THE DOCK QUESTION AND THE VESSELS OF THE FUTURE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 6424, 20 June 1882, Page 4

THE DOCK QUESTION AND THE VESSELS OF THE FUTURE.

We give below a list of the largest warshim belonging to the navies of England, Austria France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain, and Turkey, with their length, beam, draught of water, and displacement, with a view of contrasting the proportions of the new docW at Calliope Point with the requirements of such vessels. About a year ago the Auek land Harbour Board received from th" British Admiralty plans and specifications of' the large docks at Chatham and Devoncori: so that in the construction of the Calliono dock they had a pretty accurate idea of the sort of dock required, if Auckland-was tobecome the naval headquarters of the Ansl tralasian Squadron, as well as the views oi the British Government on the subject. The plans forwarded showed a depth on the sill in the various docks of from 33t0 35f ee t of water. The proposed proportions of the Calliope dock are—a length of SIX) feet on the blocks, which will give a margin considerably over that figure ; 90 feet in width' between the copings ; and a depth <jf "water on the sill of 33 feet. It will be seen, from a reference to the table subjoined, that'theCalliope dock could take in with ease the largest ironclads in the list—the Italia and Lepanto, which are also the largest warships in the world. Both of them have a length* each of 400 feet 6 inches (100 feet less than j length of dock); beam, 72 feet 9 inches (or • I 17 feet less than width of dock); draught, I 31-feet 2 inches (or 1 foot 10 inches less than I' depth of water on sill of dock). Applying i the same test to the great ocean merchant '. I steamers, the new Calliope dock could take in any merchant steamer afloat, save the City of' Home and the Great Eastern. It could take ' j in the Servia (530 feet), and the Alaska (540 feet), but not the City of Rome, as she is 610 feet in length. The average draught of these great ocean steamers is from 26 to 28 feet, so that no difficulty would be experienced on the score of lack of depth of water on the sill. The reason given for fixing 33 feet as the depth of water on the sill of the Calliope dock is; that Auckland harbour has the greatest depth of water of any in the colony—viz,, 36 feet at dead low water springs, to which may - fairly be added 10 feet :for ~ris» and fall. The soundings marked oh the maj of the harbour show that the working ship channel with an average depth of 36 feet, -ranges from a maximum in. parts: of two miles, to a minimum of not less than a mile in width, in the section of the harbour'com-, prised between the North Head and "Kauri Point. These hard facts will no doubt commend themselves to the notice of the naval authorities when visiting and inspecting this port, and have their due influence in forcing the decision as to the new naval station, inasmuch as no other port in either this, polony or the Australasian Group can present to the, same degree these prime reqoi. sites for a naval headquarters. j There is reason to believe, however, that, ; the merchant steam vessels of the future will be shorter, broader, and of greater draught than some of the great ocean

steamers at present running. At least that is the opinion of Mr. William Denny, the famous Clyde shipbuilder, who at a recentmeeting of the Dumbarton Harbour Board,, moved that engineers skilled in-dredging: and improving rivers be asked to report as,to the deepening of the river Leven, ,afc. to a depth of three feet deeper-' than the present depth of the rTverdyde." ;JELe pointed out that the , Clyde trustees. Nvonld shortly be compelled to -provide a fitting highway for the heavier class ef vessels, and that in providing that the> minimum depth be three'feet deeper than ithe Clyde, the Dumbarton Harbour Board would simply be anticipating a 'certainty of the near future. The steamers of the future, he pointed out, would be very much broader, and, as a consequence,' much deeper, and requiring a greater draught :of water. Besides, as these steamers would be used for express purposes, their cargo and coal-carrying capacity powers would not amount to a great deal of dead weight;, therefore, the light draught of the steameref the future would, probably, be not verymuch less than her load draught, and might be as deep, if not deeper, than the greatest, load draughts at present; They, therefore, had to look forward to a period when they would have a greater draught, even when steamers were light. Mr. Denny's motion,: ■was seconded by Mr. Robert. McMillan* another well - known shipbuilder, who. endorsed all . that .Mr. .Denny Kai said, and the speeches of both these eminent authorities, so deeply impressed the other members of the Dumbarton Harbour Board, that it was carried without a dissentient voice. ■ '■■:■..-....

■It will have been observed by ourreadenr from the Parliamentary intelligence that the: Auckland Harbour Loan Empowering; Bill,. which has passed successfully, through the; House of Representatives,, is to be introduced into the Legislative Council to-monw (Wednesday), so that everything is progressing favourably towards the complete carrying out of the great enterprise ■which every true - citizen will desire to see crowned with shecess. In about a fortnight the harbour, engineer (Mr. D. E. McDonald) expects ,t0 have the plans and specifications of contract No. 2 ( ready for submission to tke Board for approval, when no doubt the work of further - construction will shortly be vigorously pro- 1 ceeded with. • ' The following is the list of warships .above' referred to, showing their length, beam,, draught, and displacement, and which "is extracted from Sir Thomas Brassey's new standard work, " The British Navy —"S

- t > Via, O.HC 0J»iILii5sU XlOrVJ . .- ' Draught Dis* Length. Beam.- of. place-• - irater. ment. English : Colossus .. ., S25 6S ' 2G'3 1 W5® Dreadnought .. 320 6310 20*9 10,820 Inflexible .. .. 320 75 0 25'5 11,4W" Thunderer.. .. 2S5 62'3 27'0 9.330 Agincourt.. .. 400 59'5 27'9 10'690 Minataur .. .. 400 59 - 4J 27'5 10,690 Northumberland.. 400*4 , 59"5 27"9 lftgf Warrior .. .. 3S2 : 68*4 26*9 W® Lord Warden .. 2S0 59"0i 27'11 ",S40 Austrian : • , Tegethoff .. .. 2S6'11 71'1 24 10 7,150 France : ■ Admiral Baudin .. 319*4 6S o 26'2 11,441 Admiral Dupevee . 310 0 68"11 26*9 1°. 4S J Formidable. SIO'4 .OS'S 26 "2. " 11,*« Friedland .. ..317 5S'0 2911 8,916 Suffren .. — 282-6 56*10 • 29-10 7.6M Solferino ... .. 2S4 G 57 '29*11 ' W®; Surveillant® .. 262*5 66*4 "29*1 : •'••V.ftWte German- : ;. Koniig "Wilhelm .. 355 60 . 26'61: Kjou Prlnz .. 286 - 50 24*3 ' '5,55s i iTALUji: v'v i Italia .. .. 400-6 72-9 31*2 13,851 Lepahto .. .. 400*6 72-fl 31*2 - , 13.n1 Duilii „ .. 340*11 64*9 . 2(i'9 Dandolo .. .. 340-11 C4'9 267 KM 3 * Russian : Knjaz Posarski .. 2S0 49 21'Hi ,4.809 Gen. Admiral .. 2S5-9 4S-2 22'11 4,603 Jlinin .. .. 2S9-3 4 9 23"7 - H v. Edinburg .. 285 D 48'2 22'11 Spanish: ■ ' Vitoria .. ., 316.6 57'0 27'2 .7,100 Numancia.. .. 313-7 5G-11 26'7 "fif™ Sajunto .. .. 279-3 54'0 251 6,300 Turkish : All under 20 feet draught.