment and furnishings have yet to -be put in. All this will be done at Hamburg 'by German workmen under the supervision of representatives of the White Star Line and of Borland and Wolff's Belfast Works, where many of the finest ocean linere have 'been fitted out. According to the agreement with the Reparations Commission, Germany is to turn the vessel over completed, and, naturally, the Germans prefer to do the work at home, rather than to send the vessel to Great Britain for completion, where the cost would be so much greater. HINDERED BY STRIKES. The work of completion is not yet in full swing, as there are now only about 500 men working on the vessel". In a comparatively short time, however, it ia expected that a force of fully 3000 will be engaged. Internal conditions in Germany have interfered with the progress of the work, and the recent Socialistic uprising, in which the Blohm and Yoss' works were raided, lias been a deterrent factor. When finished the Majestic will have accommodation for about 2500 passengers, including 800 first cabin, the same number second cabin, and about 2000 steerage. There will .be a swimming pool, gymnasium,' restaurants, and a winter garden which will be an adaptation of the Ritz restaurant plan with terraced effect.