NEW FREIGHTER

Evening Post, Volume CXIX, Issue 33, 8 February 1935, Page 4

NEW FREIGHTER

IMPERIAL STAR ARRIVES

Having been delayed by bad weather on her trip, down the coast from Auckland, the Blue Star Line's new motor-freighter Imperial Star arrived at Wellington early this afternoon on her maiden visit. She is one of the dozen-or so new "food ships" which have been built or are now being constructed in' English yards for the carnage of produce to Britain from New Zealand and Australia, and she represents the most up-to-date type of cargo vessel now in service. Her gross measurement is 10,800 tons, and with her cruiser stem and Jong graceful lines she attracted much attention as she came up the harbour today. The Imperial Star has already proved that she is Capable of reducing the time-distance between Britain and New Zealand by a day or so, compared .with the average trips made by other freighters serving the Dominion. She came out in ballast from Belfast to load at New Zealand ports, and her trip to Auckland, where she arrived last Sunday, morning, was.made in less than 29 i days, her average speed being 16.2 knots. • '

The new motor-ship is the first of sfx specially, designed for the Blue Star Line and now either water-borne or being built in British yards. She has a most, distinctive appearance, with a raking stem and low, oval funnel of the streamlined type. There is only one mast, and the cargo derricks for working the hatches at the after end of the ship are slung from Samson posts. The ship has six holds which provide more than 530,000 cubic feet of space for refrigerated cargo and about 250,000 cubic feet for general cargo. The insulated space includes ten gas-tight chambers with a carrying capacity of 1000 tons of chilled beef.

The Imperial Star's twenty winches and her windlasses and steering gear are electrically driven. There is a gyro compass for automatic steering, an echometer, and an improved form of direction finder.

Twelve passengers may be carried by the ship, and each of the four double and four single cabins has a bathroom. All the cabins are spacious and- excellently furnished, and this applies also to the saloon, panelled in birch and divided by glass doors into a lounge and dining-room.

The second of the Blue Star Line's new cargo ships, the New Zealand Star, is to leave London on March 20 for the Dominion. She will be the first of the company's vessels to bring cargo to New Zealand. The Australia Star, the third of the line's new ships to be completed,'will be in the Dominion to load for Home ports next May.

Captain D. R. Macfarlane, who is in command of the Imperial Star, is an Aucklander, and he is visiting New Zealand after an absence of 27 years. Captain Macfarlane has served with the Blue Stair Line ■ for 20 year*.