ALL ELECTRIC SHIP

Evening Star, Issue 19782, 4 February 1928, Page 15

ALL ELECTRIC SHIP

FOR CARRYING MILLIONAIRES A new luxury ship, the California, the biggest commercial ship ever built in the United States, is now being completed at Newport News, in Virginia, (writes the New York correspondent of the ‘ Daily News ’) . She will be used for carrying New York millionaires and other Eastern holiday makers out to California anti for bringing cinema, actors and others from San Francisco direct to New York. Her run by way ol the Panama Canal will be‘S,UOU miles each way, but she will make calls at Havana and Panama. She will be known as a silent ship, for in spite of her size, the throb of engines and the noise of propeller shafts will be absent. _ All those other noises, too, which might disturb the sleepers in their cabins, such as screaming winches, rumbling capstans, the noise of donkey engines, and the banging of gear for loading freight will be abolished. The use o] electricity on shipboard is being carried further than ever before. The propellers will be directly driven by electricity. Both of them_ will be connected directly to an electric motor of 8,51)0 horse-power. The control of the ship will thus be made so simple that the engineer on watch will have only three levers to use in handling the vessel The power tor these motors and those which will drive electrical devices in every part of the ship will be supplied by steam turbine generaors furnished with steam from oil-fired burners. No piece of coal will ever go aboard the ship. To further reduce the chance of noise or vibration the propeller shafts will run in rings of lignum vitae. Electricity will he used throughout the ship, for ventilation, lighting, cooking, refrigeration purposes, steering, etc. The California will be, in iact, from top to toe a “ press-the-button ” ship. She will be one of the most easily reversed ships in the world. Her speed will be under absolute control, and she has been fitted with an outside balanced rudder for manoeuvring at low speeds in the Panama Canal. . Though this rudder weighs complete 45 tons, by a touch of a button if can be swung through an angle of 70deg in 30sec, while the ship is steaming full speed ahead. The California will b© 801 ft long, 80ft wide, have a displacement of 31,000 tons, and will travel at 18 knots. She is being built for the PanamaPacific Line, a subsidiary of the International Mercantile Marine Company, owners of the White Star Line. She will make her first trip in January, and though she has only just been launched most of her staterooms have already been booked for this maiden trip. Among the comforts provided for passengers are outside staterooms for all. A large part of the interior will be a cool cavern for holding California fruits.