GERMAN TRIUMPH

Southland Times, Issue 20834, 24 July 1929, Page 5

GERMAN TRIUMPH

ATLANTIC BLUE RIBAND MAURETANIA’S RECORD BEATEN FAST CROSSING BY BREMEN (United Press Assn.—By Telegraph—Copyright.) (Rec. 8.50 p.m.) New York, July 22. Arriving at three o’clock this afternoon, the German steamer Bremen crossed the Atlantic faster than any other commercial vessel. The new German queen of _ the seas wrested the record which Britain held for 22 years in the Mauretania’s wonderful performances. The Bremen’s time was 4 days 18 hours 15 minutes, beating the Mauretania’s record by 8 hours 17 minutes.—United Service. Not for 25 years or more has competition in the fast ocean passenger trade been so intensive and so widespread as it is to-day, and never before have so many different countries been involved in this rivalry. At the present juncture it would be imprudent even to hazard a guess as to the ultimate winner of this international race to which, apart from its weightier aspects, a decidedly sporting interest attaches. To a certain extent the United States represents the “dark horse” in the bid for supremacy, since the high-speed liners which are to be constructed for the New York-Southampton route have not yet emerged from the blue-print stage. Germany has inaugurated the race with the New Norddeutscher-Lloyd ships Bremen and Europa. These 46,000-ton vessels are engined nominally for 261 knots, and are fully expected to develop a steady sea speed of 27 knots without being pressed. There will doubtless be little surprise therefore that the Bremen has accomplished the run in several hours less than the Mauretania, thus putting an end to the 22-year primacy of the famous Cunardcr. But the German triumph promises to be of brief duration. In the White Star "super-Olym-pic,” now on the stocks at Belfast, the Europa and her sister ship will have a formidable rival. This vessel, of 60,000 tons gross, is to have turbo-electric or Dieselelectric drive, and, although the designed speed has still to be disclosed, it is unofficially stated to be 27 knots, “at least.” The American liners contemplated by the TransOceanic Corporation of the United States are much smaller vessels, their gross tonnage being only 35,000, but they are designed for a speed of 33 knots, “with a margin in reserve for emergencies.” If this speed were actually realized and maintained, they could cross the Atlantic in four days. From all accounts, they are to have very slender hull lines, the length being 900 feet and the beam 90 feet, and, owing to the enormous space occupied by machinery, the accommodation will be limited to 800 passengers and 1000 tons of cargo. The upper deck is to be kept clear for aircraft, of which several are to be carried. France and Italy are the other two powers which have entered for the great Western Ocean race. Encouraged by the popularity of their giant liner He de France,, a 43,500-ton ship, built in 1926, which makes the crossing from Havre-Plymouth to New York at a speed of 231 knots, the Cie. Generale Trans-Atlantique have decided to build a still larger vessel. With a gross tonnage of 50,000, she will be, to date, the fourth largest ship in the world, and her speed is to be 27 knots. Italy, which has already set the pace in the building of mammoth motor-ships, is now entering the trans-Atlan-tic lists under the colours of the Navigazione Generate Italians, of Genoa. This company is about to order a turbine liner of 45,000 tons and 27 knots speed, for the avowed purpose of competing on the North Atlantic route with British, German and French lines. Finally, there is the reported intention of the Hambug-Amerika Line to “go one better” over its domestic competitor, the Norddeutscher-Lloyd, following the recent collapse of the negotiations for amalgamating the two companies. According to private advices from Hamburg, the “Hapag” is working on the plans of an Atlantic liner which will not only eclipse the Norddeutscher-Lloyd vessels of the Europa class so far as dimensions and speed are concerned, but may even establish an entirely new standard in both respects.