MAIERFORM BOW

Evening Post, Volume CXIX, Issue 134, 8 June 1935, Page 14

MAIERFORM BOW

REBUILT NAPIER STAR

FIRST TO ENTER THE PORT

The Blue Star Line's freight steamer Napier Star, which arrived yesterday morning from Lyttelton to continue loading, is the first vessel carrying a Maierform bow, to enter Wellington.) Her bow is not of full Maierform design, but has been built on to the ship in place of the old bow together with a new forepart. ■ Before her present voyage, the Napier Star went into the yards of Messrs. Swan, Hunter, and Wigham Richardson, Ltd., for. the purpose, of undergoing a major operation in shipyard surgery. The forepart was cut away, and an entirely new forward section added, which increased the ship's length and cubic capacity considerably. The stem was replaced by the present curved stem, and the general design was altered to make the vessel much finer forward. At the same time, her well decks were filled in, giving her her distinctive high-sided- appearance, and the refrigerated space was considerably extended. Extra oil bunker space was also provided to bring the .ship into line with other ships of the company making the longer runs to. Australia and New' Zealand. A DISTINCTIVE VESSEL. With her sharp, curving bow, high sides, and single funnel placed rather aft of the usual position, the Napier Star is indeed an unusual-looking vessel. She is the second of the Blue Star Line's vessels' to have undergone reconstruction for the fitting of a semiMaie'rform bow. The Doric Star, which was on the coast early last year, had had a similar operation carried out on her. She did not,' however, visit this port. With the Ellerman ■ and Bucknall steamer City of Dieppe,- the Doric Star and the Napier Star are,the only British ships constructed with the new bdw. The main object- of the new form is to increase, the speed of the ship, or- to maintain -the same speed with an economy of fuel. lAll ' the i ships so treated have shown'notable improvements in performance, the1 gain lin the case of the Doric Star being over three knots. ■ . > The Napier Star was constructed'in ,1927 at Glasgow b> Lithgow's. Ltd., 1 has a gross tonnage of 10353, and is I driven by twin screws actuated by 1 four-geared steam turbines. The Doric 1 Star was built fourteen" years ago at 'the'same yard, and^has a gross ton-

nage of 10,066. She is driven by two steam turbines geared to a single shaft. THE NEW DESIGN. A typical Maierform ship is the new vessel Aagtekerk, which is a regular Australian trader, and which was a prominent contender ■ in last • year's grain race. For a motor-ship, she is remarkably economical in running costs, and so far has exceeded all expectations in performance. This vessel is of particularly striking appearance. She has a full Maierform bow, which descends vertically for | some feet before curving smoothly back to make an angle of about 30 degrees with the water before running into the keel-line. Another feature of her Maier design is the construction of the after part of the hull. The two rudders, which are set directly behind their respective screws, are of long, streamline spade type, cut square at the bottom. Profiting by the experience gained in the construction of the passenger liner Columbia, the vessel's owners, the Royal Netherlands Steamship Company, have had the rudders inclined inwards towards the bottom at an angle of about 30 degrees from the vertical. In order to simplify its building, this part was constructed separately, and,then lifted into position. Other features which serve to distinguish the Aagtekerk are her four masts and her low funnel, which is oval in shape and tapers back to a point in the rear. . , .. Although" British shipbuilders have been slow to follow this new design, it has achieved great popularity, on the Continent. Among the more noteworthy ships built' on the new lines are the United Netherlands Steamship Company's Almkerk, Bloemfontein, and Jagersfontein, Messrs. Wilh. Wilhemsen's Taronga, and the new North German Lloyd 21-knot liner . Scharnhbrst. , . , .