THE LARGEST SHIR IN THE WORLD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XL, Issue 12401, 14 October 1903, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE LARGEST SHIR IN THE WORLD.

Three times since January, 1899, the largest ship in the world has been launched at Belfast for the White Star Line, and within a few weeks another ship, larger by 3000 tons than any now sailing, will be launched at Belfast for the same line. The increase iu the size of the world's greatest steamers since January, 1893, is almost 7000 tons. The Oceanic, which, at the time of her launch, was the largest in the world, measured a little over 17,000 tons gross. She was followed by the Celtic, of 20,904 tons. The Cedrie came next, of 20,950 tons, and now the Baltic follows, of about 24,000 tons. The launch, of the Baltic will confirm the While Star Line in the position which it lias long occupied, of possessing by a long way the largest ship in the world, for 4000 tons will separate the Baltic from the Kaiser Wilhelm IT., the next largest of any other line, and after the Kaiser Wilhelm IT. the next largest of any other line than the White Star is the Deutschland, of 16,000 tons. So that only twp vessels of any other line come within 8000 tons of the largest steamer of the White Star Line, and twenty years ago there was only one steamer in the world, except the Great Eastern, which measured j more than 8000 tons. Of course, when the great Cunarders come they will measure over 24.000 tons, but there is still time for the owners of the White Star Line to build another steamer larger than the Baltic before the Cunard steamers are launched. The Baltic belongs to the same class of ships to which the Celtic, the Cedric, and the Arabic belong. She; will be famous for her large carrying capacity and her steadiness in rough weather rather than for her speed, though her speed of 18 knots or thereby will be more than any steamer on the Atlantic could, do till tho Oregon began to run in the autumn of 1883. Now that the limit of 20,000 tons is left behind the question of finding suitable dock accommodation for these leviathans comes to be of great importance. There are many ports, such as London or Glasgow, which they would not approach, and even the largest graving docks will soon be too small if the increase goes on at the rate it has done for the last 20 years.