Ships and the Sea

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 48, 26 February 1927, Page 28

Ships and the Sea

Christmas Trials. During Christniiis week two importJiiit vessels ran trials on the Firth of Clyde, one being a large passenger vessel and tli': other a destroyer. The former is the motor-ship Koolinda, which llessi-s. Hnrland and AVolff have built for the Govenimont of Western Australia, and which was launched in the autumn. She is one of the few passenger ships completed on the Clyde last year, and is intended for the Australian, castal service. The other vessel which ran spe-ed tests is the destroyer Ambuscade, built by Messrs. Yarrow and Co. for the British Admiralty. This vessel is'notable because she is the first post-war warship launched on the Clyde. A Useful Scholarship. It is announced that the Committee of Lloyd's has decided to grant & scholarship of the value of £100 per annum for a two years' course in the Tnames Xautical Training College, H. 11.5. Worcester, to be awarded to a suitable candidate who is in need of pecuniary assistance towards the expense of his training. Candidates must be between 11 and 16 years of age. A Revolving Light. The Marine Department would not give its support to a scheme which provided for the installation of a revolving light on the top of the Soldiers' ; Memorial on Durie Hill, but the Wanganui Chamber of Commerce is now endeavouring to have this accomplished, states the "Wanganui Herald. 1' At a recent meeting of the chamber, it was stated that overseas mariners who visited the port were of the opinion that a light on the memorial tower would be an excellent improvement. At times, the port lights were puzzling and a definite light flashing from Durie Hill would be of valuable assistance. The installation and upkeep of the light would be very small indeed, and it was decided to approach the' Marine Department again, pointing out that there was no possibility of the light causing confusion. A Strange Premonition. The mysterious fate of the Elsden, a trim Newcastle collier which vanished into the North Sea mists with Captain B. W. Miiburn, and a crew of 36 is one that has baffled everybody. One of the vessed's crow, John Dean, of Grimsby, had a sudden premonition that some disaster would overtake the vessel, and he refused to go to sea at the last minute. No ship sighted the Elsden on the North Sea waters. A fog came down, a violent snowstorm swept the busy seaway the ship traversed —and ten days later a Danish sailing vessel hove to to take in tow a small boat in the stern of which,the dead body of a man Was propped up. When tho Danish sailors made fast the derelict in' the heavy seas her grim passenger tipped over the side and was lost. Painted on the boat's stern were the words "Elsden, Newcastle." John Dean's strange warning had been justified., That was all that was ever learned about the Elsdon, A Night Out. Napier had a night cut on the Peane beach when the old sailing ship Northumberland was wrecked th<?re on j 11th May, .1887. There.was a quantity of rum in the cargo, and some of it wrs. among the first of "the flotsam to come ashore. The crowd immediately broached it arid got rather intoxicated, giving the police a lot of trouble. The figurehead of the Northumberland tvas secured by a Westshorc fisherman, and was for years a prominent object in his garden. Chilean Destroyers. rJritish firms which- specialise in tho construction of war craft of the type have been invited by the Chilean Naval Commission in London to submi' designs, and for a number of large (destroyers. Six'vessels will probably jbe ordered. The last Chilean destroyers laid" down in this country were built at Cowes. Paster Diesel Ships. , An interesting phase of the development of the ocean-going Diesel-engined ship is the strong tendency which it is showing towards increased speed. When the Selandia went into commission in 1912 her 11 knots was regarded as very fast for a ship of the type. The latest addition to ■ the fleet of the East Asiatic Company—the Danmark— makes, however, 13 knots, and' the Blue FunneJ liner Orestes, 15J knots. All the ships mentioned have Burmeister and Wain engines. Motor-ships Increase. Striking figures showing the steady increase in the number of British-owned motor vessels are given in the current issue of tho "Board of Trade Journal." At the end of 1925 there were on the registers 1965 vessels, an increase compared with the previous year of 7.79 per cent. A large increase in tonnage and a comparatively small increase in the number of vessels is accounted for by the relatively rapid development of ocean-going vessels having propelling machinery operated by explosion motors. Wharves at Lagos. The construction of the Apapa wharfage scheme at Lagos, which was commenced in 1921, is now nearing. completion. The work has been undertaken by the civil engineering contracting department of Sir W. G. Armstrong, Whitwofth, and Co., Ltd., to the designs and under the supervision of the consulting engineers, Messrs. Coode, Fitzraaurice, Wilson, and Mitchell The new quay wall has a frontage of 1800 it and provides four berths"each 400 ft long. The present dredged depth in front of the quay is 26ft below low water, but the work has been designed for an ultimate depth of 32ft. A New Tariff. The method of levying quay dues on cargo at Hamburg has been changed. The new tariff, which came into force on Ist January, is based on the natui > of goods, instead of the volume and the manner.of handling. Indian Coal. A cargo of Indian coal, the first ever to be imported in South Wales, arrived at Cardiff Docks from Calcutta last December, in the German steamer Altenfcls. The cargo, amounting to 11,000 tons, was consigned to the G.W.E; Company. A Fast Coaster. The largest and fastest passenger steamer ever built in the United States for the coastwise trade was recently launched by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, Newport News (Va.). This is the Iroquois, building to the account of the Clyde Line, New York, for the service between Now York and Florida. She is a twinscrew vessel, 408 ft in length, and 62ft in beam, with a loaded draught of 20ft Gin, accommodation being provided for 723 passengers. The main engine are of the double-reduction geared turbine type, designed to develop 10,200 s.h.p. and to give the vessel a service speed of 22 knots, thus enabling her to make the passage between New York and Miami in, 50 hours.

Reconditioning the Goehen. It is officially confirmed that the Clianticrs do Saint jSTazaire (Penhoet) have booked from the Turkish Government the order for the reconditioning of the ox-German Battle-cruiser Goeben. Work will begin as soon as possible. The dock will be provided by the Turkish authorities and the unskilled labour ivill be Turkish. The terms of the contract are not disclosed and will not be finally settled until the extent of the damage has been ascertained. Shipbuilding Statistics. - According to the monthly . returns compiled by the Registrar-General of Shipping and Seamen, 17 steamers, of

83,169 tons gross, and two motor-ships, of 178 tons gross, were added to the register of the United Kingdom in -November last, but the registers.were closed of 30 steel steamers, of 120,224 tons gross, and of three iron steamers, of 579 tons gross. There is thus a loss for the month of 37,456 tons gross, mainly due to the fact that shipbuilding at Home was brought to a standstill by the coal strike. A Change of Flags. Several well-known. Australian ships have passed into the hands of Eastern companies. The Indarra, of the A.U.S.'N. Co., is now named Horal Maru, and trades between Kobe and the island of Formosa. She has been altered considerably since leaving Australia, portions of her upper decks having been cut way to make room for two new hatchways. At present she is the largest ship that her owners have. Another well-known ship is the old Alabama, a former Newcastle collier, which, although ov.er forty-five years old, still runs under the Japanese flag as the Alabama Maru. A German Barque. The Lisbeth, a big four-masted barque, under the German flag, arrived in Sydney recently. She came from Cal•lao, on the West Coast, in ballast, for the purpose of loading a cargo of wheat at Sydney for the United Kingdom or Continent. The Lisbcth, which- is a steel vessel of 2346 tons, formerly sailed under the British flag as the Pendragon Castle. She now hails from Hamburg, where she is owneC by Claus Henrichsen. The voyage from Callao occupied fifty-nine days. Under Greek Flag. • The steamer Carina, recently sold by the Australian Commonwealth Line to Messrs. Vergottis Bros., of Greece, will bo placed under the Greek flag and have her name changed. Captain Vergottis, who is to command the vessel, arrived in Sydney recently, accompanied by his chief officer. The other members of the crew are following by another vessel.' The Carina is now completing her overhaul at Sydney, and will, afterwards load wheat for the; Mediterranean. . ... ' . t ..' For Australian Coast. James Patrick and Co., Ltd. (of Sydney), placed an order in Aberdeen, Scotland, for a new cargo steamer. The vessel has been specially designed for the trade between Sydney, Newcastle, and Melbourne, and is to be of the nj.ctatf'niq.derif and- up-to-date7-tjfpe. All tli^-iatesi,improvemeiits o aiid ideas hav,e bTJen:irivestigated,.'and "special ■attention hl3' £:li>een "given to the'-'equipmeiit fortherjnpst.ec.onQnyea]>and;.efficient batpllihg^of. all' classes of eargp/ I'heT yessel '*is "'being''Tbuiit 'to Lloyd's'tii'gh'est Class under special: 1 supervision; and is to have a speed of twelve knots. It is expected that she will be in commission about' July "o£\this''year, and will replace one of-the .company's steamers rat present;, running. Leyuka, Wrecked. ■pbe lass 1 of _thß's£e3nie:r<Le-vuka,~'h'Mßh: visited,, iyellwiltpn.., some-, months., a,gO r en^-oute'to," BrsiziT;' and formerly "brie of ,thir 7A.TT.'S.N;;aeef,r.is"xonflrm:eS' by advice received in s Sydney by-. <;he Brazilian Consul. ...The. vessel^ which, after her" -pure-hase: by the' Brazilian Lloyd's wasnamed Dom Pedro 11.,, was on her third,...voyage, .when she .crashed en a retif three miles off the Brazilian coast". Slie had left-Pernambuco,' and wa's'p'ro-eeeding-..northwar.cLr The steamer struck' d*;.l ng, rTougii weather, and for a time there-Was a panic aniotig '-the :passe'n;-gersv-saJhe-icrewyM^hdwever, 1 ■ behaviedsplendidly,. : and. .. ali hands were saved"' ■"■'■-' ■'•'• .-'-•»■ !■ •" ; Salvage operations were ' proceeding at last advices, but, as the part of the coast where the vessel struck is very wild and rocky, fears were entertained that the vessel would be a total loss. Built originally for the A.U.S;N. Co.'s Fiji trade, the vessel was of 6129 tons gross and 3011 tons net. She was launched at Glasgow in 1910. New Motor Ships. Two passenger ships have been ordered by the Eoyal Packet Company for the Singapore-Java-Australia trade, reports "The Harbour." They will be about the ss-ie size as the Houtman, but will be faster and have more extensive passenger accommodation. Captain Kroef, of the Houtman, will leave the vessel at Melbourne and proceed to Holland to superintend the building of the two vessels. Captain Baur takes over command of the Houtman. "Warships Building. "War vessels now under construction on the Firth of Clyde are the light cruiser Berwick, which 1 is being fitted out by the Fairfielc! Company, the light cruiser Shropshire, which is under construction in the shipyard of Messrs. William Beardmore and Co., Dalmuir, and two Australian cruisers building at Clydebank by Messrs. John Brown and Co. ■. ■ ;