A 60,000-TONNER?

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 86, 10 January 1928, Page 11

A 60,000-TONNER?

CUNARD COMPANY’S BIG PROJECT JJNDER CONSIDERATION BY OFFICIALS "LAST WORD” IN LUXURY AND SPEED Hopes of a much-needed revival in the shipbuilding industry in England are held out by a scheme for the construction of a new mammoth luxury liner, which, the “Westminster .Gazette” understands, is now unddr consideration by the Cunard Steamship Line. Should the plans, which are now being considered by the company’s directorate, be approved, the new ship .Will Be of more than 60,000 tons—against the 56,000 tons of the White Star Majestic, the biggest ship now afloat—and about 1,000 feet long; Be the “last word” in luxury and speed; Cost between £5,000,000 and £6,000,000 to build; Provide employment for thousands of people, either on the Tyne

or Clyde shipbuilding yards.

Clydebank has had the major share of recent Cunard contracts, the ' Aquitania and the Franconia being two of the company’s ships built there.. The award' of the contract, .however, to any of the British , shipbuilding yards would provide a great trade stimulus, and would, moreover, almost certainly be followed by new construction by rival companies. It is interesting to note that the White Star Line are also credited with the intention of building a liner—to replace the Homeric on the Southampton service—larger than the Majestic. On the technical side the plan represents a return to the “bigger ship” idea. Just before the war the 1,000-ft. liner was regarded as an imminent possibility, but since then there has been a tendency to build smaller mo-tor-ships, such as the R.M.S.P. ■ Asturias. Foreign Competition. International competition among the big European shipping firms has been growing more and more acute. The chief Object is to capture the “luxury” passenger trade—notably that of the North Atlantic. No Continental company has as yet a vessel that equals the Majestic or Berengaria in size, although some of their new ships have taken them into the 40,000-ton class. The Hamburg-Amerika Line, who were in the forefront of the race in the old days, with the Vaterland, Impera- > tor, and the Bismarck, show no signs of re-entering the contest, but the North German Lloyd, who had no mammoth liner before the war, have under construction two vessels 41,000 tons each for their American service. They will be called the Europa and the Bremen. • High Officials Arrive. Italy has plans for two ships of about the same size, and the French Transatlantic Line contemplates a larger vessel than the He de France (43,500 tons). The utmost secrecy is being preserved as to the details of the Cunard Company’s plans, and on inquiry at . the Liverpool and London headquarters no statement could be obtained. It is understood, however, that an official announcement will be made soon. In connection with the company’s ambitious plans, it is noteworthy that a conference of a highly secretive nature is about to be held in Liverpool. Sir Alfred Booth, director and late chairman of the Cunard Line; Mr. H. P. Borer, general passenger manager of the line in the United States, and Mr. C. H. Fecke, the saloon passenger manager in America, arrived at Southampton recently in the Aquitania.

The latter two officials have an extensive knowledge of the requirements of the American travelling public.

Big Ships Popular. None of the three would discuss the reported plan to build a 60,000 ton liner. Mr. Borer, however, said: — “The American public are still tremendously keen on the big ships. Travel prospects on the other side of the Atlantic are increasing, every year, and I have no doubt that more and more people will cross the Atlantic. “I believe, in fact, that the number will be sufficient to fill any ships of any size that may be placed on the service.”

The Biggest Vessels. The biggest merchant vessels in the jworld to-day are.:— ' ' Tons. Majestic 56,551 Leviathan 54,282 Berengaria 52,226 Olympic 46,439 Aquitania ’. 45,647 He de France 43,500 Paris 34,569 Homeric 34,351 GIANT MOTOR SHIP FOR WHITE STAR BID FOR BLUE RIBAND OF ; ATLANTIC A giant Atlantic liner, understood to be the las< st ship in the world, has been ordered by the White Star Line from Harland and Wolff, the famous shipbuilding firm of Belfast. Although particulars of the vessel have not yet been revealed, it is known that she will be larger than the Majestic, ■which is 56,550 tons, and at present the biggest ship afloat. Mr. Franklin, president of the International Mercantile Marine, which operates the White Star Line, has let it be known that the new vessel will have a greater length than that of the Majestic,’ which is 956 feet from stem to stern. The extreme length of the new ship may, therefore, approach 1000 feet. A fact not hitherto disclosed is that she will be driven by internal combustion engines. That oil motors should have been chosen to drive the world’s largest ship in preference to steam turbines, is a signal triumph for the Diesel system. "The largest motor ship so far built is the Italian liner Augustus, of 33,000 tons, but the tonnage of the new White Star motor liner may be nearly twice as great. No information as to her speed is available, but apparently it will not be remarkably high. The keel is to be laid at Queen’s Island, Belfast, as soon as one of the big slipways becomes vacant. German Hopes. The laying down of this vessel will be an event of outstanding importance in the history of shipbuilding. With regard to the. blue riband of the

Atlantic, which lias been held by the Cunard liner Jvlauretania for the past 20 yqars, it is understood that the Germans hope to capture this honour with their new liners Bremen and Europa, now being built lor the North German Lloyd service.