LARGEST DOCK IN WORLD

Taranaki Daily News, 21 June 1928, Page 9

LARGEST DOCK IN WORLD

STRUCTURE LEAVES TYNE TOWAGE TO SINGAPORE BASE ENORMOUS UNDERTAKING British Official Wireless. Received June 20, 5.5 p.m. Rugby, June 19. The first stage of the extremely difficult task of towing the enormous flouting dock from the yard at Wallsend-on-Tyne, where it was constructed, to Singapore, about 8000 miles, begins on Thursday, the structure proceeding in two convoys, each in charge of four powerful tugs. The first eonvoy is a mass 465 feet long, 172 feet wide, and drawing 7 feet of water. The second, which is 390 feet long, will leave Wallsend mi June 28. , One of the most difficult stages in the journey will be the passage through the Suez Canal. The journey to Port Said will take two months, and in order to minimise inconvenience to shipping, both parts of the dock will be passed through the canal together. This will take four days at the least, but each night the structure will be withdrawn from the main channel to allow other traffic to pass. The width of the structure will necessitate the removal of all sidelights and obstructions from the canal banks. The dock will be the largest naval dock in the world. It is 855 feet long and 75 feet deep, and has a lifting capacity of 50,000 tons. A total of 20,000 tons of steel and 35,000,000 rivets were used in its construction, and 00,009 people eould stand on it.