Some British and Foreign Steamships.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 185, 22 July 1911, Page 1 (Supplement)

Some British and Foreign Steamships.

SO many diff- r* nt st.-aniship comp:> ch- last tw-nty y. ars that it is now ; ary portion of the world without th- ■ is trav»r.-ed *-y a veriiah'.e network of which enables the traveller to rea-l--;.w.-iv or how far out of the Ix'aten ; tn re of time.

i I ‘ As r<-.a:d.s the s ; z of tho vessels j pnnies, th- palm must surely be given I steamers with a total tonnage of about I known, run t-'mir ships across th- ! actually running at the present | -nnm.” ami " Lu-it.-inia.” These ships I are rupable of doing i>73 miles a day. i 2 4 hmr.s. 1

I The Admi'-altv lent th ■ company i £2.»j00,0C0 to build these t .vo monster i ships, and grant an annual subsidy of ; £’eD.(MX). in return for which they, i with ail the other v< -seis of the Cunard : fleet, are at the di po-al of the Ad- ' mir;dt,v whenever they may be • rerjuired. In time of war the ships i would b» suppli-d with guns and 1

would Im- mo-t us-fill as fast auxiliary crui-ers. Sketch No. 1 (all the. figures in this article are on the scale of 1 inch to 2V feet) shows the enormoiw proportions of these Atlantic greyhounds compared with some of the vessels belonging to other lines. Another Transatlantic company, th" W Lite Star Lino, own even more ships than th- Cunard Company, and the ‘•Adriatic.’’ a s’-tch of which is shown in No. 2. is a gigantic vessel of 21 540 gross tonnage, and has a speed of ap-

proximately 13 knots. Her two funnels and four masts make her easily fro:n the “Mauretania. Th- ‘‘Ophir.” belonging to the Orient Steam Navigation Company, is another fa-t vessel but it is smaller than either of the two mentioned above. Tlio steamers ef this hue run to Australia, calling at th - Mediterranean ports and

i Colombo on th.-- way, and the_ time < ta'.en on the voyage from London to > Eiemautlo in Au tralhi i- -ome 32 days.

From Sbeffi.-Ij Weekly Telegraph.)

> nies have sprung up in the course of ; a niatt-r of comparative ease to reach • itast dis.-omfo.-t. The whole globe f railway lines and steamer tracks, t hi- d-sti’iati >n. no matvr how far tiack it is, with a minimum expendi-

1m longing to the great steamship comt , the Cunard line, who own twenty 21'>.8‘_’3. This company, as is well Atl-iiiLic. and their twe biggest ships moment are thr- sister ve-sels, “Maureh.ive a gross tonnage of 31.910 and or an average of 27.8 knots for the

Th- ■Ophir,” it will be rernemborod, iras the ship which took their Royal Highne-ses the Prince and Princess of Wales (the present King and Queen) on their historic journey some years ago. and she was. during that time, uii.icr Admiralty control, and was manned by a Royal N.ival crow. The Peninsula and Oriental Company—usually known ■■■.-' the “P. and () —run their shijxs to India and the Far East, and the "Egypt.” sketch > No. 4, is one of their finest vessels. and has a sp -cd of 18 knots. The P and O. fleet comprises altogether over 5> steamers, with a total tonnage of ■KKJ.OOO. ’ . The Canadian Pacific Railway Company’s vessels are called the "Empress

Line.” and they own ships in the Atlantic, plving between Liverpool and Canada, and in the Pacific running between Vancouver anti China , ftn , ( l Janan. Tne ‘’Empress of India, sket h No. 5. is one of the three sister ships. ‘ Empress of China.” ‘‘Empress of India.” and “Empress ot -lapan.” running on the last-named route, an I has a speed of 16 knots. The Un on Castle Company whoro steamers run to the Cape ot Good Hope and Natal. own over tortr- : one steamers, and their enormous fleet assisted largely in the trnns-

porting of troops to South Africa during the Boer War. The '‘Briton.’ a picture ot which appears in sketch No. 6, is a good example of the larger type of vessel running on this service, and she has a sea speed of 17? knots. Having mentioned some of the lin>'s ■ running under the British flag, we will l row turn to some of the better-known j Fier.cn St anr-hip Companies. The

Co mpa gni e Genera lo 'l' r a n s a t I antique maintains a service b.-tween Francs.' am 1 various; M-li- | terraneiui African, tVeu Indian, and

; American ports, "La Provence,” iot 1-1.750 tons and 22 knots speed, is a good example of the vessels ■ of this lino, all of which are subsided by the French Government and are

available for service as auxiliary cruisers in time of war. Another very well known French steamship company is the ‘•Mcssageries Maritimes de France,” who run their ships to Australia, New Caledonia, Jibouti. Colombo, Singapore, Saigon. China, and Japan. The vessels, which usually have Lwo funnels and three masts—the foremast being square rigged—are of a peculiar type, and are totally unlike any other liners

afloat. "I.’Australien.” sketch No. 8 a ship of 6,570 rcgistere<l tonnage, and 17i knots spe-.d. is the good example of the type. All ships of this hno uro also subsidised by the French Government, and it is interesting to note that in time of war “L'Australien would carry an armament of seven 5.5 inch and sever,-i’ smaller guns. Another French company, known as "iJes Chnrgeurs Rcnnis,” maintains a service to Indo-Cliina. West Africa. South and Central America, China

and Japan. Tiiey own 27 .steamers, and with an aggregate toiumgo of l(s>.i.<;.i ::w. miral Aube.” sketch No. 9, is a good example of th ;ir vessels,

The "Smolensk,” sketch No. 10, wai built in 1901, and is one of the ves- j sei; belonging to the Russian Volunteer Fleet .Association. This associa-

tion is in reality a steamship company ■ v.l>o-<‘ ships heavily subsidi-ed by i the Russian Government, and the ad- I mini tratien is in the hands of a f-pecial Board controlled by an Admiral of the Russian Navy. In time of peace the ships are used as trans- . ports for troops, and for the convey- )

anee of goods. passengers, and war material from the Black Sea ports to Vladivostok - . During war, however.

they are supplied with an armament of quickfiring guns and can be used as cruisers. The “Smolensk” has a gross tonnage of 7,270, and can steam 20 knots, and it

mav perhaps be remembered that during the .Russo-Japanese war this shiii made her name notorious. Flying the man-of-war flag, and commissioned as a Russian cruiser.

she waylaid and captured several British ’merchant, steamers in .the Rod Sea and off tl'.e East (..'oast of Africa, on the grounds that they were carrying contraband of war to Japan. British men-of-war were sent to order her to desist, but at one time the feeling in Great Britain against her was very bitter, and the price of insuring w;.. goes for China and Japan was greatly increase 1 , owing to the extra risk. The International Mercantile Alarm? Companv of Atnetica, more ccmmenl’. known ‘as the "American lino,” is one of the largest of the steamship companies running under the Stars and Stripes. The steamers are employed on th.> mail service between ’ Southampton and New York. Tim "St. Paul” and "St. Louis,” built in 1895, and of 11.G30 gross tonnage with a speixl oi 22 knots, nre two of their best ship-. As in other countries, the United States Government have subsidised them for use in case of war, and during the Spanidi-Amcrit an eonfli<-t both the vessels (sketch No. 11l received an armament ot eight G-ineh. lour, 6poumler, and four Maxim they did very efficient work a.s_crui-ers and dispatch vessels in the United States Fleet. . , The ‘St. Paul.” it will b? rcmemlercl. was the ship which in BIOS rammed the British cruiser "Gladiator” during a snowstorm in th" Solent. About 35 lives were 10-t, as the "Gladiator” cap-ized. Sketch No. 12 shows the •■Minnesota,” one of the lar.■.<■.*.; cargo steamers of the Great Northern Steam-

ship Company of the United States. Built for tho carrying of a largo cargo, and with only limited acromno d:i. ' ■ for passengers, these ships d:d enormous trade tn the Atlantic, and the fact that they are cargo steanpr can easily ba told from the numerous derricks for the hoisting in and out of cargo, and which can be seen in the sketch. Tho well-known German line, “Norddeutschcr Lloyd” or “North German Lloyd,” as it is usually called in England, own 195 ocean steamers with a tonnage of 752,040. 'ldiis company luus its ships on the Transatlantic service and to all the ports in the Far Last. The ‘‘Kaiser Wilhelm II.” is one of their finest chips crossing the Atlantic, and is 678 feet in length, with a registered tonnage <,f 19.50"). She can keep up a speed of 21 knots, and can be used as a cruiser in time of war, her armament consisting of ten 6-inch guns and many smaller weapons. Tho Austrian Lloyd Steamship Company belongs to Trieste, and their vessels p]y to Brazil, India, China, and Japan. The “Kaiserin Augusto Victoria,” one of their largest ships, has a gross tonnage of 21,580 and can steam 17 knots. There are. of course, many more lines, both British and foreign, which I have not mentioned, but it is impossible to compress into a short article a mass of information which would fill a good-sized book I hope, however, that this little article, in conjunction with the sketches, n ill be of u c " to tho-e who tide** an ’n. terest in the mercantile navies of tho maritime Powers of f world.