Ships and the Sea

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 23, 28 January 1928, Page 30

Ships and the Sea

WATEBFBONT ACTIVITY

LINERS LOAD FOR LONDON The continuous fine weather has enabled the overseas liners in port during the week to keep to their schedules, but the working conditions have not been pleasant owing to the softness of the tar, and the swirling clouds of dust. Monday being a general holiday, no work was done, and to those whose duty it was to be present on the wharves the day was the most uneventful and uninteresting experienced for a long time. During the week the grab dredge has been employed in cleaning the silt away from No. 11 and No. 13, Queen's Wharf. The Cydonia, from Canadian ports, via Auckland, arrived here on Sunday to put out 800 tons of general cargo, and sailed on Wednesday for Lyttelton to continue discharge. One of the largest cargoes discharged was that of the West Elcajon, from Los Angeles, via Auckland. The local portion of her shipment consisted of 736,00 feet of lumber, 10,483 cases of petrol, 350 barrels of gasoline, and, 386 tons of general merchandise. A shipment of petrol for the Vacuum Oiil Company was brought by the Pulpit Point, which arrived yesterday. Australian cargo amounting to 300 tons was discharged from the Manuka, which arrived from Melbourne, via Bluff, on Tuesday. The only other vessel to discharge was the Manchester Merchant, which arrived on Thursday night with 1200 tons of general cargo from New York. Six overseas liners were loading for Home during this week. The Port Dunedin sailed on Wednesday for London and the Surrey sailed the following day for the same port. To continue loading for the United States and Canada, the Canadian Prospector arrived on Thursday night from Dunedin. The Rimutaka, Gallic, and Tairoa were also in port loading for Home.

Mercer Crosses Atlantic. The United States Shipping Board's Mercer, which after much research and experiment has been fitted to burn pulverised coal, arrived at Botterdain from New York after a voyage which lasted fifteen -days, her average speed being 0.7 knots, last month, states the "Syven and Shipping." There is, of course, nothing extraordinary in this rate of steaming, but it should be borne in mind that she encountered very heavy weather during the greater part of the passage. The test, therefore, was all the more severe, and we learn that no difficulty was experienced in maintaining steam and there was no necessity to requisition the oil-burning plant with which the vessel is alternatively equipped. It is, claimed that the Mercer trial demonstrates that coal used in the pulverised form works out cheaper than oil,; as it enables poor grades of solid fuel to be utilised. Foreign Naval Construction. The successful trials on the Clyde of the Dutch destroyer Evertsen draw attention to the fact that-British shipbuilding firms are now doing a good deal of work which does not figure in their own yards and shops. The Evertsen, which excedeed on the measured mile her contract speed of 34 knots, and that with full load, is the first of eight which are being built in Holland for the Royal Netherlands Navy, to designs by, and under the superintendence of, Messrs. Yarrow and Co., of Glasgow. The first Yarrow contract for designs was for six vessels, but later the Dutch Government decided to lay clown two more. In all the vessels Parsons turbines are the main propelling engines, and the boilers are of the latest Yarrow type, fitted with Yarrow superheaters and air heaters. Messrs. John I. Thorncroft and Co., of Southampton, are carrying out similar work for the Rumanian Government for whom they have designed two destroyers which are being built in Italy. Shortly before the war Messrs. John Brown and Co., of Clydebank, designed for the Eussian Government a number of large war vessels, and sent technical staffs to tho different Russian shipyards to superintend the constructional work. There was also, of course, tho bestknown case of all—the building in Spain, under the superintendence of Mr. A. J. Campbell from designs by a combination of British firms, of a number of war vessels. Neither Russia nor Spain is ever likely again to requisition assistance of this kind, but the smaller Powers frequently find it convenient to obtain in this way all the advantages of British skill, experience, and goodwill. Saturates Record Voyage. The big Italian motor-ship Saturnia, owned by the Cosulich Line, has set up a record for the run between Marseilles and Buenos Aires, having accomplished tho journey in fourteen days, including calls at Las Palmas, Rio de, Janeiro, Santos, and Montevideo} states the "Syren and Shipping." This means that her average speed was fully 19 knota. The ship is propelled by two B. and W. type double-acting eightcylinder engines developing a total horse power of about 24,000. Taranaki Launched. Tho Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Ltd., launched at Govan on 10th December the 'motordriven refrigerator vessel Taranaki, built for Messrs. Shaw, Savill, and Albion Company, Ltd., London, for service between the United Kingdom and New Zealand. She is a twin-screw vessel of 11,190 tons d.w. Her dimensions are: Length, 500 ft; breadth, 64ft; depth to upper deck, 42ft lO^in. The refrigerating machinery, by Messrs. J. and E. Hall, Ltd., Dartford, is situated on tho upper and second decks, and consists of two duplex electrically-driven refrigerating machines. No. 6 hold and 'tween decks provide capacity for carrying general cargo. Four two or threo-berth staterooms are situated in a saloon house at the forward end of the bridge deck. The propelling machinery consists of twin sets of Fair-fiold-Sulzer engines, each having six cylinders 31in in diameter by 43in stroke. Together they; will develop 7450 b.h.p at 113 r.pjß,

1 1 .otor or Steam? The December issue of the "Motorship" contains the following editorial dealing with the passenger liner situation: —"Even if we discount the proposals to establish a service across the Atlantic with vessels which would make the voyage in four days, also the suggested 30-knot Italian ships, the situation in regard to the construction of new liner tonnage at the present time is one of extreme delicacy and interest. Thero is every indication that matters are coming to a head in various directions, and it is opportune that the Augustus, the largest motor liner yet built and a vessel exceeding the tonnage of the Mauretania, should just have started on her maiden voyage. For, if a ship of 32,650 tons gross, with a speed of nearly 20 knots, can be satisfactorily constructed as an oil-engined craft, it is not a very great step to undertake the production of the mammoth trans-Atlantic liners which are now in question. A few years ago the opinion was widely held among shipowners and shipbuilders that liners of thfi future would, for the most part, be vessels of moderate dimensions and speed. Such a view is, in fact, still maintained by some owners and acted upon (as exemplified in the policy pf the Hamburg-Amerika Line), but it does not now represent the general attitude of mind. Of this evidence is to bo found in the construction of two 46,000----ton steamers for the North German Lloyd, and the vessels, probably larger than anything afloat, which are to be built for the White Star Line and the Cunard Steam Ship Co. The Compagnie Generale Trans-Atlantique will also lay down a liner larger than the lie de Prance (besides Hwo intermediate-class ships), and in Italy plans are prepared for vessels bigger than the Augustus. The Swedish-American Line, on the other hand, will order a liner of about 20,000 tons gross, whilst Norwegian and

Danish owners of passenger ships may jjossibly adopt a similar policy in the near future. All the vessels involved will be engaged on the trans-Atlantic service, but even on the South American route very big liners are likely to be ordored, since French, Spanish, and Italian owners all have definite plans for passenger ships larger than those now in operation. It is already decided that in many of these liners Diesel engines will be utilised. Internal-combus-tion motors can now be constructed .without any element of risk suitable for the largest ships, and if, for instance, we assume that an output of 60,000 b.h.p. bo required on quadruple screws for the new White Star liner, this can be obtained" with twelvecylinder engines of a type of which numerous examples have. been in service for two or three years merely by increasing the cylinder diameter 2}in. A stationary engine of 15,000 b.h.p. has already-been built.' The Atlantic Liners. The English newspapers have given prominence to what has been widely known in shipping circles for some time past, that both the Cunard. and White Star Lines are preparing plans for the building of,new ships in order to maintain their respective fast mail and passenger services to and from New York with steamers of the highest efficiency, and in no way inferior to those of their competitors, German, French, or Italian. While the latter companies are putting into their North Atlantic services steamers of a very much larger and better type than they have hitherto employed, they are still a long way behind the two British companies in the size of steamers they have recently built or have at present under construction, and this being the case, interest is mainly centred in the present building programmes which it is known the Cunard and White Star Lines have in hand. The arrival at Southampton on 23rd November from New York of Sir Alfred Booth, a director of the Cunard Company, and formerly its chairman, and with him Mr. H. P. Borer, the general passenger manager, and Mr. C. H. Focke, saloon passenger manager of the Cunard Line in the United States, has given rise to rumours which are obviously of a speculative character. Mr. Borer and Mr. Focke have, according to their own statement, come to this country to discuss with the Cunard directors the requirements of the American travelling public in. any new ship that must bo built to replace the Mauretania, now nearing the end of her serviceable career, and that seems to sum up all that can be authentically said about the plans of the proposed Cunard steamer at present. The statements as to probable length and tonnage given as round about 1000 ft, and 60,000 tons register, are, therefore, merely guesswork, based no doubt on going one better than the Cunard liner. From the head offices, neither the Cunard nor the White Star Lines in Liverpool, can anything of a definite character be gleaned of the progress they have made in developing their plans for new ships of this class, but, if one may venture to say in what way these new ships will be in advance of existing popular Atlantic liners, it will not be so much in size as in economical speed, possibly by high-powered Diesel engines, and unsurpassed interior accommodation for saloon passengers, and for other classes in keeping with it. The ability to fill these ships will determine the question of their size. Pipes for Australia. The steamer Ashburton, a new vessel of the Australind Line, has loaded one of the largest single-ship consignments which has passed through the port of Manchester in post-war days, states the "Shipping World." She is taking to Australia a cargo of 2000 tons of pipes, measuring 64 miles in length, manufactured by the Stanton Iron Works for an Australian irrigation scheme. The pipes were brought alongside the steamer by rail and loaded on board direct from the wagons. The Ashburton is first going to New York to pick up a consignment of motor-cars for Sydney, and will then continue her voyage to Now Zealand ports before proceeding to Australia. She is due Auckland <m 23rd Vetbra&rj^