LINER BREMEN

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22833, 14 September 1937, Page 8

LINER BREMEN

VISIT TO DOMINION INCLUSION IN WORLD CRUISE DUE AT AUCKLAND APRIL 7. [BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION] WELLINGTON, Monday Bearing out information recently received that there is a strong possibility of tourist traffic being diverted from the Far East to New Zealand as a result of the. Sino-Japanese conflict, the' Minister 'i>f Tourists and Publicity, the Hon. F. I angstone, has received information that the world cruise of the North German Lloyd liner Bremen, of 51,656 tons, will now most likely include the Dominion.

The proposed dates of the Bremen's visit are:—Arrive Milford Sound, April 4; . Wellington, April 5; Auckland, April 7. The Bremen will leave Auckland on the evening of April 9.

The Bremen, previous holder of the Atlantic "Blue lliband" at an average speed of nearly 28 knots, has about twice the displacement of the biggest liner previously berthed at Auckland, and considerably larger than that of H.M.S. Hood.

The liner has been chartered for her coming world cruise by the New York firm of Raymond, Whitcombe and Com?any. Her original itinerary from New ork comprised visits to Europe, South Africa, India, the Straits Settlements, Java, China, Japan, the Philippines, Honolulu, California and back to New York by way of the Panama Canal. Although the overall length of the Bremen is 938 ft. Bin., her moulded breadth 101 ft. 8 J in. and her load draught 33ft. lOjin., Captain H. H. Sergeant, the harbourmaster at Auckland, does not anticipate any difficulty in accommodating her at a wharf. The Bremen can carry a total of 2147 passengers, of whom 732 are in the first class.

Launched nine years ago, the liner is still one of the leading contenders in the keen competition for Atlantic trade, a tribute to her speed, comfort and facilities. One interesting feature of the Bremen is her catapult aeroplane, by which it is possible for her mails to reach Bremerhaven or New York many hours earlier than if they had been transhipped in the ordinary way.