DAY OF THE FASTER SHIP.

Taihape Daily Times, 22 February 1918, Page 6

DAY OF THE FASTER SHIP.

A British naval expert offers the opinion that trans-Atlantic liners and other passenger ships built in Uic struggle for commercial supremacy of 1 the seas after the war will be faster t and larger than any before because of the great improvements in marine machinery and naval construction. He says he would not be surprised to see the speed of liners increased to forty or forty-five knots, or even more, by the use of fuel oil, watertube boilers, such as are now in the latest type of destroyers, and double reduction geared turbine engines. “In the slow-moving cargo ship,’ ’says the writer, “the object is to carry as much cargo as possible. As a result the speed is kept low, so that the weight of the machinery is small and the vessel can be made with full under-water form, thus insuring that the maximum weight of cargo will be carried. To obtain a greater speed in an intermediate type, or a vessel carrying a few passengers, cargo weight is sacrificed by the heavier weight of machinery carried and generally by making the under-water form finer than in the cargo ship. In the ocean liner the under-water form is made still finer, and on account of the great weight of the machinery comparatively little cargo is carried. It is obvious that the more horsepower obtainable from a ton weight; of machinery the greater the speed that can be given to any ship, and in this way the limiting speed of a. vessel can be increased. Enormous strides have been made in this direction since the days of the early reciprocating engine. It is doubtful if there is any limit to the speed, of a ship if everything else is sacrificed to obtain it Small models of ships have been run in experimental tanks at great speeds, which if produced nrcportionately in actual ships would he even greater than 70 miles an hour If, however, ships could be made large enough to carry the necessary machinery these speeds could be obtained. The lighter the machinery can be built, the smaller the shins can be made to attain these great speeds.”