WRECK OF THE BARQUE FRANCE

Evening Star, Issue 18022, 17 July 1922, Page 3

WRECK OF THE BARQUE FRANCE

WORLD’S BIGGEST “ WINDJAMMER-.”

EXCEPTIONALLY STRONG CONSTRUCTION.

SHIP’S VISIT TO NEW ZEALAND,

Known as the world’s largest sailing ship, the five-masted barque France has mot the fate of scores of smaller sailing vessels by striking a reef somewhere in the vicinity of the Cook Islands, and becoming a total loss.

This huge steel ship visited New Zealand twelve months ago. She' arrived at Lyttelton on June 25, 1921, from Newport (Monmouthshire), with 7,000 tons of V dsn coal. Unusual interest was taken in the vessel during her stay at the Canterbury port. The Prance, after her cargo had) neen discharged, loaded a part cargo of wool and tallow at Lyttelton, and was then towed to Wellington, 'where she completed her cargo and) eventually sailed for London. She carried 11,000 bales of wool and 6,000 casks of tallow. The France made the ypvu-ge to London in three months. She had a good run from Wellington to Capo Horn, and logged 266, 240, 276, 322, 286, and 243 knots on consecutive days—in fact, in thirty daysthe ship sailed half the distance from Wellington to Londion, but she then had head winds or no wind, and 1 it took two more months to complete, the voyage. Describing the voyage to a London ‘Evening .News ’ representative after the Prance arrived there, Captain Leport, who is a native of Brittany, said : “ Coming up from Cape Horn we struck what I think was the very worst hurricane I have ever met. Only one big_ wave, however, came cm board, but it is true that that wave smashed up some of our ironwork, and, I am sorry to say, carried off two of my crew. It was the only wave that reached the deck. You will have noticed that the France has a, very big sheer; her figurehead) just under the bowsprit is 40ft above the wafer-line. &he is very handy and l a fine sea boat. One day on this voyage the France logged 420 knots, but then the hurricane was blowing. Our best fine weather record this trip was q 22 knots. In fine weather the France sailed at fourteen knots an hour for six consecutive days, which is very good’.” ( . "I suppose,” said the reporter, “with those five huge masts and yards you carry a big crew, captain?” “There are fifty-four of them,” replied the captain. “ Plenty to do the work. All the hoisting of sails and yards is done by deck winches. We hoist thirty sails, and two more if the weather _is perfect; but you will understand that in a- sailing vessel you must always be prepared to reduce your canvas, and that it takes time. How long docs it take to get the canvas on her? Well, it has been done iu one hour and three minutes. That is our record 1 ; but it averages about an hour and a-half. You see, there are a good many halyards about —how many I cannot tell you without counting up; but wo have, thirty-eight miles of Manila rope and' fortytwo miles of wire rope in the standing and running rigging.” ' The France nailed from London on. February 5, bound for New Caledonia. She passed Dover on February 6, and duly reached her destination. She was reported to bo at Hobart in May, and was evidently Homeward-bound 1 when she met with disaster. THE SHIP DESCRIBED.

The France was built at Bordeaux only nine years ago, being-,,.launched in May, 1912, and she is owned by the Compaigne Franchise de Marine and dc Commerce of Paris, her port of register being Ronen. She was built for tlio New Caledonia ore trade, in which she made her maiden voyage. During the war the Franco made several voyages across the Atlantic. She was armed, and was fortunate in escaping the attentions of Germany’s submarines. She is classed 100 A 1 at Lloyd’s. The Franco is not the first five-masted barque of the same name. Her predecessor wasi, however, a smaller vessel of 3,500 fons, built in 1894. -.She was lost at sea after being afloat a very few years. The Franco just lost is 418.8 ft in length between perpendiculars, 55.8 ft beam, and 24.9 ft depth of bold, her moulded depth being 28ft Sin, Her draught fully loaded is .about 25ft. She measures 5,633 tons gross and 4,544 tons net register. Her cargo capacity is 7,000 tons, and her total displacement over 10,000 tons. ’ She is nearly double tho tonnage of the barque Rewa (ex Alice A. Leigh), which is tho largest sailing ship afloat, and which is now owned in New Zealand. The following table affords a comparison between the France and the largest sailing ships of Germany, America, British Empire, and Norway respectively:—-

The France is built of steel throughout, and is of exceptionally strong construction. She has two complete decks, and in addition has a poop deck 106 ft, a bridge deck 117 ft, and a forecastle deck 87ft in length, the remaining 108 ft of her length being mostly taken up by two of her live cargo hatches on the main deck. At the foreend of the poop deck is a raised navigating bridge, giving a clear view of the full length of the ship. Below this bridge is a room containing a. powerful steam steering engine, but this is not often used unless in very heavy weather, the vessel being usually steered by means of a doublehand wheel under a curved-back steel house right aft. It requires two men to steer the huge ship in ordinary conditions, and sometimes four—if the hand gear is used in heavy weather. There are four large lifeboats, including a motor boat. Until last year the France was fitted with two powerful auxiliary heavy oil engines, driving twin-screws and giving her a speeded ten.knots. The engines were, however, removed', and the ship was dependent on her sails alone. A noticeable feature is a small funnel on the poop, which formerly acted as the exhaust pipe of the oil engines, but latterly used in connection with a large steam donkey boiler, which supplied steam for driving the electricity generators, cargo winches, steering gear, and capstans and) windlasses. The handling of such a huge ship under sail, especially in a. “breeze of wind,” and even more so in a whole gale, requires something more than “ Armstrong's patent.” The France is an unusually wellfound ship. About her decks are numerous capstans andl hand winches for working her yards. She is square-rigged on four of her five masts. Sho carries five yards on each of those masts, which are something like 200fb in height from deck to truck. Her five masts are fore, main, mizzen, jigger, and driver, or, according to some seafarers, fore, main, after-main, mizzen, and jigger. She carries double topgallant sails, but no royals, and is therefore known to old “ shells ” as a “ bald-headed ” Ship. Fifty-four hands is not a big crew for such a, ship; hence the numerous mechanical appliances about the decks for hoisting and bracing yards and sails. The France is very’ “ square ” in her lofty rig, there being very little difference in the lengths of her lower, topsail, and topgallant yards. The ship has patent stoddess anchors of the steamship pattern, and these are worked by her steam windlaas.

The France is equipped with wireless telegraphic apparatus, tho aerials being spread from tho trucks of the three aftermasts. She is electrically lighted throughout, and her living accommodation is unusually roomy and good). The master and officers had very fine quarters under tho poop. Tho remainder of the crew were housed under the bridge deck. The huge forecastle was something like a sea-going farmyard when the ship was at Lyttelton, being given over to a large number of

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Tons. Feet. Feet. Feet. France , 5,633 418.8 55.8 24.9 Potosi 4,026 366.5 ■ 49.7 28.5 Wyoming 3,730 329.5 50.1 30,4 Alice A. Leigh... 2,999 509.6 46.1 25.2 Sorforarcn . 2,649 308 42 24.8