Fleet of Motor Ships.

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 11, 12 July 1930, Page 30

Fleet of Motor Ships.

When the programme of motor-ship construction now in hand for the Bank Line (Andrew Weir and Co.) 13 completed the owners will possess a fleet of 32 motor-ships, which is the largest of any single shipowning concern in England. The maximum number under one control is that of tho Wilhelmsen fleet, which will total 35 when the vesl sels now building are placed in service. When the first orders for the Bank Lino motor-ships were placed a contract for 18 was fixed with Harland aM Wolff. Others vere added, and

last year 'six now vessels were laid • down, all somewhat larger than thn j earlier ships and with very much \ higher speeds. In addition, some; steamers were ordered for trade routes , on which it was thought they would . prove more suitable than motor-ships.; The first of the six new motor-ships, the Irisbank, was completed in May, and. j her plans represent those also of thc^ three other ships being built by Work- j man Clark, at Belfast. The others arc I, being constructed by Harland and Wolff, and are similar in construction, | but different machinery is to be em-1 ployed. The three remaining vessels i identical with the Irisbank arc tho j Lossicbank, Taybank, and Twecdbank, j all of which were launched recently. '< The principal dimensions of all the vessels are as follow:—Length, between perpendiculars, 425 ft; moulded beam,' 57ft; moulded depth, 38ft 6in; draught, 26ft; deadweight carrying capacity, 9000 tons; service speed, 13 knots. New Sumner Lifeboat. The new lifeboat for Sumner Christchurch, Rescue 11., was officially dedicated and launched on Saturday. When last year it was decided to purchase a new boat, plans were obtained from the builders of Rescue 1., Messrs. J. Samuel White Co., Cowes, England. The project attracted the kindly, interest of Lord Jellicoe, who supervised the design. The order was placed, tho purchase price being £3000, and tho boat arrived at Lyttelton on Bth February of this year. Of tho total cost of £2980, tho Government had paid £1250, and of the remainder £700 yet remains to be found. The boat is fitted with sis oars, as compared with

, four in the old Kesctte, but its main propulsion is by a 21-2 i li.p. Parsons marine engine. It is unsinka.ble, being fitted with watertight compartments and relieving wells. Even when filled with water and' ■with all tho crew abroad it will show, a substantial height of free- i board. It is also self-righting, that is, if j it is capsized of thrown into any other'! position it will immediately right itsolf. The Late Captain Welch. Captain Christopher C. Welch, the; oldest member of the master mariners of New Zealand, died recontly at Port Chalmers. On sth November, last tho captain celebrated his hundredth birthday. Ho was born at Great Yarmouth, and at the age of fourteen years ho was apprenticed to the sea, joining tho Olmer Laing Line, of Sunderland. Before the mast he made many trips to ports in all parts, of the world, and when still a young man he obtained hia master's certificate, and went to New York, where he purchased a three-mast-ed schooner, the Elizabeth Pelther. While in New York he saw the first ocean greyhound, the Great Eastern, when making her second trip across the Atlantic. Just after the first battle of the American Civil War in 1860, Cap-, tain Welch sailed his vessel down the Hudson, bound for the Cape of Good Hope. From Cape Town he went to London, arriving thero in 1861. The schooner made lier next voyage to Sed- [ orham, in the Gulf of Bothnia, and sho sailed from that port for Sydney, where she arrived after a passage of ninetysix days. At tho time of Captain j Welch's arrival in Sydney with the Eli-1 zabeth Pelther, two German ships were j about to sail for the goldfieldsof New Zealand. The ships had barely cleared Sydney harbour when trouble arose on board among the passengers owing to the bad food served them, and the tragic climax was the suicide of both captains.' As there was a "pot of money" to bo ma do by transporting diggers and their families across the Tasmaii, Captain Welch considered the time opportune to make a trip, and he placed his vessel at the disposal of the port health officer for the voyago to Otago. Tho charter was agreed upon, and early in 1862 the Elizabeth Pelther, with 4SB diggers aboard, cleared Sydney harbour. She mado a fast run, dropping anchor off Otago Heads exactly six days later. After voyages to California and the Philippines, Captain Welch entored te intercolonial trade, and over a long period of years he had command of no fewer than twelve vessels. In 1887 Captain Welch and his family settled at Port Chalmers. ' A Novel Christening. In accordance with an ago-old custom, when a new ship is launched, a bottle of champagne is broken over her bows and she is "christened" according to her name. When the new missionary vessel, John Williams V., was launched from the yards of the Grangemouth Dockyard Co. recently, Lady Carmichael swung a bottle of coconut milk against the bows of the vessel, and as the ship reached the water a band of pipers struck up the f old Scots air, "Oil to the Isles." One j of tho'speakers, Mr. Harvey, who made the presentation on behalf of the shipbuilding company, said: "Many vessels have been built in this yard since the j first steam boat for ■> commercial purposes ever launched ,was constructed! here. AVo have built vessels for commerce, for pleasure, and, I regret to say, for carrying munitions of war. Now we have built a vessel to carry the AVord of Life, a more excellent J thing, and no vessel has ever been built in this historic dockyard with more pleasure than .the John AYilliams V." Wnale-Catchers for Africa. The five whale-catchers, Imhoff, Sorbyoen, Solhagen, Oestvaal, and Berea, are now on their way from Europe to Cape Town after being converted from coal to oil burners, stated a writer in thr "Cape Times" on Bth May. They will be engaged on coastal whaling until the Antarctic season begins in September, when they will probably proceed south with the large mother ship Tafelberg. ' ■

The bride and bridegroom at a wedding j at Cowfold, Sussex, left the chnrcK under i an archway of bats used at stoolball, n game played with bats