MODERN OIL TANKER

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19731, 28 December 1926, Page 3

MODERN OIL TANKER

PULPIT POINT ARRIVES FINE TYPE OF VESSEL LARGE FUEL CARGO IN BULK There arrived at Auckland from San. Pedro last week the A'acuum Oil Company’s new tanker Pulpit Point. S.he is on her maiden voyage, and this is her first cargo. At the launching of the Pulpit Point at Glasgow last August, Mr E. W. Lycett, the chairman of the Vacuum. Oil Company, said that she and her sister ship ,the Plume, which was launced two monts before, were as fine tanker ships as ever the Clyde had produced. Duilt on the Isherwood system, the two tankers are each 476 ft. in length overall. 62ft. 6in., in moulded breadth, and 36ft. in moulded depth. Their deadweight carrying capacity on a 28ft. draught is 12,300 tons. Their speed is up to 12 knots. After leaving Glasgow on October 18 the Pnlpit Point went to Philadelphia for extra fittings, and then to San Pedro to load. She cleared San Pedro on November 26 with 10,200 tons of bulk oil for Auckland, Adelaide and Sydney, in addition to 2000 tons of oil in her bunkers for her own consumption. • The fuel cargo is caried in nine tanks, each separated by bulkheads. Between No. G and 7 tanks is situated the pumping chamber, which is fitted with very powerful pumps for loading and discharging the oil. The engines are aft, and on the fore part of the engine room is the tank which contains the ship’s bunker fuel. Tn addition to the tanks for the oil cargo there is a large hold forward for about 1000 tons of general merchandise or case oil. The officers’ quarters and the navigation department are finely equipped. The officers’ quarters and the saloon arc on the bridge deck amidships. On the deck above are the captain 's quarters and the entrance hall. Situated above is the chart room and wheel house. All the accommodation right up to the chart room is fitted out in oak. The captain, chief officer and chief engineer each has a large office in addition to his room. All the latest aids to navigation are installed in the chart room, and wheelhouse. There is a Sperry gyro compass, a gyro pilot for automatic steering, a wireless direction finder, an automatic steam whistle, which can be set to give regulation signals in foggy weather, an automatic helm indicator which shows in the chart room how far the rudder is over, telephones in the chart room connecting with all parts of the vessel, and there is also a searchlight on each side of the bridge. The vessel is fitted with a powerful wirele'ss outfit for sending and receiving up to 3000 miles. The engineers live aft near the engine room, and on the deck below the 31 Chinese members of the crew are accommodated in the four-berth cabins, fitted with iron cots.

The Pulpit Point and the Plume have been built specially for bringing bulk oil to New Zealand and Australia, and they are to be engaged in the trade Regularly.