AN IMPORTANT ORDER.

Evening Post, Volume XCIII, Issue 48, 24 February 1917, Page 10

AN IMPORTANT ORDER.

The most' important order recently placed in the United kingdom is for four sister ships, each with a carrying capacity of over 13,000 tons and a speed of about .13 knots—easily the largest and fastest motor vessels yet to bo constructed for purely mercantile work. Tho length of these vessels is to be approximately 470 ft, and the engines to bo fitted in each craft comprise two four-oycla motors of the typo installed in the Glen liners Glenamoy and Glengylo, but much larger. They are eight-cylinder machines, each developing 3200 i.h.p., giving a total machinery power of 6400 i.h.p. These engines will be built on the Clyde, as uo doubt will tho hulls, the orders being in the handa of Messrs. Harland and Wolff, Ltd., and it is,hoped that all four ships will be completed well within- the next two years. Not only does this machine power represent the biggest installed in a merchant ship, but it is far higher than was at one time thought possible with motors of the four-cyclo type. At present there are no engines of this design having a greater power than 2000 i.h.p. each. There are to be certain other features in these ships, which will be novel in practice. ■