THE ZEALANDIC.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 65, 17 March 1928, Page 10

THE ZEALANDIC.

Machinery,

HIGHEST-POWERED CARGO VESSEL. FOUR 11 ,OOC>-TOHNER». REFRIGERATED SHAW, SAVILL SHIPS. Although not the largest motor cargo ship, the Zealandic, when completed shortly, will be the highest-powered vessel of this class afloat. For several other reasons she possesses an importance of her own. With the three sister ships which are under construction in Britain for the Shaw, Savill and Albion Co., Ltd., she will maintain a regular service between London and New Zealand ports via the Panama Canal. Probably she will be able to average 15 knots at sea when fully laden. The total capacity is about 666,000 cubic feet, of which 404,000 cubic feet is represented by refrigerated space, this being somewhat smaller than the total in the new Houlder Line refrigerated motor ship Dunster Grange, which, like its sister ship, has a capacity of over 500,000 cubic feet for refrigerated cargo. The Dunster Grange has 557,000 cubic feet refrigerated space. The daily fuel consumption of the Zealandic will, no doubt, be in the neighbourhood of 35 tons for all purposes, and a large bunker capacity is, theerfore, necessitated, in view of the long voyages involved. Oil fuel is, however, not carried in the double-bottom tanks except under the engine room, where there is also a lubricating-oil drain tank. Instead, a number of deep tanks have been provided around the engine room. The Zealandic is about 500 ft in length iverall (481 ft b.p.), with a moulded beam >f 64ft and a depth of 42ft 10Jin. There ire three holds forward and three aft of he engine room, water ballast being arried in the fore peak. Electrical auxiliaries are utilised hroughout the ship and, in all, 20 elecric winches are provided to deal with he six hatches, which vary in size from ittft 6in square up to 27ft 6in by 16ft (in. The windlass is electrically operited, as is the steering gear. There are four state rooms for passengers, each with two berths, and a dining saloon ind smoke room are provided at the forward end of the bridge deck. The engineers have cabins on this 4eck, each naving a separate cabin. Their mess room is at the after end. For cooling the refrigerated space the Erin S BUpplled ** J * and E - Hall, Ltd. There are two horizontal

CO2 machines, each having a pair of compressors driven by a variable speed electric motor coupled directly to the crank-shaft. Four separate CO2 condensers and four evaporators are installed.

For the carriage of fruit or cheese in the 'tween decks five Sirocco fans are fitted for circulating cooled air through these spaces, and there is an ice-making tank in one of the provision chambers.

The Zealandic and a sister ship are being built by Swan, Hunter and Wigham Richardson, and the propelling machiuery by the Wallsend Slipway and Engineering Co. There are two sixcylinder units of the Wallsend-Sulzer single-acting two-stroke type, each designed to develop 3725 b.h.p. at a speed of 115 r.p.m. The cylinder is 31in in diameter and the piston stroke 43in. These engines are the largest of the Sulzer .type hitherto constructed in Britain for installation in ships.

For the supply of the large amount of electric power fteeded in the ship there are to be installed four Mirrlees, Bickerton and Day four-cycle single-acting Diesel engines, each of 400 b.h.p. t tanning at 300 r.p.m. and coupled to Sunderland Forge dynamos of 273 kw. Each engine has sis cylinders, 13|in bore with a piston stroke of 181 in, and during the official s? op trials a fuel consumption was recorded of from 0.3831b to 0.3851b per bA.p.-hour. These units embody certain special features of the Mirrlees engines, including the divided valve lever which enables the valve to be moved without dismantling overhead gear, and a speed governor with ball bearings,

throughout. Compressed air is obtained from two Brotherhood compressors, each driven by a 200 b.h.p. Laurence, Scott motor, the capacity being 400 cubic feet of free air per minute. So far as the crew is concerned, the vessel is very comfortably equipped and the accommodation throughout is heated by means of electro-vapour radiators. The engine room staff will normally comprise a chief and ten assistant engineers, three electricians and two refrigerating engineers.