GREAT MOTOR-SHIP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20620, 19 July 1930, Page 2 (Supplement)

GREAT MOTOR-SHIP.

RECORD FOR BRITISH YARDS.

ADVENT OF THE BRITANNIC.

OVER 1500 PASSENGERS. The Britannic, the now Wliito Slur motor vessel and t.lio largest British motor-ship in the world, was fixed to start on her maiden voyage from Liverpool on June 28. to New York, v:a Quccnstown, Ireland. This, as Lord Kylsant lias said, " May well be as epoch marking an instrument of commerce as Iho first vessel built by Harland and Wolff for the Whito Star Line, viz., the Oceanic, in 1870, which was a pioneer in tho development of North Atlantic travel."

The owners a.re so confident of the merits of this vessel that a sister ship to the Britannic has already been laid down at Belfast. Theso two vessels will represent the latest development in marine motor propulsion. Tho Britannic lias a length of 680 ft., a breadth of 82ft., and a depth of 43ft. 9in. She is modelled on the most modern lines, with ft straight stem and cruiser stern, and is fitted with two of the low funnels so characteristic

of most of tho largo motor liners recently built. The accommodation provided fur tho 1550 passengers—cabin, tourist, third cabin and third-class —will set up a new standard on tho Liverpool-New \oi k service. Tho importance of this new departure ran be best seen in the light of the White Star Line's history. The flag which now floats over the company's liners, adorned the mastheads of a fleet of sailing clippers in the days long before steam propulsion began to effect such marvellous changes in the mercantile marine. The origin of the lino dates from the great rush to the gold diggings of Australia, over 70 vears ago, a period which embraces the transition from the old stylo of small sailing ships to tho magnificent sailing clippers which carried the British mails, and from these to tho new order of leviathan steamships now sailing under tho White Star liag. Tho Britannic inaugurates a new s'.ago in this progression. The Old Clipper Ships. In the course of seven years the old White Star clipper ships conveyed about half a million adventurers to Australia and brought about a revolution in Australian trade. The sailing of the Britannic, 100, marks another stage in the ever-expanding history of Liverpool. For manv vears tho Whito Star Company's chief sailings were from Liverpool to New York, but in 3907 the mail steamers on the service wero transferred to Southampton. There is, however, a regular weekly passenger service from Liveipool to New York, with calls at Queenotown for tho embarkation of Irish passengers, the steamers running on it averaging over 22,000 tons. In addition to tho Soutbampton-Chcrbouig-New York service, tho company some years ago entered the Canadian trade —in which its steamers arc among the largest operating —with sailings from Liverpool. Queenstown, Belfast and Glasgow. It is also engaged in the Liverpool, Boston and Philadelphia trade, and has a New YorkMediterranean service. Tho company also maintains services to Australia and New Zealand.

Wilting of tho significance of the Britannic in ;i spot. i;il issue of the White Star magazine for May, -Mr. A. C. Hardy, a well-known nutlionty on motor-ships, says:—" Tiio coming of tho Britannic marks tho addition to tho White Star fleet of a unit representative of a movement of far reaching importance in .shipping, an importance which, perhaps, can ho ganged only by the repereussive effect, il is having upon tho sea transport of the world. Unquestionably it does not represent finality in marine propulsion. Possibly the electric ship, as yet only in its earliest infancy, is the next step." A Name o! Memories. Great interest has been caused on both sides of the Atlantic, and indeed, wherever the history of navigation is discussed, by the decision to bestow the nanio Britannic on the new 27,000-ton motor vessel—tho largest British motor vessel and the largest vessel sailing from Liverpool It would have been impossible to havo found a name of happier omen, for there hav.o been two Britalinics previously in the White Star Line's tleet, both of them ships of unusual distinction. The first Britannic was built in 1374, and was recognised as tho crack ship of tho Western Ocean —acknowledged as the " flyer " of her time, she accomplished the Atlantic passage in 7 days 12 hours 47 minutes. She was a smglo screw steamer of 5004 tons, with two stocky funnels, and rigged as a four-master barque. The second Britannic had no opportunity for making history for herself, for she was sacrificed to her* country before she had a chance of making a smglo Atlantic run, but 14 years after her launch she still has tho distinction of having boon tho biggest ship ever built in Britain. Sho had a gross tonnage of 43,158, and first took tho water on February 26, 1914 In 1915, she was commissioned as ft hospital ship and just a year later she was mined while on her errand of mercy. And now there is another Britannic—-the third of the line. Sho is commanded by Captain F. F. Summers, late of the Alhertie. A photograph of tho Britannic was reproduced in tho Herald on Wednesday last.