PASSING OF SAILING SHIPS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21146, 2 October 1930, Page 6

PASSING OF SAILING SHIPS.

THE BARQUE FRANCE. FORMERLY WORLD’S LARGEST WINDJAMMER. , NEW ZEALAND VISIT RECALLED. By P. Owen W. Known several years ago as the world’s largest sailing ship, the five-masted French barque France met the fate of scores of smaller sailing vessels, striking A reef on the New Caledonia coast ana becoming a total loss. Although the disaster occurred only eight years ago, the circumstances leadmg up to it may have been forgotten by most of those not closely connected with the sea and ships. ' As the Prance held a prominent place in the maritime world, ana as she was 'such a huge ship, readers will probably be interested in the history oi the last year or two of her career, and to glean some idea of the size of the sailer. It on the night of July 12, 1922, that the disaster occurred. The France was bound from Europe to Bouembout, on the west coast of New Caledonia, to rr tons of nickel ore for the United Kingdom. She was in ballast trim at the time, and was being towed “°.m Thio, on the east coast. of New Caledonia, by the steamer Tao. The steamer, however, lost the tow eight days before the France went ashore, the towline parting during heavy weather, and the big sailer was left to battle with the elements. On the night of July 12 wireless messages were received by the New Zealand and Australian stations which stated that the France was stranded on a reef. The steamer Canadian Transporter, which recently visited Dunedin, and which at that time was in the vicinity of the Australian coast, went to the assistance of the France. It was seen, however, that the big sailer was hard and fast on the reef, and was doomed. The captain, officers, and crew were rescued, and details of, the disaster reached Noumea on July 17. It was then learned that the France had struck a reef during thick weather, near Bourail Pass, on the west coast of New Caledonia, about 50 miles north of Noumea. The captain stated afterwards that he was under, the impression that his ship was 15 miles from the reef when she struck. • This huge steel ship visited New Zealand just over nine years ago. She arrived at Lyttelton on June 25, 1921, from Newport (Monmouthshire), with 7000 tons of Welsh coal. Unusual interest was taken in the ship during her stay at the Canterbury port. She presented an imposing spectacle as she lay at a berth at the mole, and interest in her huge bulk and tall spars never waned , among passengers embarking by and disembarking from the Cook Strait ferry steamers. The Prance, after her cargo had been discharged, loaded a part cargo pf wool and tallow at Lyttelton, and was then towed to Wellington, where she completed her cargo, and eventually sailed tor London. She carried 11,000 'bales of wool and 6000 casks of tallow. The France made the voyage to London in three months. She had a good run from Wellington to Cape Horn, and logged 206, 240, 276, 322, 286 L and 243 miles on consecutive days.. The ship, in fact, sailed half the distance from Wellington to London in 30 days. After that she had head winds or no wind, and two more months were occupied to complete the voyage. . , Captain Leport, who was a native of Brittany, when describing the voyage after reaching London, said the France, after passing Cape Horn, encountered a terrific hurricane. Only one big eea, however, came on board, but that eea smashed up some of the ship’s ironwork and carried away two members of the crew. It was the only wave that reached the deck. The France had a very big sheer, and her figurehead just under the bowsprit was 40 feet above the water line. She was very handy, and a fine sea boat. One day On that.Hqmeward voyage the France logged 420 miles, but the hurricane was blowing at that time. The ship’s best fine-weather daily run for that voyage was 322 miles. In fine weather and a favourable s wind the France logged 14 knots for six consecutive days. Although the France had five large masts and heavy yards, her crew numbered no’more than 54. These men were sufficient to carry out all the work. All the hoisting of sails and yards was done by deck winches.- Thirty sails were hoisted, and two 1 more if the weather was perfect. All the canvas could be hoisted in 1 hour 3 minutes. That was the record for setting all the ship’s sails, but the average time was 1 hour 30 minutes. The ship was wreathed in halyards, and she bad 38 miles of Manila rope and 42 miles of wire rope iri the standing and running rigging. The France ■ sailed from London on February 6, 1922, bound for New Caledonia. She passed Dover on February 6, and was reported from Hobart in May. THE SHIP DESCRIBED.The France was built at Bordeaux, and was launched in May, 1912. She was owned by the Compagnie Franchise de Marine ct de Commerce, of Paris, her port of register being Rouen. The ship was built for the New Caledonia ore trade, in which she made her maiden voyage. During the war period the France made several voyages across the Atlantic. She was armed, and was fortunate in escaping the attention of German submarines. The France was not the first five-masted barque of the same name. Her predecessor was, however, a smaller vessel of 3500 tons, built in 1894. She was lost at sea after being afloat for a few years. The France lost in 1922 was 418 ft Sin in length between perpendiculars, 55ft Sin beam, and 24ft Sin depth of hold. Her moulded depth was 28ft, Sin. She measured 5633 tons gross and 4544 tons net register... Her cargo capacity was 7000 tons, and her total displacement over--10,000 tons. She was nearly double the tonnage of the barque Rewa (formerly Alice A. Leigh), which was the largest British sailing ship afloat five years ago, and which has since been' dismantled and condemned after lying at anchor in Auckland Harbour for several years. The France was built of steel throughout, and was of exceptionally strong construction. She had two complete decks, and in addition had a poop deck 106 feet, a bridge deck 117 feet, and a forecastle deck 87 feet in length, the remaining 108 feet of her length being mostly taken up by two of five.cargo hatches on the main deck. At the fore end of the poop deck was a raised navigating bridge, which gave a clear view of the full length of the ship. Below this bridge was a room containing a powerful steam steering engine, but this was not' often used unless m very rough weather, the vessel being usually steered by mean® of a double hand wheel under a winch-back steel house right nft. It required two men to steer the huge ship under ordinary conditions, and even four men if the hand gear was used in heavy weather. The ship carried four large lifeboats, including a motor boat. Previous to 1921 the France was fitted with two powerful auxiliary heavy oil engines driving twin screws, and giving her a speed of 10 knots. The engines were, however, removed, and the ship was dependent on her sails, alone. A noticeable feature was a small funnel on the poop, which formerly acted as the exhaust pipe of the oil engines, but wa& used later in connection with a large steam donkey boiler, which supplied steam for driving the electricity generators, cargo winches, steering gear, and capstans and windlasses. The handling of such a huge ship when under sail, especially in a ‘ breeze of wind,” and even more so in a whole gale, required something more than ‘Armstrong’s patent.” The France, was an unusually wellfound ship. About her decks were numerous capstans and hand wiches for working her yards. She was square-rigged on four of her five masts. The ship carried five yards on each of those masts, which were something like 200 feet in height from deck to truck. Her five masts were fore, main, mizzen, jigger, and driver, or, according to some seafarers, fore, main, after-mam, mizzen, and jigger. The France carried double top gallant sails, but no royals, and was, therefore, known to _ old “ shellbacks ” as a “ bald-headed ” ship. The France was very “ square ” in her lofty rig, there being very little difference in the lengths of her lower topsail and top gallant yards. The ship had patent stockless anchors of the steamship pattern, and these were worked by her steam windlass. The France was equipped with wireless telegraphic apparatus, the aerials being

spread from the trucks of the three aftermasts. She was electrically lighted throughout, and her living accommodation was unusually roomy and very comfortable. The captain and officers had very fine quarters under the poop. The remainder of the crew was housed under the bridge _ deck. The huge forecastle was something like a seagoing farmyard when the ship was at sea, being occupied wr a large number of fowls.