Ships and the Sea

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 73, 30 March 1929, Page 24

Ships and the Sea

An Outspoken American Critic.

Captain O. Fried, commander of the U.S. liner America, :is not only an; experienced and. able navigator and one with a well-earned reputation for saving life at sea; he is also an outspoken critic who is not afraid to tell his coun-' trymen the truth, writes the "Syren and Shipping." Seldom docs one see in print or hear stated in public the fact, well known to all who are directly in terested. in American ' shipping, that one of the fundamental reasons for the failure of the U.S. Government mercantile marine is the lack of sailors to man the vessels. But Captain Fried said it the other'day when he was the guest at a dinner given in his honour to mark his recent rescue in. raid-Atlan-tic of the crew of., the Florida. The greatest need of the American'merchant service, he is reported to have s.'iid, was men —enough men and of the right type—and lack of them was responsible for the present state of affairs. Personally, lie would like to see recruiting offices established throughout the Middlo West in order to get active and ambitious youths off the t .farms, but. he rather "spoiled his own pitch," and incidentally hit on another weak spot, immediately afterwards, by adding that American merchant officers ought to be placed on a basis leading to eventual retirement with pay, as was done in Groat Britain, in place of the present system'which meant that they had to "stick to the bridge" to the end. So loiig as shore' wages in .the United States are as far in advance of those paid on. shipboard as they are at present, we fear Captain Fried 's Middle "West recruiting offices would find very little to do.

State Shipping Auction,

A curious situation has arisen as a result of a collision, between the Calmar, an American ship, privately owned, and tho Eover, which belongs to the Canadian Government. The latter vessel was" seized by the Marine Council at. San Francisco, and without regard

to tho feelings of Canadian -Ministers "was sold by auction. But what can the Canadian officials say and do in the circumstances? If they plead immunity, they open tho door to trouble, for the American Government has many more ships than the Dominion, and, moreover, tho day has gone by for recourse to such a reactionary plea. This incident illustrates the folly of a State owning shipping 'and exposing itself to indignities. As Sir Kenneth '.Anderson remarked some years ago, the! State ownership of" shipping .is not only an economic folly, since shipping is an international industry, but it is also fraught with peril. Matters -of. dispute which shipowners settle by familiar and peaceful methods may easily become grounds for serious dispute between nations, even sowing the seeds of war. Of course, Canada will not declaro war on the United States. It may protest against the summary procedure of auctioning this Government ship, but it will gain nothing by doing so. The truth is, as the Americans themselves have come to realise, that nothing can be said iv favour of nationalisation of shipping or any other "industry.

Matatua's New Eole,

Messrs. Swan, Hunter, and Wigham Eichardson, Ltd., Wallsend-on-Tyne, rather surprised the German owners of the steamer Matatua, when they promised to have a very extensive conversion completed by 30th January. The vessel' has had a deck fitted for the carrying of motor-cars, and the owners did not think that the work could have been done in Germany in the stated time. Mr. N. H. general manager, said the promise to have the contract finished . had been given because they had faith in the workmen of Wallsend. It would be blazoned all over Germany that there were no workmen like those on the North East

Coast,

The Vestris Inquiry.

The choice of Mr. Butler, AspiualJ, K.C., as the Wreck Commissioner, assisted by assessors, to hold tho inquiry into the loss of the Vestris, has inspired confidence in the shipping world as well as in the mind of the public, writes the "Syren and Shipping." Mr. Aspiuall is an able and experienced lawyer with an intimate knowledge of shipping questions. He acted as Wreck Commissioner at the inquiry in 1922 into the loss of tho P. and O. steamer Egypt; ho was counsol for the Board of Trade at the Titanic inquiry; he represented the Canadian Pacific Eailway in connection with tho disaster to the Empress of Ireland, and the Cuiiard Company in reference to the loss of the Lusitania. Twenty-five years ago he was one of the British Commissioners appointed to inquire into the firing on British trawlers by the Eussian Fleet. There is every sign that public iuterost in tho forthcoming investigation liuo in no way abated. The delay, as was explained rccontly by the President of the Board of Trade, is owing to the necessity of. collecting an enormous amount of. evidence. Meanwhile, America is taking a step forward. Senator Jones has sponsored a Bill providing that foreign ships leaving, a port of the United States shall be subject to the laws and regulations of the United States in the same way as domestic vessels in relation to measures for life-

saving.

Liner as Hotel.

In view of the North East Coast Exhibition, which : is to bo held at Newcastle in Juno, the suggestion has been made that delegates, to the conventions that will be attracted to the city in connection with the exhibition should be accommodated on board a liner moored at the quayside, states the "Shipping World." It would appear that some of the hotels and peoplo commanding accommodation are threatening to double—and, in some cases, more than double—their usual rates, and if this attitude is persisted in, thore seems little doubt that the idea of chartering a liner will bo carried out. It is understood that a steamship company has already been approached with, this object in view.

An Association of Ship-lovers.

"The Ship Lovers'' Association" has been founded by Mr. Frank C. Bowen, well known as a writer on ships, states tho "Shipping World." Hitherto there has been little opportunity for enthusiastic seafarers and others to get into touch with one another. Tho members, old and young, include a number of old sailors and others who are otherwise associated with maritime affairs. They all meet on common ground, exchanging experiences and yarns, and comparing collections of photographs of old-time windjammers and early steamships. The association now numbers about 180 members.' The majority of them live in the United Kingdom, but Japan, Australia, Italy, Danzig, and the United States are represented. This widespread enrolment is not only .of great.-advantage to those who wish to exchange notes, photographs, and information, but is also of particular advantage to seagoing members who take a keen interest in the history and theory, of ships, every effort being made to put them in touch with fellow enthusiasts at any port at which they may call.

American Tankers Built in China,

Two interesting oil-tankers, specially designed for service through the gorges of tho Upper Yangtso Kiang, between leliang ami Chungking, were recently completed at tho Shanghai yard ot; the New Engineering and Shipbuilding Works, Ltd., to the account of. the Standard Oil Company of New York. Owing to the particularly dangerous nature of navigation on this part of tho river tho vessels hatl to bo constructed to fulfil certain abnormal conditions. Tho designers had to bear in mind that", the. draught must not exceed 9ft,. and the length no more than 215 ft (in order to allow for prompt and easy turning in narrow channels); that the rudder area must be large and the steering gear powerful and reliable; that the lines of the hull must be as fine as possible, in order to avoid causing much

wash and thus swamping passing native craft; and that tho speed must bo at le Nast 13 knots. All these factors are well combined in the two vessels in question, which have been named Mci Ping and Mci Hsia. They measure 212 ft in overall length, 32ft in moulded breadth, and 10ft Gin in depth, and in three holds they carry 460 tons of oil on a draught of Sft Sin, there being also a dry cargo hold forward.

'' Unsinkable'' Lifeboat,

A motor lifeboat which tho Koyal National Lifeboat Institution has built for its station on the Humber left the building yard at Cowes recently. She is a Watson cabin boat, 45ft 6in long by 12ft Oin wide, with two 40-h.p. engines. She has over eighty watertight compartments, and is practically unsinkable. She can take up to ISO people on board, and at her full speed of over eight knots can carry out services at a distance of sixty miles from her station.

This new boat has been built out of a legacy received from the late Mr. James Moss Hovrsoii, of Harrogate, and a special fund raised by tho Bradford branch. She will replace the present motor lifeboat 6a tho Humber, which was built in 1923, and was a centenary gift from Bradford to tho Lifeboat Service. The present boat, the City of Bradford, which is not a cabin boat, will go for temporary duty to St. Mary's, iv tho Scilly Isles. The new boat will bo named City of Bradford 11.

The institution took over the station on the Humber from the Humber Conservancy Board, in 1911, and since then the Humber lifeboats have rescued over a hundred lives, while the present coxswain, Robert Cross, has twice won the institution's silver medal for gallantry, and once its bronze medal.

Thero are now seventy-one motor lifeboats in the institution's fleet of .205 boats, and another fifteen are under construction.

Death of Captain Kidley.

Tho death oi Captain William H. Kidley, E.N.R., which occurred in England recently, severs yet another link with the oil sailing-ship days. One of the best known shipmasters of his day, and very popular, Captain Kidloy, who served his apprenticeship with Messrs. T Daniels and Sons, joined the White Star Line in 1871 as fourth officer. Attaining the rank of captain in IS7D, for 29 years ho held command in the White Star fleet, but his name will be chiefly associated with the Gothic, a ship he commanded for a number of years. On his retirement 23 years ago he was the senior captain in the White Star Line's New Zealand trade.

The Lifeboat Problem.

So long as lifeboats are carried in accordance with the formula that there shall be accommodation for all shipowners, as well as officers and men. who bear a. heavy responsibility, have a right to expect that passengers at sea will co-operate with them. in securing their own safety, writes the "Shipping World." That co-operaiion is not. always forthcoming, as captains of passenger ships know from experience. Lifeboat drill is regarded by many persons as an ordeal to bo evaded by^ every possible means, and, in any ease, to be'regarded lightly—a mere weakness on the part of the timorous owners and their servants. This attitude towards the precautions which are taken to ensure safety at sea.. U particularly marked on the part of some foreigners who are the first to loSe their nerve in case of disaster. This is a matter which might well engage the attention of the forthcoming International Conference on Safety of Life at Sea. Is it not possible to arm captains with such powers as would enable them to compel passengers to conform to generally recognised rules with reference to lifeboat drill'? It ia apparent that tho present ovil, for the results of which shipowners and their officers and men too frequently receive the blame, can bo remedied only by international

action,