DISTANCE BRIDGED

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIV, Issue 306, 23 November 1934, Page 2

DISTANCE BRIDGED

LAUNCHING AT BELFAST. BY LORD~BLEDISLOE. Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, Nov. 22. At 10.30 to-night the GovernorGeneral (Lord Bledisloe), in pressing a button at Government House, Wellington, released an electrical impulse which launched the liner New Zealand Star at the shipbuilding yards of Harland and Wolff, Belfast. In a brief speech before the launching, Lord Bledisloe said that 6uch a feat should be practicable spoke volumes for the technical skill of the Post Office and cable officials, both in the Dominion and Great Britain.

“You who form the launching party at Belfast accept my cordial greetings to the company. I offer warm congratulations on their enterprise, and the best wishes for its full justification and financial success.” He said the vessel was one of several fine new ships being built for trade between Great Britain and New Zealand—a fleet which would ultimately maintain a 30-day direct service between the two countries. This was a material step forward in providing more rapid transport, particu'arly for highly-perishable cargoes shipped from the Dominion to Britain. It was significant that a large proportion of British imports of butter from the Continent was carried in foreign-owned vessels, while New Zealand sent all her produce to British markets in British ships. New Zealand was already Britain’s chief overseas dairy farm and supplier of lamb, and consistently with the interests of British farmers, he, trusted would always remain so. She also seemed likely to contribute materially in the future to Britain’s supplies of chilled beef, raised on her incomparable paste res.

His Excellency said it was encouraging to have evidence of the faith of shipowners at Home in the rapid development of Empire trade in such a concrete form as the building of these ships, and it would be a source of gratification to the people of this Dominion that the building of these vessels, specially designed for. the carriage of its produce, -was of immediate benefit to sorely-tried British shipbuilding yards and the large body of workmen they employed. Included in the vessel’s elaborate equipment, he said, was provision for the carriage of over 1000 tons of chilled beef, which was a splendid augury for the development—to the advantage of our much-harassed New Zealand farmer —of this new and promising trade between the Dominion and the Mother Country. Concluding, he expressed the hope that this vessel would help to bring prosperity to the Dominion and her owners by long and efficient service in the field of. inter-imperial trade. DISTINCTIVE SHIP. The New Zealand Star is a vessel of very distinctive appearance, with a raking stem, cruiser stern, and a low motor-ship funnel. She is built to Lloyd’s 100 A 1 class, and designed to the usual Board of Trade and Factory Act requirements. She is of the following dimensions:' Length between perpendiculars, 510 ft. jin.; length overall, about 535 ft. 6in. ; breadth, mou'ded, 70 feet: gross tonnage about 10,670.

The vessel is a shelter-decker with three tiers of ’tween decks, a forecastle, and long bridge erection.

The lmll is divided by eight watertight bulkheads and has six holds, all insulated. The double bottom extends fore and aft and is divided into tanks for fresh water, water ballast, and oil fuel, the fore and aft peaks serving as ballast tanks. The double bottom structure is specially strengthened under the engines. In addition to the oil fuel carried in the double bottom, deep tanks for oil fuel are arranged at the forward end of the engine-room, and also at the sides of and between the tunnels at the afterend.

Accommodation for 12 passengers is arranged above the bridge-deck, comprising four single and four double berth rooms, each room having a private bathroom. Quarters for the captain on the navigating bridge and officers’ and engineers’ accommodation in the ’midship deckhouse on the bridge deck is provided. The propelling’machinery consists of two 10-cylinder, four-cycle, single-act-ing, crosshead type, airless injection Diesel engines. The propellers are direct coupled. ’ The pistons are cooled with oil, while the cylinder covers and jackets are fresh-water cooled. Air for pressure induction is supplied by turbo-blowers driven by the main engine exhaust, and the discharge is direct to the inlet manifold. The engines are manoeuvred by compressed air stored in three steel reservoirs. The electrical installation will be supplied by three main Diesel-driven generators, each having an output of 330 k.w. at a speed of 300 r.p.m. In addition to the lighting the whole of the deck and machinery auxiliaries will be electrically driven. The vessel is equipped with an unusually large number of derricks and winches, designed and arranged to ensure the efficient and rapid handling of cargo in New Zealand. The living accommodation will he electrically heated, whilst the galley will be provided with an electric range and other electrical cooking apparatus. Cabin and ceiling fans are installed throughout the accommodation, as also a very complete system of bells and telephones. The latest type of wireless telegraphy is fitted, both in long and short wave, and an improved form of direction-finder to assist navigation. An "echo” sounding apparatus is also provided. A RADIO FEAT. ' Transmitted by radio, Lord Bledisloe’s speech was heard by the assemblage that actually witnessed the launching, as well as by thousands of listeners to the national broadcast, in New Zealand. The electric impulse released by His Excellency when he pressed the button was flashed two ways round the world by overland wires and submarine cables to operate the mechanism that actually launched the ship. It passed through 28 cable stations.

The electrical impulse was transmitted by the Pacific Cable Board’s system. It travelled from Government House at Wellington to Auckland, then was split and followed both the eastward and westward routes to Britain.

Travelling eastward the energy destined to perform the launching flashed from Auckland to Suva and then to Fanning Island, Bamfield, Montreal, Halifax, Fayal (the Azores), Porthcurnow (Wales) and London and thence to Belfast. Westward the impulse sped from Auckland through Sydney, Adelaide, Cottesloe, Cocos and Kelling Islands, Batavia, Singapore, Penang, Colombo, Seychelles Islands, Aden, Port Sudan, Alexandria. Malta, Gibraltar, Portlicurnow and London to the shipyard. The feat was made possible by the closest co-operation between the Post Office and the cable officials.