TRIUMPH OF OIL.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LX, Issue 143767, 16 April 1912, Page 7

TRIUMPH OF OIL.

MOTOR-SHIP SELANDIA. (Daily Telegraph, March 6.) AVireless messages at sea have already notified the success of the motor-ship Selandia. She reached Antwerp on Sunday morning. The trial trip of the oil-driven ship Selandia, undertaken when Great Britain was in the first throes' of a national coal strike, was, one might say, historical. It was an interesting experience to watch how oil triumphed. At the outset it should be stated that the Selandia must be regarded as a dangerous rival to the steamship. She is designed as an awning-deck snip, and her principal dimensions are: 370 ft. in length, 53ft. in beam, 30ft. in depth, and of about 7400 tons d.w. The propelling m.vchmery consists of tivo eightcylinder Diesel motors, each of 1250 i.h.p., and driving twin screws. There are also two auxiliary Diesel motors of 250 i.h.p. each. The engine-room is Oft. shorter than would be required for steam-engines, yet it is more spacious on account of the compactness of the machinery. Except in the galley no coal is used on beard. It was noted that the mean draft of the vessel leaving London was 13ft. Sin.

ACROSS THE NORTH SEA. At eleven o.m. on Saturday the visitors had the opportunity of watching the working of the main engines ns the Selandia was propelled by her motors, stern first, down the long dock to the lock. It took lOsoc, only in execute an order from tbo bridge with either engine. At noon the lock gales were opened, and the vessel, Aided by the customary tug, backed out into the Thames. She was “straightened up,” head down, with ease. As soon as Blackwall Point was passed, the tug was let go, and the motor-ship was

“on hen own.” Close observers were soon conscious of the fact that not only could the ship’s engines be manipulated with the ease and promptness expected of steam engines, but they could get on to their full load quicker. To enable those who intended to disembark at Gravesend to have lunch on board, the vessel was turned round and dodged for a while, stem on to the ebb tide. The easy manner in which the round turn was made, the little room required for the purpose, the prompt manipulation of the machinery, and the high efficiency of the engines in stopping her way, convinced those of experience that the vessel was a marvel:- On the run from the North Foreland to Flushing strong winds, and, for a time, considerable sea were experienced. In spite of these adverse conditions the vessel was absolutely steady. With no smoke, no vibration, no noise, no smell, no dirt, and to the complete comfort of all on hoard, the Selandia just “plugged' 1 her way at a speed from 11 to 12 knots, to Flushing and Antwerp. The eight-point turns in the' Scheldt were nothing to her. and turning round to head the tide she motored herself into her berth at Antwerp “without breaking an egg.” It may be added that the Antwerp pilot who brought the vessel the fifty miles from Flushing to Antwerp stated that in all his forty-six years’ experience be bad never bandied such an easy craft, and be expressed the opinion that she “would steer through the eye of a needle.”

FACTS AND FIGURES. The net tonnage of the Selandia is 3173, and the gross tonnage 4968. The double bottom, together with two wing tanks, carries 1000 tons of fuel oil. Per twenty-four hours the consumption of oil, including auxiliaries, with the engines running 140 r.p.m., and indicating 2500 h.p., is 10 tons. The cubic capacity of iho cargo space is 375,000 for grain, or 345,000 bale space. The between decks, except for the engineroom trunkway, are clear fore and aft, an enormous ventilating advantage, cither for the carriage of troops, horsey, or cargo. The loaded (Ruft is 23ft. 6iu. It is intended to fill all her oil tanks at Borneo each voyage. The price of the oil is expected to range from 30s to 35s per ton. The vessel will carry sufficient oil to enable her to do the round voyage from Bangkok to England and back without, re-oiling anywhere. Only ten minutes’ notice is required by the engineers to be ready to leave a port. The vessel has an engine-room staff of eight engineers, one electrician, and two boys for cleaning up. A similar steamship would average forty-seven to fifty tons of would require twenty-four men in the engine-room department. The wear and tear of the engines is expected to be much less than that of the steam engine, and there will bo no deterioration of the steel work forming the coal bunkers, as is the case in a steamer, to contend with. SOAIE POSSIBILITIES. Seeing the great advance which has been made in the horse-power of the Diesel motor, as fitted in the Selandia, over any previous sets of this typo of machinery, one may bo excused for asking w'here that advance in power will end, and what class of steam vessel will first be affected by the competition. The builders of the Selandia’s engines explain that they can construct a steamer and fit her with three screws. Each screw would bo, driven by Diasc! motors of 3000 i.h.p. Therefore, tho 9000 i.h.p. ship is well in sight. Many hold the opinion that Diesel motors should be put into the new oil-tank steamers now building; in fact, the success of the Selandia, if continued, as there is no reason why it should not be, will make vessels of her class obsolete before they are launched, should they be fitted with steam engines. There is, of course, the question of tho possibility of getting tho necessary supplies of oil for any large number of vessels. Tho directors of the East Asiatic Company, however, say that the oil fuel can and will be procured, and from their wide experience of its use in their steamers, in place of coal, they ought to know. One of the pleasantest experiences on tho trip was to observe the qniet confidence shown by the builders of tho engines (who were represented by Air. Jorgensen and Mr. Kriudsen) and the two directors of the Asiatic Company on board—Mr. H. K. Andersen, of Copenhagen, and Air. J. Aladsen Atygdal (managing director, London) —in tho absolute reliability aud future success of their motor ship. Their confidence in the Selandia is fully shared by her captain and crew. In regard to the officers and engineers of the ship, their unanimous verdict is that the vessel is absolutely reliable. A good many questions_ were asked them in London. “How will she do when she gets a ‘dusting’ in the Bay?” asks one; and “How wall she stand the racing of the engines when wallowing in the awkward seas of the South-YVcst monsoon ?” queried another. All questioners received the same answer: “Quito all right,” and the officer asks tho anxious one in return, “Why should she not ”

Many of those who made the trip from London to Antwerp in the big vessel arc quite in agreement that, blow Hugh or blow' low, the Selandia will be w ‘quite all right.” There has been a ■regret amongst some of the experts that they have not had the chance to see the governor work. This fact was mentioned to one of the engineers of the vessel. The officer of the ship, however, agreed that, governor or no governor, his vessel and her engines w'ould go through anything that the steam engine could do, and, if necessary, the oil engines could be treated in bad weather in a similar manner to the steam engine, which means that they would ease them up a little, and then let them “ rip.”