NAPIER STAR ARRIVES

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19132, 29 September 1936, Page 13

NAPIER STAR ARRIVES

VOYAGE FROM LIVERPOOL A GOOD PASSAGE SHIP’S UNUSUAL DOW On her first visit to Gisborne, the Blue Star Line steamer Napier Star arrived in the roadstead at 5.55 p.m. yesterday after a passage of 35 (days, from Liverpool, via Panama. The ship reported having had a good rum out from Home. The Napier Star was dispatched from Liverpool on August 23, and after passing through the Panama Canal bunkered at" Balboa. Following the run across the Atlantic, the ship’s company was -looking forward to warmer weather after leaving Balboa, but conditions were almost phenomenally cold for the second stage of the voyage to Gisborne, which occupied 20 days. The average speed of the ship for the. voyage was 14.5 knots. She brought neither’ passengers nor cargo.

With her sharp, curving bow, high sides and single funnel, placed rather aft of iho usual position, the Napier Star is an unusual-looking vessel. She is the first ship carrying a Maierfonn bow to visit this port. SHIPYARD SURGERY

When at Home early last year the Napier Star went into the yards of Messrs. Swan, Hunter, anti Wighani Richardson, Limited, for the purpose of undergoing a major operation in shipyard surgery. The forepart was cut away, and an entirely new forward section" added, which increased the sliip’s length and cubic capacity considerably. The stem was replaced by the present curved stem, and the general design was altered to make the vessel much liner forward.

At the same time, her well decks were filled in, giving her her distinctive high-sided appearance, and the refvig-' erated space was considerably extended. Extra oil hunker space was also provided to bring the ship into line with other ships of the company making the longer runs to Australia, and New' Zealand. The Napier Star is the second of the Blue Star Line’s vessels to have undergone reconstruction for the fitting of a semi-Maicrform bow. The Doric Star, which was on this coast some time ago, has had a similar operation carried out on her OBJECT OF NEW BOW The main object of the new bow is to increase the speed of the ship, or to maintain the same speed with economy of fuel, and ships so treated have shown a notable improvement in performance. Discussing the ship’s performance, one of the officers stated to-day that no improvement had •been noticed in her speed, but she was now very steady in headon seas. This was an outstanding feature of the vessel’s behaviour in a severe gale experienced just before reaching Panama a few weeks ago. Tho Napier Star was constructed in 1927 at Glasgow by I.ithgpw's Limited, she has a gross tonnage oi 10,583, and is driven by twin screws actuated by four geared steam turbines. This morning the vessel commenced loading meat and general cargo for London. To-morrow night she. will depart for Napier, Timaru. Wellington, New Plymouth and Auckland to complete for the Homeward voyage.