OCEAN SPEED

Waipa Post, Volume 43, Issue 3327, 25 July 1931, Page 6

OCEAN SPEED

BLUE RIBAND OF ATLANTIC.

HELD AGAIN BY GREAT BRITAIN.

By crossing the Atlantic from Cherbourg to Father Point in 4 days, 12 hours, 30 minutes, on June 22nd, the Empress of Britain has wrested the Blue Riband of the Atlantic from the Europa, of the North German Lloyd line after that vessel had held it for 15 months. With the bettering of the Europa's time for the crossing, the honour of holding the Blue Riband goes again to Great Britain, who lost it when the Bremen a sister ship of the Europa, beat the record of the Mauretania in July, 1929. The Mauretania had held the record for 21 years, having wrested it from the Germans in 1907. FRENCH RIVALRY.

France is building a super-liner, which advance reports state will be the largest, fastest, and finest ocean greyhound afloat.

As this vessel will not enter the trans-Atlantic service until 1934, it seems likely that Great Britain will hold the record for at least another 3 years., Moreover, it is feasible that the British 73,000-ton Cunarder,. now being built, on the Clydebank, Scotland, may better the time of the Empress of Britain. This gigantic boat, which will be the largest vessel afloat, will be completed in January, 1932. The' triumph of the Empress of Britain closes another chapter in the history of the Atlantic records, which began 100 years ago, when the Silas Richards startled the world by crossing from New York to Liverpool in 19 days, In those days vegetable and animal oils were used to lubricate the few marine engines then in existence, but with the manufacture of mineral oils, the performance of these vessels greatly improved. Behind the records of many of these might ocean greyhounds are the service of the quality products of the Vacuum Oil- Company. The last three holders of the Atlantic record (Mauretania, Bremen, and Europa), and the Empress of Britain are so lubricated. During a test of 12 hours duration the fuel oil consumption of the Empress of Britain worked out at the record low figure of .57 s.h.p. per hour. Nearly 11,000 gallons of Gargoyle D.T.E. oil heavy were supply for the initial charging of the lubrication systems. The Majestic, M.S. Augustus (the world's largest motor ship), the Leviathan, and the Staten'dam are other ocean greyhounds to be similarly lubricated. Gargoyle lubricants are used by 65 per cent of the world's motor ships, and on every motor ship on the Australian coast except one. The Empress of Britain and , the Europa compare as follows. —

The Empress •of Britain and her Parsons type steam turbines are products of the Clydebank firm of ship builders and marine engineers, John Brown and Company, Ltd. She has been built for the run between Quebec and Southampton. No ship comparable in size, speed or luxury has hitherto been built for service between any two British ports. INTERNAL DECORATIONS BY FAMOUS ARTISTS. «

The striking characteristic of the new liner is her spaciousness, her accommodation for 1153 passengers being generously distributed. The public rooms,have been beautifully dec- : orated by such famous artists, as fair John Lavery, Sir Charles Allom, ■■, Messrs Prank Brangwyn and Heatn Robinson. The Empress of Britain is propelled by four screws, each. ■ driven by an independent set of long reduction geared turbines lat- ; est type; l This machinery has been deigned'to develop normally a total : of 60,00#5.h.p. in order to maintain a normal speed of 24 knots. , If an increase.of speed is necessary at any time, an overload of power of 64,UUU s.h.p. can (be maintained for long periods. The propellers, which are • of solid bronze; have diameters of 9 ft;:3in., and 14ft. for the inner and outer shafts- respectively. The Cunard Company is rather an- : to regain the record, and has under contraction at the yards of the John Brown Company, of Clydebank, V Scotland, a 73,000 ton vessel which will .operate between Southampton and New York, at a speed of 30 knots ocean greyhound of to-day v She will be 1013 ft. long, 115 ft in beam, and accommodate nearly I! 4000 persons. Her crew will number . 700. £6,000,000. FRENCH LINER. • /The French^Line>is also building a, , new- super liner, a flagship, that, ac- "' cording to advance reports from Saint Nazaire, France, -will be one of she world's largest and finest ocean' liners

::'' • 'when she enters the trans-Atlantic ■■^ : service in 1934. It is estimated that •this boat will cost almost £6,000,000. She will 'be 1100 ft. long, and will have

four propellers turned by engines of the Turbo electric type. Her thirty boilers will be of the improved Penhost type, similar to those used in the French destroyer Verdun, which last year broke the world's record with a speed of over 40 knots. The new French vessel will have a speed of over 30 knots, and it is probable that she will win the Blue Riband of the Atlantic for France when she is put into service.

Although America is building two important 30,000-ton vessels, which •are to be completed in 1932, and two 40,000-ton super liners some time later, it is not expected that these vessels will be serious contenders for the trans-Atlantic record.

Tonnage Speed (knots) Length (feet) Beam (feet) E. of Britain. Europa 42,500 46,000 26i 261 758 938 ! ,100 108