LONG LIVES OF SHIPS

Hokitika Guardian, 24 November 1928, Page 6

LONG LIVES OF SHIPS

SOME REMARKABLE CAMEKS. Thirty-seven years ago the writer of an article in a London paper crossed the Altantic to New York in the "White Star liner Germanic. The ship was then 17 years old. A lew weesk ago he was a passenger on another White Star ship, the giant Olympic, and mention Ids voyage in the Germanic to an officer. “ Germanic,” said the latter. “Why. she is still afloat ! I saw her last year in the Mediterranean.” So it is. In 1904, after 00 years journeying between Liverpool and New York, and making 41:1 round voyages, the Germanic, which had keen re-en-gined in 1895, was put on the Genoalloston service, and now. alter 54 years of life, this fine old ship is still afloat, still working. At a rough compilation she has steamed over 1,500.000 miles. A moneymaker, if ever there was one! Another grand old slop is the Ghenic also a White Star liner, and. well known to New Zealanders. Altei something like 40 years’ service as an ocean liner, she is now entering up an entirely new phase as the largest and most up-to-date whale ship depot in the world. She lias been pureli md by a Norwegian tirm which specialises in the whaling industry, and is at present being reconditioned by a Middles: horough firm and turned into a l , great floating factor}'.

Older than either the Germanic oA then it;, the wonder! ill veteran Lancing was built in the year 1806 at Glasgow. She was originally a steamer, and for msiii.y years carried mails and passengers between Havre and Now ’folk. She was renowned for her speed and safety. In 1890 she was converted into a four-masted, full-rigging sailing shin and for another ten years did good work under the British flag. In L.OJ she was sold to Norway, and for another quarter of a century sailed under the Norwegian flag.

Even so lately as 1926 the Lancing was still registered as 100 A 1 at Lloyd’s, and was one of the finest fastest sailing vessels afloat. Sad to say. she has now shared the late o'f nearly all large sailing vessels, and b condemned to 1)0 broken up. As a rule, a liner goes on working foi the same company until she is reckoned 0 1,0 out of date. Then she goes to the ship!,reakers and is scrapped. Occasionally she may come down to cargo work, hut this does not often happen, for a passenger-carrying ship is built on very different lines from one constructed for cargo work. One of the exceptions is thePhuMiix liner St. Andrew, which, after years of work as a passenger vessel, was refitted for carrying livestock. One of hei most exciting passages was from Antwerp to America with a cargo of 80 lions. 46 hears, a herd of elephants, a drove of camels, 26 pumas, and a number of other wild beasts.

During a storm a wolf broke loose and attacked a sailor. It escaped capture by jumping into the sea. At the same time two lions got into a ieailul light, and one killed the- other. A puma then got loose and attacked an elephant, hut the elephant got it l trunk round the puma and hammered it to death. Perhaps the oddest change on record is that registered by the American liner Vermont, which used to carry passengers Irom Ncv\ 6 oik to ..i \<<i> mill. She was bought by a syndicate and fitted up as a floating prize-ring, the idea being that lights could brought off without interference 'from the shore authorities.

• The plan did not pay. Spectators were shy of going to sea to watch lights. Probably they were a I raid oi seasickness. The poor old \ erinont is now a coal hulk.