ATLANTIC RECORD.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 312, 26 September 1908, Page 12

ATLANTIC RECORD.

INDOMITABLE BEATS THE LUSITANIA. ' 25.13 KNOTS AN HOUR. The return of tho Indomitablo from Canada marks what may well prove to bo an epoch in the history of tho British (loot. No such voyago : . has ever been accomplished by a fighting ship, before, for this magnificent cruiser ■, has/ actually beaten the finest of thoso ocea.n greyhounds which aro .constructed solely for spoed. Hitherto tho record has been held by tho Lusitahia, Whoso western voyago was accomplished at the average of just under, twenty-, five knots an hour, but the avorago speed of tho Indomitable from Belle Isle homo ha 3 been 25.13 Knots, and for one period of four hours .this went up-to 26.4, a rate never surpassed by anything larger than a torpedo destroyer. LAND TO-LAND IN THREE DAYS. : The" following show's tho. speed 1 of-the In l domitablo.Cbinparod with the fastest linersafloat...... ; ' - ' Distance Avge. 'Time.. Knots. . porHr,. D. H.M. Indomitable v V.... .1684 25.13 .219 ; 0 Lusitania , ... 2891! -25.01 .' 4.-10 36 Mauretinia . f ....; 2890. , 24.86 ~4:-20'15 The following shows how these, great vessels compare in size and ehginiS-poWor:'— : Liisitania and ■ Indomitable. Maiirotania. Length ... 530 ft. ' 790 ft. Breadth ... 784 ft. . 88ft. . Displacement ... 17,250 tons.. 33,000 tons. Horse-power ... ' 41',000 . .70,000 Engines' ' ....4 so. turbine 4'sc. turbine.. Mr. W. T. Stead, writing to the "Daily Mail" from Cowes on tho arrival •of the Indomitable at midnight on Afigiist 3 states: —I .have just left tho IndOmitablo, which has more than justified tho confident expectations of tho Admiralty. t . "I • stippOso you know."- said Commander Fisher ■ -iVhen 1 first met 'him oil the forebridge,"to which I-had climbed shortly, after the Prince of Wales had left tho'ship, "I suppose you know that wo have flattened out 1 all-the Atlantic records?" •-" That's what I want to know," I asked. " What are the figures ? " " From land to land, from; Belle Islo to the Pastnet, wo ran 1684 knots .in sixtyseven knots, making an averago of, 25.13 knots an hour." "And what is the Lusitania'sP". "25.01, I think," ffas tho reply. LOG;OF THE VOYAGE. Navigation Commander Webster then took m 6 in :tow,and we climbed downstairs to the ward room, where I was'furnished with the following particulars from tho 10g:—... "We left Quebec at 4.15 a.m. on Wednesday (Quebec time). We landed the pilot at ltimouski at 1.30 p.m. ; the same day. " Tho oast point' of Anticosti was passed at 8 a.m., Thursday. At ,11.30 p.m. wo passed Armour Point,;in the Straits of Belle Isle, in a thick fog. All through,tho Straits ran through fog off arid 0n.,-Wo did not feel the tornado which swept, Labrador. " At half-past seven (Greenwich time) on Friday morning we passed. Capo Norman. An hour and a half later in dense fog wo passed Bello Isle. Tho fog was So dense we could not see the, land. : "We then had the; open sea before us, and made full , speed for-homo. ' After; leaving Belle Islo wo only had throe hours', fog. "But although we.had little fog wo had plenty of icebergs. Shortly after leaving Bello Isle wo passed close to a monster-, berg that looked as big as tlio Rock of Gibraltar. At one time wo wero in the midst of. an archipelago' of icibergs, nineteen! of which wero visible at one time. Wo passed about fifty : icebergs. Fortunately, there f was no floe ice. ~...... . _ . "After we left "the icebergs behind us we had a clear course,. aud went ahead. Tho entries in tho log shoiv ; r that wo frequently did over 26 knots. ' _ • "On olio day we did 26.4 knots. ".After we passed the. Needles wo came in dead slow, and anchored at 9.40 p.m. off Cowes." . - NO VIBRATION. Discussing the voyage with the officers in tho ward room, there was only ono opinion: " Tho Indomitablo sails like a porfect witch." Notwithstanding tho high speed at_ which she was driven, there was no vibration. In micl-Atlantic, they declared, there was as little' motion to bo.'felt as .when they were lying at anchor off'Co\yos. ft* . I. interviewed Enginoer-Commander Ayre's, on whom. fell the burden of driving ,tlio ship on this her' .record trip. _ "It is an amazing performano," lie said, '"for a maiden trip. . The turbines worked perfectlyfrom first to last. It is a splendid tribute .to Parsons, their inventor, and to. Fairfield, •wjio built the engines. The.ro was not a hitch anywhere." .. 1 : . What was your lorigest run in twenty-four, hours? '' - '< . . . "Excuse mo," he ; said, "our day is only twenty-three hours.' Tho record; runs mado by tho Cunardcrs .wero for a day of twentyfive hours on tho western route., I ha'vo not the osact figures,', but I think we mado 605 knots. - i. .-And how inuch;opal.have .you left in your ■bunkers? ■; '■ Tlio engineer-commander smiled. " Oh ( wo have lots left, but I would prefer not to say. how much untij to-morrow, whon 1 can furnish precise details." - ' ■ PRINCE OF WALES IN STOKEHOLD. • ' "We., all ; took a turn in the stokohold," said' another officer, "including, tho Prince of Wales, who threw in six shovelfuls for luck." _ . The Indomitable brought with her a quantity of mail bags, which ; wOro transhipped to a torpedo-boat' and hurried off to Southampton; • " _ . ' , '" On Suiiday night the Prince of Wales' and 1 his - suite dined ■in the wardroom. ■ To-night ■at 9.45 they were invited to the King's yacht, arid left the Indomitable as soon'as she was ahchofed. • • . Tho dxacthour, 1 of the last land tfas 9.15 .aimi' Greenwich mean time; on Friday, July 31, when she-passed Belle Isle; She passed, the Fastnet at 4.15; a.m. to-day, having steamed 1684 miles in 67 hours, .five hours -le)5S than three", days. . ' . "' The. first thing .1 was. shown ;on the Indomitable by' one of the sailor , riieri Was a huge cock cut out of metal with tho. Prince ofWales's feathers,', instead of. a., comb. said'the bluejacket with a grin, "is riot to bp put oil the bow, until the Prince lias left the ship. . You . see;. it , means the Indomitable is the cock of'tho Atlantic." ■ . . AYhen 1 repeated this in the wardroom it elicited the indignant response:. "Cock of tjio Atlantic, indeed I Cock' of-tho sea! of all the Soven.Seas!"