WORLD’S LARGEST FLOATING DOCK SOON TO SAIL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18452, 1 May 1928, Page 10

WORLD’S LARGEST FLOATING DOCK SOON TO SAIL.

VOYAGE TO SINGAPORE TO TAKE FOUR MONTHS. (United Press Assn.—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) RUGBY, April 28. Tn six weeks the world’s biggest floating dock will leave the Tyne on a four months’ voyage of 8600 miles to Singapore. When this huge floating workshop, which was built in ten months at the Wall send yard of Messrs Swan, Hunter and Wigham Richardson, reaches its destination it will represent a magnificent achievement, for the task of towing will almost equal that of construction. For towing, the dock will be split into two parts. The division will be made thus: The three centre sections, which contain the heaviest machinery, will be fitted with a bulkhead at each end, making one craft. The two ends will then be fitted to each other, making another craft. Ahead of each section two huge tugs wiW pull, while behind another two will guide. When the two portions arrive at the Suez Canal that waterway will be closed to all traffic for the whole weekend, while the dock, with a margin of about three feet at either side, is navigated through. When the dock arrives at Singapore and is put together it will require a depth of seventy feet of water, and will be capable of holding easily ships of the size of the Mauretania, which, when in the dock, would have thirty feet to spare at the bow and stern. (The Mauretania has a tonnage of 30,696 and is 762 feet in length.) The dock has a lifting capacity of 50.000 tons. It is 855 feet long, 172 feet wide, and 75 feet deep. The pumping plant can deal with 30,000 tons of water an hour.—British Official Wireless.