NEW PHOSPHATE STEAMER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21142, 28 March 1932, Page 5

NEW PHOSPHATE STEAMER.

ARRIVAL OF THE TRIONA. .LAYING DEEP-SEA MOORINGS. Making her first visit to Auckland, the British Phosphate steamer Triona arrived from Nauru Island yesterday with 6400 tons of phosphates, all for discharge at this port. The vessel is practically new, having been launched from the shipbuilding vards of Harland and Wolff, Limited, Glasgow, last year. Besides being constructed for the car* riage of cargoes of phosphates from Nauru and Ocean Islands, the Triona is used for the transporting of native labour employed on the islands. In addition she has accommodation for members of the staff travelling to and from the islands. The chief features of the Triona are the facilities for the lifting and laying of tha Nauru Island and Ocean Island moorings, which are the deepest laid moorings in the world, being anchored in 260 fathoms.A combined mooring, including anchor and cable, weighs about 50 tons. To lift such a heavyweight from the bottom of the ocean at such an exceptional depth, the Triona is fitted with a windlass which is said to be one of the heaviest afloat.It weighs 60 tons and has a lifting capacity of 100 tons. The deck machinery and appliances also include a 50-ton derrick, a slewing derrick crane, capable of a load of 10 tons, on tha forecastle head, a combined steam and hand windlass, forward, as well as eight five-ion steam winches on deck for unloading the cargo. To facilitate the work of laying moorings the vessel has a clipper bow and on the upper part of the stern are two large iron sheaves over which tha mooring wires can be led. The Triona's tonnage is 4413 gross, and her dimensions are:—Length between per|>endicu!ars, 365 ft. ; breadth, 54ft. ; depth, 27ft. Her single screw is driven bv triple expansion engines, the steam for which generated from oil-fired boilers. On tier trials she attained a speed of 13.4 knots. The crew number 48 all told, and Lap.aia M. M. Johnstone is in command. On her present trip the Inona vraJ delaved off Nauru Island for 10 days owing to bad weather, but when the conditions improved the vessel was able to moor at the loading buoys. The cirgo was loaded in eight hours by means of the installed can ilever. . f t.,i The name Tnona is meant to lmplj thai the vessel has three owners, B " taln ' tralia and New Zealand*, the three coun. tries represented on the British Phosphate Commission.