NEW ORIENT LINER

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 63, 8 December 1936, Page 13

NEW ORIENT LINER

Interesting Innovations LAUNCH OF ORCADES An important event in the current history of British shipping was the launching at the yards of ATckersArmstrongs, Ltd., at Barrow-in-Fur-ness, of tire Orient liner Orcades, which is virtually a sister-ship of the Orion, a recent visitor to Wellington. The Orcades will measure about 24,000 tons gross register. Nowadays so much is thought of practical considerations in house-plan-ning that it is sometimes found that they have been allowed to affect the exterior symmetries of building. This phase can be perceived in some of the innovations in the Orcades. It has been found, for instance, that if the steel work supporting the upper decks is strengthened in the form of a row of flattened arches along the ship’s side numbers of upright supports can be dispensed with and a far better view out for passengers provided. At the same time, the exterior appearance of the ship will be improved. Similarly, experience has proved that low funnels tend toward a deposit of smuts on the decks. The Orient Line has always specialised in wide areas of open-air games decks, and the managers regard it as of great importance that these should be clean and free from smuts. With this in view it has been decided to heighten the funnel of the Orcades by eight feet more than the Orion’s. In this case the low funnel, which happens to be the vogue at the moment because it fits in with the modern fashion for stream-lining, is being superseded for the sake of efficiency.

Another exterior alteration is the decking over the fo’c’sle deck to provide additional deck space for the crew. It is regarded by the managers of the Orient Line as most important that the crew should have as much access as possible to fresh air, as upon their health depends a great part of their power to maintain their high standard of service. The launch followed more formal lines than that of the Orion, which was launched by wireless from Australia by the Duke of Gloucester. The Orc,ados was launched by Mrs. I. C. Geddes, wife of the chairman of the managers of the Orient Line, with the appropriate variation that a bottle of Australian wine was chosen for the actual christening. The Orcades will carry 464 first-class and 609 tourist-class passengers. Many of the cabins will have inter-communi-cating doors, and the number of special staterooms with private bathrooms has been increased. All first-class cabins will have bedsteads. Children also have been specially studied. In the first class they have a separate dining-room and in both classes a special playroom and a deck.

Hot and cold running water will be laid on to all first-class cabins, and in tourist cabins there will be cold running water. There are two open-air swimming baths, one for each class, and each class will have a passenger lift, a shop, and a hairdressing saloon. All the latest precautions have been taken to ensure the safety of passengers. Lifeboats are fitted under the latest form of gravity davits. Fireresisting paint has been largely used and sprinklers will be fitted throughout. There will be special gas-tight chambers for the carriage of chilled meat.

Australian-grown timber will be used for much of tlie decorat work. The interior decorations have been placed in the hands of an architect, Mr. Brian O’Rorke, whose work in the Orion has proved most popular with the travelling public.

As far. as structural variations go, the A deck o£ the Orc.ades •will vary little from that of the Orion. The main change will be in the officers’ quarters forward, and will not affect passengers. These will occupy two stories instead of one, and will be partly upon the bridge deck itself. The sliding windows, which were first evolved for the Orion’s D deck cabins and which have proved so successful, will be repeated in the new ship. On the same lines, another pattern of window has been specially designed for tlie E deck cabins of the Orcades. These windows are about three times the size of a porthole.