NEW BRITANNIC

Hokitika Guardian, 19 July 1930, Page 2

NEW BRITANNIC

LATEST WHITE STAR LEXER

EPOCH-MAKING VESSEL

LIVERPOOL, June 4

The Britannic, the now While Star motor vessel and the largest Britisn motor-ship in the world, makes her maiden \oyage from Liverpool on June 28, to New York, and, as Lord Kylsant lias said, “may well be as epoch-mak-ing an instrument of commerce as the first vessel built by Harlnnd and Wolff for the White Star Line, the Oceanic, in 1870, which was a pioneer in the development of North Atlantic travel.” The owners are, indeed, so confident of the merits oi this vessel that a sister ship to the Britannic has already been laid down at Belfast. These two vessels will represent the latest development in marine motor propulsion. The Britannic has a length of RPO feet, n breadth of 82 feet, and a depth of 43 feet 9 inches. She is modelled on the most modern lines, with a straight stem and cruiser stern, and is fitted with two of the low funnels so characteristic of most of the large motor liners recently bui t. The accommodation provided for the 1550 passengers (cabin, tourist third cabin, and third class) will set up a new standard on the Liverpool-New York service,

AN UNCEASING PROGRESSION. The importance of this new departure can be. best seen in the light of the White Star Line’s history. The flag which now floats over the White Star liners adorned, the mastheads of n fleet off sailing clippers in the days long before steam propulsion began to effect isucli marvellous changes in the mercantile marine. The origin of the line dates from the great rush to the gold diggings of Australia, over 70 vears ago, a period which embraces the transition from the old style of small sailing ships to the magnificent sailing clippers which carried the British mails, and from these to the new order of leviathan steam shins now sailing under the White Star flag. The, Britannic inaugurates a new stage, in this unceising progression and shows that the management of the company to day is as progessive as in the past. The White Star Line has rendered great services to America, Canada nad Australia. Tn the course of seven years its old clipper ships conveyed about half a million adventurers to Australia and brought about a revolution in Australian trade.

The sailing of the Britannic, too, marks another stage in the ever-ex-panding history of Liverpool-Britain’s greatest seaport. For many years the .White Star Company’s chief sailings were from Liverpool to New York* but In 1907 the mail steamers on this service were transferred to Southampton. There is, however, a regular weekly passenger service from Liverpool to New York, with calls at Queenstown for the embarkation of Irish passengers, the steamers running on it averaging over 22.000 tons. Tn addition to the Southampton-Cherbourg-New York service, the company some years ago entered the Canadian trade (in which its steamers are among the largest operating), with sailings from Liverpool. Queenstown, Belfast and Glasgow. It is also engaged in the Liverpool, Boston and Philadelphia trade, and has a New York-Mediterranean service. The company also maintains services to Australia and New Zealand and its vessels are the largest sailing to the Antipodes. The total tonnage of the company, is about half a mil lion.

Alike to America, Canada and Australia, then, the inauguration of the Britannic, is an event of first-class importance, fraught with incalculable possibilities.

IMPORTANCE OF LIVERPOOL. It is not sufficiently realised, perhaps, that Liverpool is a greater export centre that -London, Hull, Manchester, Middlesborough, and Bristol combined, while in imports it is second only to London. It holds a key position in regard to the Atlantic trade, which well entitles it to be called “Europe’s Gateway to the West,” or “America’s Gateway to Europe. ’ The tremendous facilities of its great dock system are being continuously extended and improved; its railway and road services are also being readily developed, while an air service to the great cities of Europe is about to be established; and, because of its importance as a port j Liverpool and district has become a great industrial centre, too, in which an increasing number of new enterprises are being located. Information of all kinds about Liverpool and district can be had on application to the Liverpool organisations, Royal Liver Building, Liverpool—a progressive development body established to promote the interests of Merseyside.

Writing of the significance of the Britannic in a special issue of the White Star magazine for May, Mr A. C. Hnrdv. the well-known authority on motor ships, says: “The coming of the Britannic marks the addition to the White Star fleet of a unit representative of a movement of far-reach-ing imnort.nnee in shipping, an importance which, perhaps, can he gauged only bv the repercussive effect it is having unon the sea transport of the world. Unquestionably it does i

represent finality in propulsion. Possibly the electric ship as yet only in its earliest infancy, is the next step.” The command of the Britannic has been entrusted to Captain F. F. Summers, of the Albertic. A NAME OF MEMORIES. The very greatest interest has been caused on both sides oi the Atlantic, and indeed wherever the history of navigation is discussed, by the W bite Star Line’s decision to bestow the name Britannic on this 27,000-ton motor vessel—the largest British motor vessel and the largest vessel sailing from Liverpool. It would have been impossible to find a name of happier omen, for there have been two Britannies previously in the White Star Line’s fleet, both of them ships of unusual distinction. The first was built in 1874, and was recognised as the crack ship of the Western Ocean—acknowledged as the “flyer” of her time, she accomplished the Atlantic passage in 7 days 12 hours 47 minutes. She was a singlescrew steamer of 5004 tons, with two stogy funnels, and rigged as a fourmaster barque.

The .second Britannic had no opportunity for making history for herself, for she was sacrificed to her country before she had a chance of making a single Atlantic run, but II years’ after her launch she still has v tlie distinction of having been the biggest ship ever built in Britain. She has a gross tonnage of 18,168, and first took the water on February 23, 1914, 111 1915, she was commissioned n>s a hospital ship, and just a year Infer she was mined in the. Zen Channel while on her errand of mercy. And now we are to have another Britannic, the third of the line—surely the White. Star Line has decided wisely in choosing such an hallowed name • P r>'- the first motor passenger vessel of their fleet. . ,