Marine Tattle

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 309, 21 March 1928, Page 2

Marine Tattle

NIEUW ZEELAND LAUNCHED. —The Rotterdam Dry Dock Compan? has launched the twin-screw turbine passenger steamer Nieuw Zeeland, lor service between the Netherlands, East Indies and Australia. The propelling machinery con sists of two sets of Fyenoord-Etcher \\ yss turbines, designed to develop a total of 8.000 s.h.p. and. to drive her at a speed of 16 knots. SOMERSET’S BERTH. A. wireless message received yesterday from tin steamer Somerset states she expects t<reach Auckland from Liverpool at six o'clock on Sunday morning, whn sin will berth at Queen’s Wharf. She has Lyttelton, Dunedin and Bluff. The New Zealand Shipping Company is the local agent.

THE SECOND C.P.R. LINER.—The most important launching on the Clyde during January was the large passenger liner Duchess of Bedford, which Messrs. John Brown and Co., Ltd., Clydebank, are building for the Canadian Pacific. This is the second of the group of four similar vessels which are building on the Clyde for the same owners, the first vessel, the Duchess of Atholl, having been launched in November last by Messrs. William Beardmore and Co., Ltd. Messrs. Brown have two more vessels of the same size and type building for the Canadian Pacific Company, and these will be named respectively Duchess of Cornwall and Duchess of Richmond. The first of the group, the Duchess of Atholl. will be ready to sail on her maiden voyage early in June, and the Duchess of Bedford in July. HIGH-POWER ENGINES. —An interesting article dealing with the engines of the He de France was published recently in “The Syren and Shipping.” She has four Parsons turbines, each driving one propeller shaft direct, the maximum horse-power which may be developed being 59,000. Steam is raised in 20 boilers, twelve of which are double-ended. These are of the Prudhon-Capus type, and give an accelerated circulation. There are 128 furnaces. The engine room has been well planned, and the maximum amount of free working space has been secured. Great attention, too, has been given to the auxiliary installations, which are of a very complete character. According to the contract, the. ship was to have a speed of 23J knots, but on her trials she did half a knot better, since which she has thoroughly satisfied her owners as to her ocean steaming performances in actua.l service. ANOTHER "WINDJAMMER” SOLD. —British rates of wages in recent years have made it impossible for many sailing ships to pay their way, and there are now verv few windjammers sailing under the Red Ensign. The problem of meeting costs is considered a serious obstacle in the training of young seamen. Some foreign countries, especially Germany, are now concentrating on producing sailing ships, which, with the aid of premiums from their apprentices, are able to earn a profit. Four big steel sailing ships are now under construction for German owners, and two, at least, are to have the old-fashioned Scottish ranterpike rig, which is proving very popular on the Baltic. The last British full-rigged ship, the William Mitchell, a steel vessel of 2,035 tons gross, formerly engaged in trade between Australia and the United Kingdom, under the command of Captain J. S. Crane, lias been bought by a German firm of shipbreakers. For several years she has been laid up at Home, awaiting a buyer. The builders were C. J. Biggs and Co., of .Londonderry, who launched the ship in 1892. The price ‘paid by the shipbreakers was £2,100.

REPLACING THE RIVERINA.—It is announced that an order would shortly be placed abroad for the construction of a new motor-ship to run in the interstate service in the interests of Hud-dart-Parker, Ltd., states the “Sydney Morning Herald.” Mr. W. T. Appleton, chairman of directors of HuddartParker, Ltd., said that the company contemplated ordering a motor-ship of slightly bigger proportions than the steamer Zealandia. They required a vessel to carry about 400 passengers. Mr. .T. L. Webb, a director of the company, is leaving for Great Britain to place the order.' Many tenders had been received by the company, but the placing of the order would be left to Mr. Webb’s discretion after he had made inquiries abroad. Mr. Appleton said that it was expected that the new vessel would arrive in Australia about the middle of next year, and would immediately be placed in the inter-State service. The new vessel will fill the gap in the company’s passenger fleet caused by the grounding of the steamer Riverina on the Victorian coast, near Gabo Island, on the night of April 17 last year. The Riverina was sold later to a salvage syndicate, and has not yet been refloated. The question of replacing the Riverina has been engaging the attention of the directorate since the vessel was lost to the company. The Zealandia was withdrawn from the Western Australian run after the Riverina went aground, but after catering for the extensive tourist traffic between Sydney and Hobart for some time is to be withdrawn from that service next month.

WITHIN WIRELESS RANGeT^ The follow,ns vessels are .... I bo " M,h ' n ranee of the undJr? W ’ !< k wireless stations to-night:— '“-wS Auckland: Neptunian. xi at _,„ ' bta T Rh-e?’ InUera ' Aorangi, Chatham Islands: Xlataron. K ia rw Wellington: Maori. Wahin. Araliura. Tamahine. Port - N t> ma. Cambridge. SPort Adelaidt. Kartigi, Devon’ HerU”* r ‘ Awarua: Sir J. c. Ross V T . Alonso C. A. Larsen, V*>, aiti. A\ estmoreland. Corinthif*^ ai * f ’- Columbian, Canadian HighlaSker korai, Argyllshire, Karetu. r ’ PORT OF ONEHUNGA—

ARRIVALS YESTERDAY ! uJ' s ls5 Ll t\li£ f , ra,n ' e 110 tons. Texeira, from Hokian*^' ai - DEPARTURES YESTERDAY HAI'TI'RIT (4 p.m.). «70 „ for Raglan and Kawhia. ARRIVAL TO-DAY frmn , Da l r ga l vi < l]'.a a m ) ’ 575 tonsand Waikato Heads. She 8 Onehunga again for the same .**'• Monday next instead of Tuesday- *** 03 The Anchor Shipping and roBM Company s steamer Orepuki arrte£?“ r Onehunga this morning from D.-— 0 ," The local agents. Messrs. Somers. Ltd., advise that the vLS : to be dispatched again to-morrovT ing for Nelson and West Coast dS* 1 '