USEFULNESS ENDED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22710, 24 October 1935, Page 13

USEFULNESS ENDED

PASSING OF OLD LINERS The withdrawal from service of the Olympic, the largest British-built ship afloat with the exception of the Queen Mary, emphasises the drastic policy of Cunard White Star, Ltd., in ridding itself of superfluous tonnage. Though the merger linking the two companies was not formally agreed until Hay, 1934, the Olympic is the fifth vessel of the joint fleet whoae career lias been terminated. The others are the Adriatic, 24.679 tons: Calgaric. 10.003 tons; Albertic, 18,940 tons; and Mauretania, 30,690 tons; aggregating with the Olypinic (46,43!) tons) about 136,800 tons of high-class shipping. The oldest of these ships was the Adriatic, built in 1906. The Mauretania came into service in 1907, Olympic 1911, Calgaric 1918, and Albertic 1923. Their scrapping was in some cases due to old age and increasing infirmity, while in some instances they would have been longer-lived but for the persistent restricted volume of Atlantic travel and the strenuous competition, both present and prospective, for the limited business offering. Their removal, as it implies material economics in wages, harbour charges, and provision, stores, and fuel bills, will, no

doubt, materially improve the position of Cunard White Star, Ltd., especially as they have been able to maintain their scheduled and cruising services at their normal high standard. Meanwhile, tlie approaching completion of the Queen Mary raises the interesting question of what further vessels are likely to be scrapped. A glance at the present fleet shows that the oldest vessel is the Berengaria, 53,101 tons, built in 1912. She, however, with the Aquitania, 45,647 tons, built in 1914, is exceedingly popular with Atlantic voyagers. The Majestic, 5(5,621 tons, was built in 1921, and the Homeric, 34,351 tons, dates back to 1922. The Doric, however, which is of only 16,484 tons, was built in the following year for the Canadian trade, which at present is well supplied wtih tonnage. With regard to the other ships, they arc of two homogeneous classes, and were all brought into service between 1920 and 1925. The advent of the Queen Mary will undoubtedly, unless traflic improves more rapidly than at present, necessitate further weeding out, and there is much interesting speculation as to the vessels which rna,v go to the ship-breakers.