3000 PAINTERS WORKING ON NEW LINER

Press, Volume C, Issue 29501, 1 May 1961, Page 17

3000 PAINTERS WORKING ON NEW LINER

With the completion date less than two weeks away, P. and 0.-Orient Lines’ new 45,000-ton liner the Canberra has more men working on board her than any other ship ever built at Harland and Wolff’s shipyards in Belfast. The turbo generators are now running to provide electric power for lighting, drills and other equipment being used by more than 3000 workers engaged in the mammoth task of fitting out the liner. Until now the ship has been depending for all electric power on a Harland and Wolff sub-station.

Outside the giant liner is being given a fresh look. The labour force of painters has been built up gradually to about 3000. and the hull and the superstructure are now being given their final coats of paint in the gleaming white colour of P. and O. —soon to be seen in Southampton, Sydney, Auckland. Honolulu, Vancouver, San Francisco, Los Angeles and other world ports. The aluminium upper deck and superstructure is being given a coat of special

primer which by its etching action bonds itself to the metal surface and provides an ideal coat for subsequent painting. Boat drill with 561 b weights taking the place of passengers and crew—this has been one of the recent activities on board the Canberra.

A series of raising and lowering tests has been carried out on the glass fibre lifeboats on the port side Each boat is overloaded with the 56ib weights so as to give the raising and lowering mechanism a thorough testing. The tests have already been completed on the starboard side and it is now possible to catry out the portside tests since the Canberra was recently moved from her original berth. The lifeboat arrangements on the Canberra follows the pattern set in the Oriana. The boats are stowed three decks down flush with the ship's side, thus helping to reduce topweight as well as the distance which the boats would have to be lowered in the case of an emergency.