The First 45,000 Tonner in the World’s Mercantile Marine.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLVI, Issue 9, 30 August 1911, Page 33

The First 45,000 Tonner in the World’s Mercantile Marine.

THE MAMMOTH LINER “OLYMPIC" WHICH RECENTLY MADE HER MAIDEN! VOYAGE

TIE Olympic** tir*t voyage marks a new high record in shipbuilding, k*. ii ■ ■ ■ -.t ii' t«» th» trail' At-anti.- ti’ad». e was planm d th« re wn \\ ■ ■ !- laid d«»wn there wa* n«» dock _ nd 01 the I ■ it • States hold her. and no dry dock in ■ ■ ~ • was no place for her and no J a»-k say so. Bitt Air Bruce I*inay. the controlling - of the International Mercantile V . 'j a a profit in an 5.x>.f,.,. r *iiip. ' willing to invest the iiecv".iry •0.000. jnd Lord Pirrie. perhaps •’ st si f the ag . • nst ruvt Mich a mon*tei. ■».gilining' w.-re made in Ih-lfaM. . laying tin* keel of the ship. I»ut in _ .1 -dip in w hi<h eir - on! j be rhat cost a good many thousand* d'. Nt 'intent with altering rd ii 1 s uilt. t pie caused -all manner of unusual ■ ■ ances on at least une English railThe 190-ton stern frame was ca.-t f< undry in England. Tliere was - : freight --ar in rhe kingdom tlrat .i. avid it properly. It protruded v sid<. At font t the coast. vhile the ■ • n ’x»t : t track' of rhe railroad ua* <•:•: -I. Even that did nor gix. 'Utli- -■ : ecway. and 'tit:"ii' ‘ad to be ’•< i- pa-. the Oly | i* >r< thai ■ biggt ■ it. SI • represent* the of a type at lea*t a* ihirant, if nor as *pvctavular. a* the rd-breaking ship'. For year* th* • watched tl ntest Im.* * • t Engl is I and Uernui *’g rey - These ships rres nd t 'rain' 'w-‘Ae‘-n N’A York an; But in railroad ii le* i ei ■ ill t 11 i * u 1 gladh _ ' : of tn.- f.i'tv't trail!' •

? ill gain ’hereby trail’.c ■-Jiii' r at run a little slower " expense. In ' ipb lilding circle* there were felt tire *ame way. The * the culmination. *•• far. of .ger-freight type —a type that nue from every source. because '•rueted for carrying capacity. •••on>mi<al o|e-rati«»n. and n;.i- ha' l»ee|i de-ignv I to ’• ••|uireinent' of that large —- speed ress< * _ * it * Th every pos'ible luxury and An average of twenty-one ur is all that is expected • f attain this speed 'he has the • ha' e\er n the water: and i* is as ini' it i' gigantic, for *he ha* t propulsion different from 'tion ~f reciprocating engine* ■’elm turbine. It i* n<» bu*ine*w’ik»-. practical move • procating engine ha* be-n

brought t- it* h:g\.-'f M.tii’.nd .-r p.-buglH-ar of vibration ha* been vlimiir.it d by elaborate and careful balancing, yet •A’-n with tlic quadruple v.\pai»*ion system. th. *t am. upon "tiing from lowest expan*ion -yliudvr, after being U'. • f. ur tim-'. '-ii: u littfab I • ■«. How couM :hi> hr liai It ctrnld nut * ig • -in a rv« ipr<>ttaUngs engine—t-liat va* » viiv ! t tis juncture bbe po*>Mibiirtics.turbine tine • H ould it *s int'o oraie a ou pressurt tiirb>n<- tud thu*: rpfisttnie tin* remaining energy ■ f tire i-xbsuist fr» ni -he ie.-ipr. tiijm .-nginc?: An attempt had l»een made in this dir«- - • *ui, *cah*. - 1 ' ’ ' . rheni'clx. I • \ w. i.• _ • r , ( tween Cai.ada and Liverp* <»!. and thr-y equippd one with only the ordinary ■ - ■ ting engines ’•i nd put tin* combination arrangement upon the o'.ter. I !»• Laureii'r? ' ■ V

g ' ' ■' r» md buil lei * ' ' • \ • ’• ■ They - '■ i* go!H- ■»n - Ie 11 •»'. ■ J'-.-n-. J - x't • . Laurentiv in the endeavour v» pi. k ; ' ’?ii - i'.-f i’ •’•oima: n ai' i< .- _• S - r* i i 1 u. Bn- ..nc and all wci. foil.-], Ihi ’• - sing am te* ft ' - ’ _ • ■ ■ . • nb Only f- a pvi'i.ii' ' j\ - n ... .. it ye*sej. and t v r i* i j. , f th« dicer* that one (I ‘ sought ni** ’ ■ u'dinary \.l v. \\ x , •sk« •• M - ■But tai' re.piC't a- r. 'U'.-\\ ‘ ■■■ ■ ’ B no mean*. o *i n »* looking i • *■• I only -A, ' '. is s s r u rir .*hof-. i ' . . \ . • - ■ ■ ’ . - ■ : tied dl lildeiV sun ptioi fl 4 nt less. 'l'l p < i\ >f siiel i* tin* i* tl

’ 1 int*» ’ • tuibine. h t!1 | H . taken - '-n • .-j: i . .in - I r -j .-ngin. ' ai.. t’,.-’|arg ' ’ ■ ■ ■ ■ | ■ 1 ’ ' ’ ‘ • g \ I.Ot H I , - - . • > ’ • \ ’ i ' ■ ■ :«; • m»o . ’-pp. I • a< i \ _.■ j • -•'• aji »uii- ~f ■ ’ th the greate*t » moniy. and vi t h s • ’ bj\. • ■ t • < »l\ npi •** ’ ;.' i.-i an i • -,a • int* f

Ihv combination <•! i- iprocaiing engine and turbine ha* n««t . au*vj all manner of : • • • ■ It i* more thin a third of a mile round her deck and from water line to bridge >he is about a* high a> a *i\ *tory hoti*e. Ten year* aj ». when t>- • ►so-foot < edric 2<«O feet shorter than the •Hy mpic and th« 700-foot linei s ahi follow*- !, appeared, the harl»our engineer* regarded them with perturbation. Henwa> a jump of fifty feet in length. *n n i h hi ividth. thi> in iiaug it. and *«• many thousand tons in displa ement. < ould sik-h ve—els approach their wharve*? Were the approach channel* sufficiently deep' These were the crucial questions that disturl»ed the serenity of t e harbour engineer. Hi* lismay was completed when he learned tha: this advance was but the l«ejhining of a new fashion in steamship design and operation. Where would it end? wailed the port authorities. Loi ] Pirrie so »n set them at ea*e on that point by the prompt annoum ement that >is immediate ambition wa* a liner approaching 1/hmi feet in length! Thev had * arcelv got over the shock produced In Lord Pirrie** pronouncement when they were further shocked b\ the news that the Lunar 1 Line wa actually building two fliers of 790 feet long. 88teet wide. 60 feet let and with a maximum draught displacement of 45.000 t<»n>. to <.•]••** the Atlanti at a minimum average *|n-ed of 24? knot s! The harbour authorities have *triven might and main to arrest the increase in t'size of ship*, but it would be jn*t a* ea*y to upset the alternating nu-v.

ment of th* ti it *. Th* gi nee r s r y 1 k * • • erst the requirement* of su h ve**el* entail prodigious expense. During the last ten sth* rt f New Yui k has * * t iiuiodat* t gro ng s ns f th* British the Gei -' •’ *. It as tried to di* irage the foreig ler* ldiu2 back fa iliti* *. Bit if »ne port \ ill - Vide s u i t t el* noth* ma liv< 1 from a Aero** t ■ »ig s the *am» *itio md wt it in d iihl i n g firn 1 an 1 Wolff an stant ‘ , «•! ‘ • ■ ’ . •’ - iredging 1 othei elfast I’ht mi o - ceding n mot s the sig kof ho*tilities rhe b gof ritie* to - • ■ • • ' . • . ’ . ; i\ - . • ' ■>ep .i*- an • \ .-nd it ur*- «»f On th. thet *id« f th. Atlanti -imilai -ituation - irn i X.« Y >rk » in th. lands : th. \\ i Department. ' it it- .elfar. i- veste 1 ]• . iar!'" ir board. When fill's fu-« it extend the pier* in order t plea -- _ that - ■■■ • ■ - : > • th. '■ • ' -

liver. <>n the other hand, it the pierwere not lengthened, the -tern of the new boat- would proj.-et from the pier line for S»0 feet, and -u.-h overhang " • nld a grave nieua. e not only to the safety of the moored -team-hip it-

-elf. >ut also to navigation on the river. < on-eqnently th. shipping coni]*any determined not to in.-nr -tie:: ri-k-. Die Olympic wa- •aundied. ami the New York harlH.nr autnoritie- -till did nothing. : -ame f rward and

fered to do what ua- nece-sary to i ommodate the new ve--el-. ina-niuch a- the diversion of such tratiiv from New York would mean ju-t -o milch more to tiie profit of 80-ton. Then there wa- talk of a great terr, Inal at Montauk

Point, at the eastern end of Long Island, where the largest steam-hip- would call and would tin,! every convenience for handling pa—engcr and freight traffic. I advantage of thi- arrangement, it wa- pointed out. aa- that tie v.—■■'-

could cut down the journev aero— the Atlantic by more than 100 mile-, and "ould avoid any delay- off Saudi ;i k due to late arrival at that point, ’...i n entails standing by until the foil morning before New York i- enter,.'. The-e thing- finally -tilled th- ...m--mercial repre-entativ, - of New Y : k ‘ a final -upreme effort. Tiiey ignoi. i the harbour board and proceeded to ti., Federal Government at \Ya-iiingt n. where they laid their case before the War Department. The up-hot of rhe negotiations was that the War Depart ent sided with the public and granted th. International Mercantile Marine perm:---ion to extend their piers riverward for an extra 100 feet, with the reservation that, if experience prov.-f the extension an interference with naval need-, the do.-k- mtl-t be removed. And what of the future? Pre-.-::: indications throw out few signs of relief to the harbour engio-.-er. He will be kept going hard for several yearcome. According to Mr. Booth, the chairman of the Canard Coinpanv. the future of the trail- Atlxntic tra-:- :•'till the 40.000 To 50.000 ion pa—-rger-freighter. But that doe- not signify th, limit by anv mean-. Lord Pin:,- bi-loii.-li-afed the opinion that tinion liner i- not an imp,,—iAt all event-, telldencie- an- bur: lethal goal. In ten v.-ai- the leaped from 20.000 to 60.000 : -'louhl the -ame ra»e "F rr -gr -- maintained during the succeeding the twentieth year of the twentieth ■ tiny will -ee the 100.000-tonner ' measurable distance. The Olynipi the way.