MOTOR SHIP COPTIC.

Otago Witness, Issue 3888, 18 September 1928, Page 80

MOTOR SHIP COPTIC.

A MODERN FREIGHTER. The Shaw, Savill, and Albion Company’s new motor ship Coptic, arrived at Dunedin on Thursday afternoon on her maiden voyage from Liverpool, via Panama, Auckland, Wellington, and Lyttelton. The Coptic is the third of the four new motor ships built in England for the company’s services between the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Australia. Unlike her predecessor of the same name, which had four masts and was steam driven, the Coptic is typical of the modern freighter with a straight stem and fairly squat funnel centred between two stumpy masts, with a plentiful display of Sampson posts on her decks. The new Coptic was launched by Swan, Hunter, and Wigham Richardson Co. on the Tyne early in the present year. On her trials she maintained a speed of knots. On her recent voyage the Coptic left Liverpool on July 3, under command of Captain G. Williams, She reached Colon on August 6, and after fuelling at Balboa, sailed from there on August 8. Fine weather was met with on the way across the Pacific until August 22, when the ship encountered strong northwest and south-west winds, with confused seas. The consequent delay shattered hopes of a record trip. The average speed was 13J knots.

The Coptic and her sister ships are claimed to be the highest-powered motor cargo vessels afloat, and, when ''fully loaded, and at full power, are capable of averaging 15 knots on a daily fuel consumption of about 35 tons of oil for all purposes. The Coptic is about 420 feet in length overall, is of the complete superstructure type, and has a long bridge house amidships, with a topgallant forecastle forward. In five of her six holds there is insulated cargo space of 404,000 cubic feet, the equivalent of .136,000 carcasses of mutton, while 13,000 bales of wool can be stowed in her general cargo spaces. All the holds have widely spaced cylindrical pillars, and the cargo-handling appliances include 20 electric winches and a very complete installation of 7-ton and 10-ton derricks. The refrigerating machinery is of the very latest type, and consists of two carbon dioxide machines, each having a pair of compressors driven by a variable-speed electric motor. The Coptic is practically an all-electric ship, as she is steered, lighted, and heated by electricity, while all the auxiliaries, including winches, capstans, windlasses, fuel pumps, water pumps, refrigerators, and air compressors are electrically driven. The propelling machinery was constructed by the Wallsend Slipway and Engineering Company, Ltd., and consists of two six-cylinder Diesel engines of the Wallsend-Sulzer singleacting, two-stroke type. Constructed to the highest class in Lloyd’s Register, and in excess of their requirements as regards strength and stiffening, the Coptic holds certificates of the Suez and Panama canals. The total deadweight is about 11,190 tons. In a saloon house at the forward end of the bridge deck are four double-berfTi staterooms, together with a handsome saloon in polished hardwood and a smoking room in oak. The Coptic will be in port until about the middle of this week, and claimed considerable attention during the time she occupied her berth at the Victoria wharf.