THE AQUITANIA.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXX, Issue 13101, 14 June 1913, Page 10

THE AQUITANIA.

LAUNCH *|W 3&&&QB&ST' BRITISH* - LIN&R, A.a' "

GREAT CROWDS^j>iCLYDEBANK

LQNDON, May 3. The Ounard liner- Aquitania, ■■ the largest ship ever built. in a British yard, was. successfully launched . hy (Messrs John Brown and Co. (Lt4,)i (%debank. When th©. contract for . the construction of the liner. waa : secured ,by a Clyde firm, great injterest. wfys .taken by all connected with the prejnier shipbuilding 'river, a^d. assurances were quickly forthcoming . from the Clyde Trustee? that, nothing wouid.bC wanting on their p&rt, to , facilitate the .floating, of lhe leviathan. ' ;^Siriiilar ; assurances at the time of ' the building of the Lusita^iiasix .years . ago. „were v jf aitlif ully fulfilled , and.- the much; • biggei* /tagk', involved m providing the depth of water and breadth of riy^VrOom/^lpr/thbf floating of the Aqriitania has-been carried out with success. The launching arrangements ma^-hy the builders worked to perfection, " arid within au hdu* of her. floating the gMfrt o Mi*ier was /safely betted iiv the^.^ttih^r^t.^baSiril" Considering th©', hiahjy' &fEctiitiek . they had to face,, the launch; of the ship Without the '-. Slightest, hatcli -.- Was alike, a triiirriph for-.-thfr.-mak^ W -the -river 4hd the builders-^ its/ sankSvThe principal figures of the~Aquitani& ares-r^tetjfith,. -9(3| feet.; ..breadth, 9(7 feet; depfclt-i©: ijioat deck, 92 feet 6 incheßjjygro^s itghnagj*;, -47>000 tons ; horsepower.;: w; } drive four screws ; speed, 23^;. -Itnots ; .accommodaition for 3250 passengers- aittd Jycrqw of nearly 1000

An important^feature.; m 'the AqUitania, as in^^th^Lusitania 1 arid "Mauretania,: is .-.that -eiteriding' througlifout the most ■> vulnerable parts, there ' is that great desideratuni, a ship within a ship, In other wordsv - theie are - two shells, the inner as, well^as the outer shell, both being wat^itijjht. - Tlie space 1 >Mtetween the outer and* inner skins averages about 15 feet •*- iatrid"! lit - -short > inter valsr ' there are bulkheads dividing .this intervening space. - iilto .:, rel^iveiy,'; small compartment^. :' T^t'-j»-ill^^ i 'understood, therefore, ;>hat< any i^ctur© x>f the OutfeV'lsh'ell due to collision: , wilF result fn thejngress of the sea being ;.limi^e'd .'to f a smipl ' areS, at tjie sitfe-ofr.tHe stu^-.j lhyaddkieri' td this important .'proyisiQii,' thfere'are sixteen bulj**heads^ 'e^end^i^g v .,atl^( r artship from die t - poi-tv ty starboard ; side. '.-' x . wATifc£& : M •-."-

I*» nnglktube. fchotlght itliatthis pcwl}bmed^syAtem 'Of s ' tratkssrersft ; .-tan# jtJongy, tudi&£Z<veisical '*Wal&itigfit-«ub-diyisibn, was- "fti ttrtl&suffie^.] M^tfard- against flofldin&'nbut furtw;;pWiyi^on' fias'been made by the development, pf. r : tlKf, system of■ : fitting^wateritSghfr^4ecH• wa^s int#^dflCed\tinto.: the; cb'nstr^ctiph- of ihe Lußitaitia.aiid JfeuretaTUJk * . .;.' V-.', •' , JtvWill' thus 1 , b^i.flejjnl'.that froni.' the pdihfettf - viewa-ol* st»eng|(h,^itheNAo^itani^ embodied the n>4iit-fe^tflr.es. of; the^Lusitatnia'' and jyi^^ adaitioh's" consequent ; viipori-'^^^(n4f?.^sed; /; beam and length,. -r'TherVA^qjiifi^nw .will. also vbe fitted i ; with' Franm** 1 m ti-rofljng tanks, whit|i havdipJOVed «ci* sucoessful* m the Lacoriia <: A' ')-^ .A., :* -:•. -,;-■• . ; "TPhe '-division-vof- •the^sh'iß into , watertig^ifr.' oompa-rtmenia : >ift \ 'mu^ o more extensive' than Jip .required^ by-aluy .regula : tion^, and exceptional ■ conditions miglit ttietefore J^ia've ': been, obtainable -m cohitection . with- . the: lifeboats, but the Oivnard Company, IS months ago. submitted :their plans.. to . tlje Board of TVads: . : for « an .inatallatioh of lifeboat'? to 'y 'accommodate:, every passenger on board. A T*o ..mpjbor:; li/ebo.a,ts wiJI also be .provided.. I . ••■,•'- . . '. .=• ...y. . i,,, , r *, A 'RESERVE- OF BOWERj -.

The 1 ' service -speed • of the- Aquitania is to' be '234 -'knots; but, her; boilers and machinery have -been designed to give a large I Msetfye'-' of power^'in additikm to that- reqiiS^ed l f6r t^iift' speed, so that she may be''abla-tof dvferooln'e 'the. delays op ajuy partXof theivdyage? due to- slowing do&n -m consequence Of severe weather conditions,'' k'fhu*?/ leaving* York On ; WeclA&sday," she J will ' be? able to.-ar-rrr& ori ihis -side* with absolute xeg'ilarity before sunset on the Tuesday. Ifa-p ' ihairitenafecb ' of scheduled time 'is c*f ' 'first^iintJortaiic'e, alike- for passengers and 'the-'taails. '-Moreover;, Everything lias been done to" ensure immunity froni breakdown^' while "ifr th3 r: pWJpeliing and aaxiliary ; machinery provision has been made so that tHeref will '- -be; lais far a? is humanly -possible, no discontinuance of-tte: speedi and regularity m! the working i*>f the' ship. AA.: :-. !!'•*..• ; This- total surface area of the nine decks is about 630,000 square feet, and to circle one of*. thei decks Willi mean a walk *df -'over, a/ third -of a- nftile. Over eight million rivets- Were Used, m heir construction.' 'Boats for all will be provided ,A atidx if placed ". end ■to end they would stapetch half ia -mile. Mr Davies, the :, architect of the Company; •was*' chi&fiy responsible for • t he ,of « Uve ship, while Mr Luke and Mr Bell, of the builders'ifirm, had.prinGipal;charge of <She construction of the hull and engines respectively;' : • A ; „ •'":;• Not the; least' important 1 .factor of the Aqtutfaiia's machinery' is-*'-, the:. 'steering gear. This was constructed by the Edinburgh firm ; of Messrs Brown Bros. aii3' Go,' Rosebaiik Iron Works, -and oohirists'* of oh 4 of; theic -patent ' steam tillers, designed specially for this. vessel, and ' dpeeifced by their patent 'telemotor from two -navigation -bridgesj-one being for' blocking, arid-' the other- . for ordinary ■u&e?.* i'The 'Weight iof .thtel^complete geair : is 'i.boui'lOO'ltonß.' --iSw.'diaineter of the rudder stock is *2&' inches/ The. timetaken' to" put th* ibdder^.'from -hard, apdfctHo %&td a-fltarboard «is 30/teconds. 1 'A-- compariscfetv;.''with the ; other -large liners already 'tfcfloat 'is- 'interesting. ... *It will be seen* t^to'sin:»siiz4<the Aquitania is beaten-'bjy tJie- new^Geiman Jliner Imperatoi-, btft : Her lessor tonnage is more than -- compensated', by f He*" greater. cn 7 gine power and!.sp^d. -The £able"is as> follows: — " ' \

... - Lgtib.i Bdth. Ton'ge Sp'd.' ■a- *< ■■"- ft" ft. -i\\> .■ knts.. Aquitania ... 902f 97 • 47,000. 23£ Irrtperator ... 005 ■ 98 48,000 22|: Olympic .'.;.•- 883 f .92. i 45,000 Lusitania -.;.' 785 -..., 88 v. 32;pOCf i?si

■■.;.',. VAST ,! CRGWDS.' '". jOydebaiik isaboiit SeVen '.miles from tKe -centre of l .Glas^^''and ! -fr4rri Com--psiratively early 'ij. mOrhing crowds ' of sightseers began' tq nt*kfe. their Way to' the scene' of " $hs'*-y}apnch'.' : .'' Numferous' special train? were'/rUii {*&& the city by - the North! ' ißritJifch'-' atid Cale'dpniaxi lilies, and these. w^e, 4 crowded 1 ' to excess. . The ' Cbrooiratiorf ■ car seMde wasj aieo greatjy. taken ' aVlyaJi^age' of. : 'It is estuqated .that' about B#oop .people were gathered pn tpp SjCuitl^rri'^bankv^of the river. Excursion; stfaniers' ■' f rom the Broomielajv carried itpyds /ivho* favor^ ed a river.viey'v'of 'the-" pnje^ediriga. lii the shipyard itself ; aecoriltr.^datidn Was found for abqufc 20,000 ; peoplfe/ cohdistf ing chiefly of the. \w.orktfr3 ,hiid' theiir families, jand for. t^^e'^sp^clal' stands ■were erected, ori : both, sides of ' the ways'. Other points Of vantage, ; on the^' north Ivinks were .-a^.-.uti|i^i^,.a^.d'''alt^tli*e.jr the numbers' who saw the launching of Britain's Jargeet ' lit^r.jmilsV* have exceeded 120,000 v Aihong the sightseers were many holidayniafeers from Edinburgh, Paisley, Barrhead, and other Tlfenfrewshire districts were also on holiday j and it can 1 be taken for. granted that little work w^Mqhe m .Clydebank during the; edrliffc' part of the day. Shipping Ah Glasgow: harbor, was dressed for tlie occasion, and. in Rothesay dock, which is 'closest to the yard, thei*' waw a specially -fine display.. An houP before, the,, launch (! , was to tff-ke place the .'steamer Redbreast arrived from Weiiiyi* : Castle, having on board Lord and ,' Lady : Inv«*clyde. the Cbuntessf of Derby, and thei. other members of the special lfrftltfthlnjpc-^party. , TIM LAUNCH. 'v ' Meanwhile the preparatory work was being prpoSed&l >itfcV*'fth*d x by rtOOn the carpenters had' cut aWuy v tn* 'ia*t keel Mocks, . and the' hu«ft .hull tested -on the .ways 'and the .bilge* 'bjocfci; Th-? latter we&leftrin .p^ion'-tall the last minute, so that the fhll'^wn ward pressure, of the vessel; did come on the* rrejeasihg trigger*' ufttil : f™**' f th f tviriie fixed. A mfnute/Wore,- half-past giy^.andiiflimerlia.tfely^ the'Gountess of Derby, whfr performed the narftmg. ceremony, pleased ,the; bottle', which fnashed'^gamkl: th« shi^'a n sf<Je. '^M flh * dl . fl so her Ladyship wißhedi th*' 1 Aquitania "Good luck." A feStf'feSnSe seconds followed. , ThY "breaking on the ways showed that the last: trigger . had been

removed, but for over a. minute the

hull seemed motionless

Then the cry

was raised, "She's off," and the great liner slid down to tho river, gathering momentum as she' went, but moving gracefully all the time. In eighty seconds she was clear, had taken" the "dip" for which much dredging was considered necessary, and within a second or two had 'been brought up by the -chains, which raised a cloud of dust. ;as they were dragged along. So gently 'did' she enter the river that there was scarcely any sign of broken water, but the _ great swell on the opposite bank testified to the hug«\ displacement of the liner: Tho Ja.urichsng weight of tho ship was 22,000 tons. During the Aquitania's short journey to the water the crowds everywhere cheered heartily. sounded on all the steamers, and 'the band played "Rule Britannia." In every way the launch had been successful; "the huge hull was safely waterborne, and all was well..

It is expected that the liner will go down the river about a year hence, and before running trials she* will proceed to Liverpool to be dry-docked and cleaned.

As yet the Clyde' does not possess a graving dock of sufficient dimensions to contain the big liner; but the time is probably not far distant when such a d6ck, at Renfrew or elsewhere, will permit of the largest vessels fitting out 'completely- without leaving the, river.