Ships and the Sea

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 74, 24 September 1927, Page 30

Ships and the Sea

POUT OF [WELLINGTON

BIG OIL SHIPMENTS • Inward freights at the Port of Wellington this week included an unusually large quantity of oil for the tanks at Miramar. Four tankers arrived towards the end of the. week, all bringing large cargoes. The Otokia returned to Wellington after a long trip around the South American Continent, with 8998 jtona of oil from San Pedro, California, for the Union Company. The El Ciervo came in on Wednesday afternoon with 3000 tons of motor spirit from Singapore, via Auckland and New Plymouth, and started discharge at the new Burn"ham Wharf, Miramar. The Pleiodon and the Pulpit Point both came in with oil from California, tho former to-day Saudi the latter on Friday night. The freighter Golden Sea, from Port Ar- i Shnr, Texas, and.which arrived on Sun- j flay night, also brought a. quantity of jcase oil. She sailed again on Wednesday, afternoon for Port Kcmbla to con•tinue unloading.

Apart from oil shipments, other jwaterfront activity has been rather quiet. The Sussex, which arrived here on Sunday afternoon from Calcutta and other eastern ports, via Auckland, started unloading 2000 tons of cargo on Slonday morning. She sailed again on (Wednesday for further discharge at iLyttelton.

Two intercolonial jjase3nger steamers •—the Manuka from Melbourne direct and the TJlimarioa from Sydney—came in on Tuesday morning. The Manuka brought 750 tons of cargc, and sailed again on Wednesday night 011 the return trip to Melbourne, via southern ports, and the Ulimaroa had 700 tons to discharge before returning to Sydney.

The Port Caroline came in from Auckland on Wednesday to complete loading, and sailed again to-day for Lon(Son, via Capo Horn.

The Kent, from Liverpool, via Auckland, arrived on Thursday morning with 3000 tons to unload; and the City of Batavia yesterday afternoon from New |Yoik, via Auckland. The only other steamer outward bound was the Treworias, which sailed on Tuesday afternoon to continue unloading New York cargo at Lyttelton. An Adriatic Shipyard. According to reports from certain Italian news agencies a new shipbuilding industry is to be created in the Adriatic, states "Fairplay." The Jugoslavian Government appears to have decided to subsidise the construction of a. yard to undertake all tho work both for the Jugo-Slav navy and mercantile marine, building vessels of up to 14,000 tons. New TJnion-Oastle Motor-ship. The Union-Castle Mail Steamship Co., Ltd., have placed An ordcr'ivith Messrs. Harland and Wolff, Belfast, for a now vessel for their South African mail service. Official details of the ship are not yet available; but it is understood in well-informed circles that she is to be similar to the Carnarvon Castle, but improved in certain of her details. The propelling machinery is, of course, to consist of Harland B. and "W. doubleacting engines like those installed in the sister ship, Carnarvon Castle, the Boyal Mail packets Asturias and Alcan,tara, and tho Elder Dempster liners Accra and Apapa. The fact that motors of the type and make are being installed in this new Union-Castle liner and also j in the 27,000-ton "White Star liner which ■was recently laid down at Belfast, is strong evidence that in the rough and tumble,of ordinary sea work Belfast's double-acting Diesels are more than justifying the claims originally made for them. Their suitability for largo ccean-going passenger ships seems to to beyond question. New Australian Freighter. j Tho cargo steamer Minni, which has l>een built by D. and W. Henderson and Co., Ltd., Meadowside, Glasgow, for Messrs. .T. and A. Brown, Sydney, jSTew South Wales, has carried out successful official trials in the Firth of Clyde, in the coursi of which a mean speed of about 13 knots was attained. A single-deck vessel with quarter, "bridge, and forecastle decks and classed 100 Al at Lloyd's, sho is 250 ft in length, 37ft in breadth, and 17ft 4in in moulded depth, and of about 1450 tons gross. Gnu-control Cable. Over a mile of gun-control cable for *Z\e new Tyne-built British battleship Nelson was manufactured by Edison Swan Cables, Ltd., Lydbrook, Glos. JThis ljin cable is.of 2S-core construction, each core composed of 110 tinned copper wires, each of .0076 diameter stranded around 12 tinned steel wires, each of .0124 diameter, insulated with j>nre high-grade vulcanised india rubber and lapped with a numbered tape. . Hushing for Aid. "While the Loongana was on the way to Launceston recently, an officer who Jiad undergone a dental operation in the morning was found to be suffering from hemorrhage of the gums. In order to obtain medical assistance as quickly as possible, the vessel's engines were driven at their maximum speed. One. of the funnels was said to have become red hot, while great shafts of flame from the stack lit up. tho whole ship, reports a Sydney paper. Soon af-ter-midnight fire broke out in two cabins situated close to the funnel. The flames hadvgained firm hold on the wooden walls before they were discovered by an occupant. With chemical extinguishers and water- the men Of tho watch and others subdued the blaze i,n little more than half an hour. Nearly; 50 of the. 140 passengers, including women, witnessed the battle, but, it was stated, there was not tho slightest evidence of panic. Tho vessel reached Launceston half ari hour before schedule time. Pulverised Coal. Much interest is being shown in marine and coal circles over the announcement that the United States Shipping Board has allotted the freighter Mercer to be the first ocean-going vessel to be equipped with apparatus for burning pulverised coal. This installation follows long tests with pulverised coal which have been made in stationary "boilers, and under the auspices of the .Navy and Shipping Boards. Tho Mercer wi7» be converted to burn pulverised coal, at a cost said to be only about £4000. The installation will require about, two months, after which the steamer will be put on one of the transatlantic freight routes. The system to be used is similar in effect to the many used for burning fuel oil. Bituminous coal is first crushed in a revolving drum. The coal, which will then practically be dust, will be passed through pipes to the fire-box and forced by au 4 to the flame area.. It is believed that the use of pulverised.xo,al;will show great economies as compared*with, oil fuel, which 33 now cost in America about £2 10s per ton and a great deal more across the Atlantic. Ordinary coal will give about 14,000 British thermal units per ponndj as compared with 18,000 from a pound of oil. Oil, however, costs usually, on a ton basis, about two and a iali times as much as coal.

Spanish Merchant Ensign. j The ensign flown by Spanish merchant vessels., which is yellow, with two | horizontal red bars, is to be replaced as from Ist January next by one composed of three horizontal bands, the top and bottom ones of red of equal width, and the centre oiie yellow and double the width of the others. Cunard Commander Dead. Captain E. C. Warr, formerly commodore of the Ctfnard Fleet, and captain of the famous Compania when she held the blue riband of the Atlantic, died a few weeks ago while playing bowls at Freshfield, near Liverpool. He was 78 years of age. Serving with the Cunard Company for 33 years, Captain Warr sailed in such famous ships as the Etruria,-Umbria, Campania, Caronia, and Carmania. He crossed the Atlantic 550 times, and sailed close upon 2,000,000 miles. He joined a sailing ship as a boy of 14. He declared he had suffered more from sea sickness than thousands of his passengers. Although he never had a mishap to his own ship while in command, he had many thrilling experiences. Ship's Officer Injured. A report from Syduey states that while putting on hatches on the steamer Ikala at Longnose Point, the third officer, Peter Wilkinson (24) slipped and fell twenty feet into a hold. He was hurried to Langnose Point, and the Civil Ambulance took him to Brvlmain I Hospital. He was admitted suffering from a fractured skull, a compound fracture of the left leg, and abrasions. The Ikala visited Wellington some week's ago. Question of Pilotage. A' number of disputes have arisen owing to the Humber pilotage authorities claiming inward and outward pilotage dues for steamers which communicated with the signal station at Spurn Head for orders but did not enter the' Humber, reports "Pah-play." The claim is. made under section 2 of the Pilotage Act, 1913, which provides that "every ship . . . while navigating in a pilotage district- in which pilotage is compulsory for the purpose of entering or leaving or making use of any port in the district . . . shall employ a pilot, unless the master or mate posj sosses a pilot's certificate for the district: 1' A test case was recently tried in the Hull County Court, when judgment was given in favour of the pilotago authorities. The circumstances were as follow: —In order to pick up her, orders signalled from the Spurn I Lighthouse, the s.s. Maud Llewellyn ' had to enter the Humber pilotage area in which pilotage is compulsory, but did not enter the Humber. The Judge held that the vessel was navigated in a compulsory pilotage area for the purpose of making use of Spurn, since the express purpose for which she used Spurn, was to receive her orders there, and the facilities at Spurn wero for the advantage of the ship, and therefore tho Maud Llewellyn was using the port. He therefore gave judgment for the pilots. The managers of tho British Steam Ship Owners' Association state that, the case being one of considerable importance and o£ general interest to shipowners, it has-been decided to appeal against this decision. " Honour-Flags." The United States Merchant Fleet Corporation has instituted a novel scheme in conncqtion with the various lines embraced in v its fleet. Tho best ship from the economical, disciplinary and efficiency points of view during six months' service will, for the following similar period, be qualified to fly an "honour-flag," and so announce to all and"sundry what a good ship she has been, and how well tho boys on Doard have behaved themselves.' Tho official pronouncement concerning the matter is as follows: —

"For six months the 'honour ship' of each line may fly the new 'honour flag' of the Merchant Fleet Corporation, according to a.plan proposed by tho president of the Merchant Fleet Corporation, which will be made effective as soon as possible after Ist July, 1927. Each six months an award will "be m<i\> to the officers and crow of the ship in each line which shows the greatest care, efficiency, and economy in operation. The ships will be inspected under supervision of the district director in each district. The general condition of the ship, the discipline of crew, the efficiency and economy in management as evidenced by the operating results of the deck, engine, and steward's departments, ■will be the factors observed in pinking the award. The first six-month period will begin with July and end with December of this year. A new 'honour flag' is to be designed, and tho winning ship will be authorised to fly this flag for six months or until another ship has won it. A bonus will also be provided to be presented to tho crew. The crews of each 'honour ship' will be given recognition by having a record of such achievement made in the personnel records of each member. District directors will be called upon by the president to offer any suggestions they may deem pertinent as to method of inspection and other details affecting tho determination of awards." Fort Elizabeth, The unwillingness of tho South African Government to embark upon the construction of a harbour at A / oa Bay is the cause of much rcsenti >t in cmmercial circles in Port ]•;.. .nbolli, reports "Tho Syren and Shipping." At a recent meeting of the local Chamber of Commerce, a speaker declared that before long the Government would be forced to build tho harbour owing to the rapidly increasing trade of the port. Port Elizabeth stood second only to Durban in value of merchandise imported, with 22.8 per cent, of the total import?, while exports had increased from .20.3 per cen.t. to 22.7 per cent, of tho total.