TRADE WITH CANADA

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 26, 30 July 1937, Page 18

TRADE WITH CANADA

FIRST OF NEW FLEET

PORT HALIFAX LAUNCHED

(From "The Post's" Representative.) LONDON, July 10.

The motor ; vessel Port Halifax, launched this week from the Wallsend yard of Messrs. Swan, Hunter, ' and Wigham Richardson, Limited, is the first of a new fleet of ships, at present under construction for the Canada and New Zealand services of the Port Line. The vessel was' christened by Miss N. Corry. There were, also present Mr. Robert Corry, director of the Port Line, and Mrs. Corry,' and Mr. ■H. G. Dearden (superintendent engineer). The builders were represented by Mr. J. Denham Christie, chairman, Mr.' C. S. Swan, vice-chairman, and other directors. Proposing the toast of the vessel and her owners following the launch, Mr. Christie said that during recent years they had built nine of.the ten fastest ships for the Port Line. It was satisfactory that today there was plenty of work for British shipyards. For some time past ship owners had been benefiting by better trade and freights, and shipyard workmen had been enjoying higher wages, but shipbuilding employers and shareholders, as always, had to wait before they got a share in the prosperity. Ships took a long.time.to build, and those ordered at a low price a year ago had to be. finished at very much higher cost before shipbuilders could profit by the higher • prices of today. Probably never again would ship owners obtain ships at such relatively low prices as those of the,last three or four years. ■ Mr. Corry remarked that it was always a great pleasure to have vessels built by Messrs. Swan and Hunter, and _the motor-ships they had built for his company-during recent years had been excellent. The Port Halifax was the first vessel to be launched for the new service. The new company, the Mon-treal-Australia-New Zealand Line, was formed last year to take over the shipping and the business of the Canadian National Line, which was owned by the Canadian Government. The existing vessels had been bought by the new partners, the New Zealand Shipping Company, the Ellerman Lines, and the Port Line. They hoped to improve the service by the new vessels now building: The New Zealand Company were building two, and the Port Line three. The vessels will carry newsprint and automobiles, which constituted the bulk of the. outward cargo from Canada. The trade was rather one-sided at present, but they hoped that efficient service 1 would improve .it. THE NEW VESSEL. Principal dimensions of the vessel are:—Length,, b.p. 433 ft; breadth extreme, 59ft; depth moulded to upper deck, 39ft sin; depth moulded to seco.nd deck, 29ft Bin. The ship is being built to Lloyd's Register class 100 A 1, and has three complete steel decks, raked stem, cruiser stern, and two steel masts. The cargo space is divided into five holds, No. 3 being a deep tank and No. 4, in the lower 'tween deck space, being insulated to carry refrigerated cargo. The refrigerating machinery, installation of brine grids, fan, and coolers are being fitted by Messrs. J. and E. Hall, of Dartford. . Electric welding has been extensively used in the construction of the hull, including watertight bulkheads, machinery casings, deckhouses, masts, pillars, derrick posts, oil fuel bunkers, seams and butts of deck plating, and tank top. Hatchways of Reith design are fitted to upper and second decks, those on the third deck conforming to standard . practice. . Twelve steam winches working in conjunction with steel derricks will serve the five main hatchways, and there will be a steam working winch aft, all supplied by Messrs Clarke, Chapman, and Co., Gat.eshead. A 1 steam windlass and steam steering gear, of.the Wilspn-Pirrie type, will complete the deck machinery. Accommodation for officers and engineers will be arranged in a steel deckhouse on the upper deck abreast the machinery casings. The captain's and the wireless operator's quarters are in a steel deckhouse on the boat deck. The chart and wheel house will be on the navigating bridge. The crew's quarters will be arranged on th': second deck aft. The propelling machinery will consist of a set of Swan Hunter-Doxford opposed piston engines having four cylinders, giving a service power of 4250 b.h.p. at 103 r.p.m.