FAST SECOND DAY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19100, 22 August 1936, Page 6

FAST SECOND DAY

LINER QUEEN" MARY TRIP TO NEW YORK (iREAT INTEREST AROUSED (British Official Wireless.) Reed. 2 p.m. R-UCiBY, Aug. 21. Considerable interest is being- taken in the progress of the Cunard-White Star liner Queen Mary on her present trip across llie Atlantic. 11 was announced ai Liverpool that up iill noon to-day. the Queen Alary had

steamed, on the second day's run from Cherbourg Lo New Vork. a distance of 760 miles al an average speed of SO A knot-, the best second clay's run by tne Queen Mary to date. The total mileage from the beginning of this voyage, till noon to-day was 1224 miles nl nn average speed of 50.05 knot 5 . BLUE RIBAND MISSED. .MATTER. OF YARDS LONDON", July 23. 'The liner Queen Alary, which sailed from Southampton last Wednesday, arrived at New York yesterday after the lastest crossing she has made since entering the North .Atlantic passenger service on May 27 this year. Subsequently the following .statement was issued by the Cunai'd-White Star Company at Liverpool:— '"the Queen Alary passed the Ambrose Light at 4.23 a.m. G.M.T. She had covered a total distance of 3098 miles from Cherbourg breakwater to the Ambrose Light, in 4 davs Bhr 37inin. at an average speed of 29.61 knots. "From noon, ship's (inie, yesterday until she passed the Ambrose Light she travelled 390 miles at an average speed of 29,M knots."

The Normandie, on her maiden voyage in June of last year, steamed from Cowcs Roads to the Ambrose Light in 4 days 11 hrs' 42min, her average speed being 29.64 knots. The longer tiiiie taken as compared with Ihe Queen .Maty is due to the I'act thai the run from Cowes Bonds to New York is about 50 miles more than the distance from Cherbourg. The position is. therefore, that while I he Qui en Mary on Iter latest voyage has reduced the North Atlantic westbound crossing From port lo port by more than three hours, thus creating a, world's record, she has failed by the merest fraction of a knot-—a matter of yards only—to capture the Blue Riband.'. ' The first reports of her success arose from a inisuiiaerstandingi of the basis of calculation. 11 is agreed by most shipping authorities that the only fair criterion by which a ship's steaming performance can be judged is the average speed she maintains between ports. HIGHEST SPEEDS I The highest average speeds yet recorded on the North Atlantic run are as i'ol-

The oliieial Blue Riband course has been fixed as from Bishop's Rock, Scilly islands, lo the Ambrose Light at the entrance lo Mew Vork harbour, and vice versa, as Loth points must be-passed by ships proceeding from or to' Cherbourg and ('owes Roads. According .io the latest reports, the Queen Alary has now covered this course in 4 days 4hr llmin, while (be Xormandie. on her maiden Voyage, traversed it in 4 days 3hr 2min, an improvement of 69niin on the British ship's time. Consequently, whether judged by average speed for the whole crossing or'the time taken over live, oflicial course, the Xormandie still holds the record for the Atlantic crossing. Average speed does not necessarily denote the maximum pace of which a ship is capable, and the unofficial report that the Queen Mary lias travelled on more than one occasion at 32 to 33 knots may well lie true. NO ATTEMPT ON RECORD Sir Edgar Britten, commander of the Queen .Mary, said : "We are not claiming any record. ~We did not try for one. "When we do try for a record it will be over Ihe Noriuandie's course.' .We arc confident that the ship is capable of winning the Blue Riband. "We lost only it few minutes over the aeroplane crash." It is obvious that the original instructions given by the CuiiardAYhite 'Star management wore that the ship should not be driven hard until her engines had been comfortably "run in.'' Thanks to this prudent, policy-gibe Queen .Mary will, it is believed gradually increase her speed month by month —a resnll far more satisfactory and advantageous to British shipping prestige than a. spectacular maiden voyage, possibly al the cost of straining the new machinery, would have been.

Tho following is a comparison of the daily runs of the Queen Mary on her present voyage, compared with the Normandie on her maiden voyage, on which she captured the Blue Riband:—

On her return v,oynge the Normandie crossed from Ambrose Lightship to Bishop Rock at an average speed of 30.31 knots.

Shi,, \.\laihvkm Ucmen Bex Normand Queen Mi Date ia ... J929 ... 1033 . ... 1933 ie ... 1935 iry .. 1936 i\v. speed knots 27.22 (castb'ound) 28.51 (east bound) 28.92 (westbound) 29.64 (westbound) 30.31 (castbouiid) 29.61 (westbound)

(yneon Mary Normandie .Miles Knots Miles Knots First clay . .. 476 29.32 228 26.50 Second " . .. 738 29.52 744 29.76 Third " . .. 760 30.40 718 28.72 Fourth " . Fifth " . .. 734 29.36 748 29.92 754 30.37