LATE SHIPPING.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 15320, 16 September 1920, Page 6

LATE SHIPPING.

(Particulars of the five new steamers that are being constructed m Great Britain for the Commonwealth Government Line have been announced, Each of tlie steamers will be of 25,000 tons gross register, and will have 370,000 cubic feet of insulated space for carrying cargo. The steamers are also being constructed to carry 700 third-class passengers each. A feature of the life saving apparatus will bo the lifeboats. It will be possible to launch them m less than four minutes. Two motor lifeboats, ; fitted withy wireless apparatus, will be carried by each vessel. These two boats will be able to tow tbe remainder of tho ship's boats at an average speed of four knots. It is proposed to construct six similar steamers m Australian yards, and on completion a fortnightly service will be inaugurated between Australia and England. In the Motor Ship journal for April particulars are given of 151 motor ships of not less than 2000 tons dead-weight which are now building or are about to be built at the various yards In England, Sootland, and .Ireland. Amongst the number appears a yessel now being constructed by Messrs Wm. Denny and Bros, at Dumbartin for the Union Steam Ship Company of Jfew ,J_ealand, Limited, *This vessel, which will be a veHiahte addition to the company's ev.erri.nci'e&fiing fleet, will.be 450 ft m length,. with a beam of 58ft, depth of 34ft, and loaded draught of 27ft lfein. Her displacement will be 15,760 tods, and she will be engined by the N.B. Diesel Engine Works of the four-cycle type. There will be two 6ets of these engines, with four cylinders to each engine, the total .imperiaj horsepower heing 4660. TJhe -engines will have a stroke of 36_in and 47m> and the vessel is expeetgd to have a speed of 12.5 knots per houPf It ie alw* noticed that three Diesel ships 'sre new building or about to be built \n England, to tfce order of the British-Iridia Steam Navigation Company, Ltd. Two vessels are to be built by Messrs Biarclay, Curie, and Co., and the other by: Messrs Robert Duncan and Co. "Bach vessel will' have a dead-weight papagity ot 1Q,g70 tons, with a length of 4_9ft, beam ,I.Bft, jJenth 3.5 ft, 6in, and loaded draught 07ft Uin. ?he three vessels will be ensincd by the N.B. Diesel, Eng'ne Works With engines similar to those to be placed m the Union Company's boat. One vessel will havo a speed of 13.5 knots and two Jof 12.5 knots an hour.