First Motor Liner.

Hokitika Guardian, 11 March 1922, Page 3

First Motor Liner.

LIVERPOOL TO AFRICA

INTERESTING DETAILS OF MAIDEN VOYAGE.

WELLINGTON, March 9. Advice has been received in Wellington by the' English mail yesterday that the first motor passenger liner, the M.S. “Aha” had left on her maiden voyage to take her place on the Liver-j>ool-Africa.n route.

This event is of some interest ns it is claimed that this vessel is the first passenger liner driven by oil engines to lie engaged in regular first-class passenger traffic. She is not entirely new, being built un the Clyde in 1918, and used for the transport of American troops to France. Recently, however, her owners —the British and African Steam Navigation Company—decided to complete her on the lines for which she was orginally designed, the work being carried out by Harland and Wolff. Briefly her dimensions are as follows: Length 450 feet, breath 55ft. 6 inches, depth 33feet, while her speed is 14 knots, n,iid her tonnage 8000. Accommodation lias been provided for 225 first and 140 second and third class passengers. Her engines consist of two Hariand and Wolff standard type 8-cylinder four cycle Diesel engines (Burmoister and Wain system) developing 120 j R.P.M. a. B.H.P. of 4800. Two double bottomed tanks enable 750 tons ofl oil fuel to be carried, leaving the bolds free for cargo. This amount of fuel is sufficient for the voyage from Liverpool to West Africa and back. It is stated that a coal fired j steamer of similar dimensions would re--1 quire 3000 tons of fuel in order to ob»tain the same radius of action. | | I