ATLANTIC RECORD

Evening Star, Issue 22772, 6 October 1937, Page 3

ATLANTIC RECORD

NORMANDIE'S GREAT SPEED During her most recent round voyage to New York and .back, the French liner Normandie beat all existing records for the transatlantip crossing in both, directions, both in. time of passage and in average speed. She made, the outward voyage form Bishop Rock to Ambrose Light, 2,906 miles, in 3d 23h 2m, at an average speed of 30.58 knots, and on the last day (August 1) covered the greatest distance ever steamed in one day, 781 miles, at an average speed of 31.24 knots. This passage beat her own previous record on this route of 2,971 miles in 4d 3h 14m, at 20.94 knots, made in June, 1935, when she wrested the blue riband from the Italian liner Rex. - * . Homeward bound, the Normandie crossed from Ambrose Light to Bishop Rock, 2,936 miles, in 3d 22h 7m, at an average speed of 31.20 knots—the fastest passage and also the shortest in point or time ever recorded. The previous best on the eastbound route were the Normandie's own 30.99 knots average for 2,928 miles in 4d Oh 6m in March last (with which she won back the blue riband from the Queen Mary), and the Queen Mary's 30.63 knots for 2,939 miles in 3d 23h 57m, in August, 1936. The Normandie's daily figures for the Homeward run are as follow:

In a letter to the Press, Mr P. do Malglaive, London manager of the French line, says: " The question of seaworthiness and the usefulness of streamlining big liners has been the subject of so much ardent controversy that it can only be settled by performance on actual service. In that respect I think that the behaviour of the Normandie on Sunday, August 1, is quite noteworthy, and amply vindicates the view of the ' big ship ' sponsors. On that day the ship met for six hours the tail-end of a tropical hurricane, with a head wind of 70 miles an hour (giving a wind velocitv in still air 100 miles) and seas about 30ft to 35ft high. Notwithstanding these adverse conditions, the mean speed for the day was 31.24 knots, and at the height of the gale the ship never fell below 28 knots, without any discomfort to passengers. There is no doubt that smaller vessels would, in such weather, have been hove-to for the weather to moderate. These facts show very plainly how the big streamlined ship can comfortably weather heavy head seas and wind with a loss of only 10 gear cent, of her speeds

Date. August 6 August 7 Aueust 8 Miles Steamed. 723 ... ... 720 725 Average Speed. 31.43 31.30 31.52