Ships and the Sea

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 85, 13 April 1929, Page 30

Ships and the Sea

Cliaiiging Types. . ; Great changes, have-occurred intk course of.,the r past fourteen- years in .the types of vessels afloat,- writes the "Financial Times..". Thus, since 1914 tankers ■ liave increased from 1,479,000,10118 to 6,544,000 tons, and motor-ships, fifteen- years ago in theirinfancy, from 234,000 to 5,432,000 tons. In the relative use of coal and oil. fuel a great .change has also taken, place, the tonnage of oil-burners haying risen from 1,310,000 tens in 1914 to the present enormous. figure.. of 19,000,000 tons. It is also significant'that of the world tonnage launched last year only 34 per. cent, is exclusively dependent upon oil for propulsion? No recent development in the shipping, world has been more striking, than the increased popularity of the motor-ship. In ' this form of vessel Britain is lagging behind, her output of 428,000 tons for 1928 comparing with 753,000 tons for the rest of the.world. British owners j and -builders still pin their faith on I. the' steam turbine, sometimes used in conjunction with- electric motors. Who. knows that they may not bo right and that'the. Continental preference for the motor-ship may not be, a mistake? It' has yet to be. clearly' demonstrated ."that-the heavier initial cost of the construction' and equipment of the .motorship will be compensated for by economies in operating charges. The Term."Tramp.'..'. ' . The dislike expressed by Sir 1 Walter Eimeiman -of the epithet,','tramp" as applied to tho freelance, cargo-carrier is no now sentiment, . cherished by our friend (states the,"Syreh;; and Shipping"), but our own Viewy that , the term will persist until an-equally expressive; one, is devised 'is i, one ■'-.which, ,at the risk of offending his; susceptibilities, we shall continue to'hold.. In our Thousandth Number, published in Oc.tober, .1915, Sir Walter contributeda 1 delightful and characteristic' article entitled, at our request, "Tho ■Übiquitous Tramp." He did not concealieven

thousands of pounds' a yoar in mooting, claims for damage and pilferage to cargoes for which they are not roally responsible.; It is the custon. of some big trading companies to x'equoat, tho masters of sliips not to tako aboard any of their goods unless properly mid justifiably a clean mate's receipt can be given. Tho result is that their 'cargoes'turn out in perfect condition. Pioneer Shipbuilding. Sir William Curric, president of: the Chamber of Shipping, made tho speech of the evening, short, pointed, and humorous, at. the- ; Court Dinner of .the .Worshipful Company of Carpenters recently, reports the "Shipping World." The Master, Mr. Walter Jacob,. determined that the dinner should bo in hon•our of tho Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets. In the course of his reply, to tho Master's speech, Sir William said, Your Master has given us an interesting survey of British shipping during ■the-.last 50 years. May,'l,, just as a matter of interest, go further back, to the 'first ship of which we have any knowledge, and make the claim that to shipping, though perhaps not to British shipping,, lies, the credit that wo ■ are alive to-day. I refer to a ship built in 2348 8.C., Noah's ark. If tho dimensions, given in the Book'of .Genesis arc correct, she must have been the wonder ship of her time, a throe-docker, 450 ft long, 75ft beam, and 45ft depth, giving a gross tonnage of 15,187., But I imagine, however, that her co-efficient offineness must have bee« conspicuous by its absence, and the Book of Genesis is silent as to whether she was propelled; by coal, oil, or pulverised fuel! Fortunately for Noah and. Co., there., was no all-observant Board of Trade in those daySj no convention for Safety of. Life at, Sea, no acts laying down rules for the carriage of animals. But if the old saying'be correct, that the animals went in two by two,' th en I am 1' afraid Noah 1 could give some of us to-day a i point or two}.for, in. one'trade I know I of, the carriage .of horses from, Austra-

BEITAIN'S BICt NEW SUBMAEINE

then his antipathy to the word, which he described as "a. Yankeeisni, yawned, it may be, into being■■> long ■ ago, 'ana. used, no doubt, to distinguish .between; tho.'Atlantic ■ .or. .'any:.'.other .'.',■ liners ,an|l their ■ keen, plain," substantial competitors. .. When, he-argued, these ' inteiSi lopel's forced their vyay. into, . tfiia' closely-guarded: preserves of tho Ameri-. can .trade, .Zankfe-'slang was ransaelced. to ] iiiid; a. ternv "of"ridicule; that vjould;' suitably ,stai^p.;;WiisV ! '-Uglyiineans^ l.iof enterprise '.with', inferiority, and .proclaim the personal; ;eiementaß ■■licensed-,. 1 plunderprs,.pf:dixin^legitiujacy. -A'.^A)id.' so ';-ifc-- came that -a ■•' slapdasher' of the-Americ'ijn frontier was.disc'oyefdd' who 'languidly"'performed-: a featjWhjcjlr was destined .to/ live, a pompous ;stu^pidity." Ho . pinched .a. portion.; of £ the title of Mark -Twin's exquisite; book jAY Tramp Abroad,'< and' this silly, cynie'al;; style- of .mbckery.;:lias-,been'. 11' preserved; in'"supßribrScircies;• eypr;'since, as quite^ a comic ducal'-invehtionv winch accur-t ately. conyeys^sthe;;,;idea?;.pf: ; nautical;: mediocrity.'';■ :alien-''distbr-V tiOn," '' vulgar ''/'■■, impertinence,'' ' " a'; squint-eyed form of expression,".: are': among the phrases Sir Walter employed; thirteen years ago to. convey his. hearty;.; disapprobation of those■ Who call: cargo-i carriers "tramps,'.' and it,is a sad. reflection^ upon.: the. perversity .of~:humari nature that .the.' Chamb"er.,.of Shipping itself should'.:be ■included ' : among ,;:the■ hardened offeiiderSv' U;" : '' ; : A Uniform Tonnage Measurement. , ! A Ipng'awaited.improvement with re-, gard to the tonnage measurement bt .mex'chant ' vessels seems'to be, foreshadowed by the result of recent de-liberations,-of the League: of Nations'* Permanent Committee; for ports and maritime navigation, which met a., few da^s ago in London under the chairman-. ship of Sh-Norman .Hill; .writes the "Syren and ' Shipping." The committee have adopted- the "report of the • Technical Committee qh Tonnage Mcas-' urement, laying dov^r; measures to so-, cure practical equality for'ships sailing under all flags, and have agreed that all. maritime nations .shall be communicated with „ on- the \-\ subject, with- a view to the necessary action being, taken. Another report I.adopted at the same meeting was that recommending the • establishment'of a uniform system of buoyage throughout the world. Representatives were pre-sent-from Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Germany, Franco, 'Holland,! and' Norway. - '' " '■■ '' ''. ' . ■ The Art of Stowage. - •Stevedores and .mates spend their lives handling tho .inost'. miscellaneous cargoes' 1 into and out of ships' holds, writes a correspondent of the "Shipping World," ia.reply to a Manchestoishipper.. If the latter unfortunate people, the mates, makes a'mistake in stowage or fail to clause goods inadequately packed,-,their faults are brought up in evidence against them when these goods come to be discharged? It is not always the fool of the family who goes to sea; some of. them loom large in merchants'. offices. It may, in fact, be truthfully said -that so far as. the. big shipping companies of this country are concerned,', their... officers are second to none in -their ability to look after the goods entrusted to their care, and to spot packagesl which. are defective. Many of them have studied the subject since 'the' days of their, apprenticeship, and possess notes.and facts on the subject of the packing-: of goods for carriage 1 by- sea which, would save shippers and underwriters enormous sums annually, if their, dignity permitted a study of them. • -This.^Manchester shipper remarks;that..stevedores and mates ; , are over-zealous. Most cargo superintendents could .inform him that they are not zealous enough: Many of them arc inclined to overlook the lesser evils of bad packing because theso aro so common. A started nail in a wooden case in the Ldridon'^dti'ckF'lias before now led to a. very .heavy.: claim against the ship on the other side of the world. It is not generally realised that the shipping companies.pay. out hundreds of

lia to India, we caii only talie theni out one by one! But then, Noah was^sai'd to lie. 600 .years old, so-presumably-he had'acquired some considerable Wisdom! But'Noah''s;Ark had only.one'large porthole', and it cannot have' been an mi-, qualified success as a passenger liner, foi ~ii was many centuries,later before aiiytliing approaching/it's, gross tonnage was; evolved. .When '. Vasco dei Gama i;6;uudsd: thp :Cape; bfjOGood Hope, in. .M&7,:-.tho'']argost,'jo£'.liis..',three:;-;-yeßse]s;. was 120 tons;' the average size "of' the .fle<St of. the: Spanish 7 Armada was 359 tons,'of the English ships 121 tons, and. the combined tonnage of the 228 ships which fought in rthe English .Channel was probably equal to about three!;Uiodorn trans-Ailaiitie. liners. : : First British Electric Liner. ; .Particulars are. givciv in the. "Ship:ping World' 1 of tho new P. and ,0. liner yiceroy. of ..India,:;the. first British, electric liner, which embodies several novel features. Twenty-five years ago, Messrs. 1 Stephen :and ; Sons lauuchj'ed from' tho famous Linthouso yard one ;bf. the first passenger liners to bo proSpelled by^ steam turbines—the Allen .liner X. Virginian. They ' have nou-, i opened another chapter in tho history of British shipbuilding by tho coniple- ; tiori; of the'first large British.lin'cr to be 'fitted' with high pressure, steam and I turbo-electric propulsion. Intended for th.c.'Bombay : mail service of tho P. and Oy, Company, tho Viceroy of India is Oi'Sft in length, by 7Sft. in breadth, by ; 'B2ft ,in depth to tho 'uppermost of her nine decks. She is of 19,700 tons gross, and has a speed of 10 lenots. Sho has accomodation . for 415 first-class passengers, all in soparato cabins —being the first, ship of notablo sizo in which this arrangement has been carried out — and 260 second-class pnssongors borthod in 100.cabins; sho curries a crow of 420. The main' propelling' machinery, ■ which' was all manufactured by tho British Thomson-Houston- Company, Ltd,., at 'Rugby,..consists of 'two turbo-altonia-tors —maximum .rated, 9000 lew., 2G90 r.p.m., 2720 volts, 3-iilmso (maximum speed, rating''os3o k.w., 3110 r.p.m., 3150 volts, 3-phaao)—both supplying current. to two slow-spood synchronous motors, oach , 8500 0.h.p., 10!) r.p.m., 3150 volts, 3-phnso, which 1 are coupled ' direct to the twin propeller shafts. Tho "V. and A." 'T.he Itoyal SUr.un Yuclit; Vicloriii, and Albert, oi- tho "V. ami A." as Hho; is known ill the Navy,, does not always rcceivo the admiration she dcsoryuH, writos the ''Shipping World." In spito of a certain ponderosity 1.110 Uoyal yacht has a-uoblo appetiniueo; :ind \vlicn her shortcomings arc noticed it should bo remembered that sho was designed and built in curious circumstances. Sho was designed in 18S0 to repliico tho old paddle-steamer Victoria and Albert, but it'is.said that tho designer had to niter his plans to embody cortain suggestions of Queen Victoria's, and thnt afterwards a numbor of amateurish oliicinls had a say in her construction. Somoonb blundered. On leaving dock she foil over on her side, and all but sank. It'is still a joko in tho Navy that such 1111 inexplicable miscalculation was duo to the .fact that tho ship's displacement had boon added to tho date of hor launch. Intornally, tho V. and A. is a perfect expression of dignifiod comfort. t Tho Boj'al apartments aro on tho starboard side of tho main dock; tho dining saloon as on the upper dock, and •next below the long scroonod premouado dock.. Although sho has undergone, frequent alterations tho yncht is mild to be still difficult to manoeuvre,' mid to bo an ill-behaved bout in a Htniway, so that it is not to be wond&rod nt that the vessel is not a favourite with our sailor King. In Lloyd's 'Register at! Yachts the Victoria and Albert'is described as a twiu ; screw .stonmoi' of 5005 tons, 422 ft in longth," 50ft'-'bourn, with trliile-expansion steam engines of 11,000 horse-power. 'She was 11 rut commissioned in 1901. Tho' V.' itnd A. is, of course, manned entirely by a Nuvn.l personnel, and the comuuind is invariably filled by a distinguished Navai officer.