LAUNCH OF RANGATIRA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20851, 18 April 1931, Page 11

LAUNCH OF RANGATIRA.

NEW FERRY STEAMER.

LARGE AND FAST VESSEL.

CEREMONY AT BARROW. By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright. LONDON", April 16. The wife of the High Commissioner for New Zealand, Lady Wilford, to-day christened the Union Steam Ship Company's new v ferry steamer Rangatira at the Vickers-Armstrong works at Barrow-in-Furness. .

Owing to the great depression in the shipbuilding industry the Union Steam Ship Company and Messrs. Vickers considered that the ceremony at the launching should be as quiet as possible. *

The Rangatira is expected to arrive at Wellington late in November or early in December, and will take up her running in the Wellington-Lyttelton service before the rush of Christmas traffic starts; /

The new ship, which will have a gross registered tonnage of about 5500, is 419 ft. in length and 68ft in breadth, \yith a depth below the main deck of 29ft. Her up-to-date accommodation will provide for 720 first-class and 236 second-class passengers. An idea of her size is given by tha following comparison of her principal dimensions with those of other well-known Union passenger ships:—

Gross. Length. Beam, Depth, tons. feet feet. feet. Maori .. 3412 350.5 (b.p.) 47.2 24.7 Wahine . 4436 375 (b.p.) 52.2 25.6 Rangatira 5500 419 (0.a.) 5S 29 Marama . 6437 420 (b.p.) 53.2 31.2

Special interest attaches to the Rangalira in that she is the first electricallypropelled steamer built for New Zealand. The Atlantic-Union tanker Brunswick, which has been trading to the Dominion lor over two years, is electrically propelled, but her power is supplied by four Diesel engine-driven generators. In the case of the Rangatira, the electric generators will be driven by steam turbines, the current being supplied by two synchronous motors direct coupled to the twin! propeller shafts. The main turbo-electric/ plant of the Rangatira will develop 13,000 shaft horse-power. Super-heated steam will be supplied to the turbines by/highpressure water-tube boilers. The Rangatira, which will have a full speed of about knots, is being built side by side with the two 22,000-ton turboelectric liners Stratimaver and Stratjiaira, which will enter the Australian mail and passenger service of the P. and 0. Line.