NEW FREIGHTER
PLANS NOW ABANDONED REVOLUTIONARY DESIGN WASHINGTON, Feb. 28. The Navy Department has announced that plans to build a ship of the Sea Otter class have been abandoned because the results have proved unsatisfactory. A cable from New York on September 18 last stated that the United States naval authorities announced the development of a cargo ship of revolutionary design, which could be produced in hhndreds in a much shorter time than the present types. The new craft would be light in weight, simple in construction and low in cost, both for construction and maintenance. The first freighter of the type, named Sea Otter, was to be 270 ft. long and of 1500 tons. The cargo displaces 1900 tons. The new ships could be built inland and taken to the sea by river or canal. A real revolution in design had been wrought in the application of power. Means had been discovered of driving a six-foot propeller amidships, instead of in the stern, using 16 gasolene engines and a vertical shaft similar to that used in outboard motors. Naval engineers say that the Sea Otter type, after being standardised, could be produced in two months. Using many yards, it would be possible to offset the tonnage sunk by submarines.
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Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20708, 7 March 1942, Page 5
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210NEW FREIGHTER Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20708, 7 March 1942, Page 5
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