"STREAMLINED" SHIP

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 96, 20 October 1936, Page 14

"STREAMLINED" SHIP

MODERN CARGO STEAMER

JUSTITIA WITH NEWSPRINT

A cargo vessel which embodies in her design some of the most advanced ideas of ship-construction arrived at Wellington on Sunday afternoon to continue the discharge of her large cargo of newsprint from Nova Scotia. A bold step has been taken in the building of the Justitia, for although she is only' a tramp vessel, her streamlined upper-works are among the best examples of the designer's art yet seen in this port. The long foredeck accentuates the superstructure, and the bridge and other foremost portions of the upper-works are moulded back in a graceful sweep, which not only reduces the wind resistance of the vessel, but also adds greatly to her appear-, ance by removing many unsightly protuberances which mar the looks of many freighters.

It is not only in her upper-works that the Justitia claims attention. Her decks are of steel, and she is well equipped with gear for the efficient handling of cargo. A neat cruiser stern adds greatly to her appearance, and the ultra-modern touch is corhpleted by a Maierform bow, fast becoming popular with designers of vessels that aim at economy of operation. She has reciprocating engines, of the latest type, so economical that she can steam at 10 knots on a consumption of 15 tons a coal a day. . ;

The main object of the new form of bow is to increase the speed of the ship or to maintain the same speed with a saving of fuel. " Of recent years a number of well-known vessels have had. their orthodox stems cut away and Maierform bows substituted. All ships treated in this manner have shown notable improvements in performance, the gain in speed in the case of the Doric Star being, over three knots.

Although British shipbuilders have been: slow to follow this new design, Continental constructors have used it on many of their new vessels. Among the more' noteworthy ships built on the new lines are the Almkerk, Bloemfontein, Jagersfontein, Taronga, Napier Star; and City of Dieppe, the last two vessels being recent visitors to Wellington. ■■■■.'.

While streamlining is valuable at high' speeds, and is therefore carried to the utmost on aeroplanes and racing motor-cars, if it were carried to its extreme on a modern ship it would introduce more complications than advantages. It is obvious that the resistance of the ship to the water below the waterline is of far greater importance han her resistance to the air. above it, and her lines below the water are studied with immense care. Her air resistance, besides being much less important, is also far harder to reduce without disproportionate loss of space in the interior accommodation. A perfectly streamlined ship would need decks either totally enclosed 'or so windswept that no one could sit on them. In the case of the cargo-vessel, with her deck machinery and large hatches, it would be almost an impossibility to carry streamlining to its limit, and even if this were done the cost would be prohibitive and the ship unsuited to her vocation. The Justitia has been streamlined just as much as is practicable, and no more.

The Justitia leaves Wellington today for Lyttelton, Timaru, and Dunedin to continue discharge. : .