JUBILEE DOCK

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 142, 17 June 1932, Page 3

JUBILEE DOCK

WELL PATRONISED

FOUR SHIPS AND A DREDGE

Tho Wellington Harbour Board's Jubilee .Floating Dock has been well patronised, since the trials were carried out. The Harbour Board's enterprise is being well rewarded. There were many who thought that the dock would stand idle ' untilI"."an occasional vessel was damaged, but they did not take into, consideration that many vessels are docked at. the conclusion of their annual survey and. overhaul, and when a port can. offer an up-to-date dock the patronage of the shipping companies, if the docking .charges are reasonable, naturally follows.

When the dock arrived at Wellington, crowds watched its progress up the harbour-from-the--hills. The occasion jof the docking of the first vessel caused great public interest.; The New Zealand Shipping Company offered the E.M.S. Ruahine (10,870 tons gross) to the Harbour Board to l>e docked as a trial for the dock.; The docking was most successfully carried out on 2nd April. The first "paying guest" was not slow in arriving. The Union Company's steamer Maori, a veteran of the Well-ington-Lyttelton ferry service, was donked prior to relieving the Wahine, which is at present' on the Patent Slip wharf. The, Maori, of 3488 tons gross, was in dock from 6th to 12th April. . The Bangatira, 6152 tons gross, was docked on 17th' April, and resumed in the ferry service, on 18th April. The dock was not used for a time, but on 2nd June, the Harbour Board docked its dredge Whakarirei. The Whakarire was in dock until Bth. June.. -. - '

The^Huntingdon was:"the first vessel to be .docked because of being damaged. While en route to New-Zealand inballast, tho.Huntingdpn ran into a storm in the Pacific, and .'came into port leaking. |Sho was- dockedVon :10tK, June, and it 1 is", expected . that she will come out of tho dock towards the end of this week. The Huntingdon, of 10,951 tons gross, is the largest .--vessel 'so '.'far.to use the I dock;

'-': To/date, excluding. tHo Whakarire and including the Euahine,'*four vessels of a gross tonnage' of 31,461. have used the dock.- --' • ■ -- •<■■■ '-.-•:■-•' ; ■ .

The Makura (8075 tons) ,will probably use i the ..'dock; after the Huntingdon, and the tanker Otokia (7277-tons) may be-.riest.- " ~■■•. ..,'■-..

,The wprld's largest-floating- docks at Southampton, and Singapore are motored with Crompton. Parkinson motors. The latest .dock,.'.th©". Wellington Harbour Board's; flbating dock, is also Crompton Parkinson equipped, each of tho four main, pumps being driven by a 100 h.p. Crompton Parkinson.vertical spindle motor, operating at 365 revs. Any. information .regarding Crompton Parkinson motors can be obtained froui the New Zealand distributors, Messrs. A. and T. Burt, litd.—-Advt.-