NEW FERRY BOAT

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLV, Issue 21155, 30 September 1938, Page 13

NEW FERRY BOAT

FASTEST IN THE EMPIRE SYDNEY, September 12. The South Steyne, the fastest ferry steamer in the British Empire, has reached Sydney after a voyage under her own power from Leith, Scotland, where she was built. She will join the Manly service and will be the largest and most graceful ferry on the harbour. A three-hour struggle to save drums of oil fuel which broke loose in a terrific monsoon during the voyage was described by members of the crew. The storm struck the South Steyne off Cape Guardafui, North east Africa. The huge drums were flung about the enclosed deck like tins and the crew had many narrow escapes before they were secured. “We got the full force of the blow at night," said the ship's cook. “A loud crashing sound began on the saloon deck. The drums were being whirled about by the heavy rolling and pitching, as the lashings had carried away. The second engineer gave the alarm, and all hands turned out to relash the drums. With the vessel rolling and pitching, the job was dangerous, and the danger increased when one large drum started to leak after a heavy pounding." Although generally resembling the other vessels of the Manly company’s fleet, the South Steyne bears the stamp of modern shipbuilding practice. She has raked and streamlined stems, similar to those of the most modern liners, and squat funnels. The bow superstructures are gracefully flared. She combines all the utility of the other vessels of the fleet with a new standard of beauty of line. She Is designed to carry 2000 passengers, 400 more than the largest existing Manly ferry.