50.000 TON LINER

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 166, 30 November 1912, Page 2 (Supplement)

50.000 TON LINER

SAFETY THE LEADING FEATURE. _ In the building of their new oU.OOO-ton . liner, which, it i« officially announced, , is to be called the Britannic, the White Star Company have made the safety of the public' the chief consideration. The original vessel of this name, built in 1«74. had a most successful, indeed, distinguished, and in some respects remarkable career, actually making the best passages after ruuuing a quarter of a century in the Atlantic service, and being subsequently engaged in the transport service for three years, during which time she was specially commissioned to take out to Australia the Imperial Representative Corps, composed of details of the various branches in the British Army, on the occasion of the inauguration of the Commonwealth of Australia at Sydney on January 1, 1901. In general features the new vessel will be similar to the Olympic, but she will be of somewhat larger tonnage. There will also be various improvements introduced into the new vessel resulting from the experience gained in the Olympic, which vessel will also be altered at an early date. The general structural changes will be few, the strength of the Olympic under all weather conditions having proved entirely satisfactory. This is very strong testimony to the comprehensive grasp of detail in the evolution of this great liijer. In two important respects, however, both vessels are to bear evidence of the recent change in l expert and public opinion as regards protection against the effects of collision with icebergs or other obstacles, both by the introduction of a complete inner skin extending to a considerable height a>bpve the load line throughout the most vulnerable portions of the vessels, and also by increased height and number of watertight bulkheads, so as to render both ships as nearly unsinkable as possible—in fact, making them practically safe against all conceivable contingencies. The inner skin will consist of heavy plating, well stiffened, extending for more than half the length of the vessel from the watertight bulkhead in front of the forward boiler-room, the inner skin being strongly connected to the outer shell by longitudinal plates and angles and specially strong connections at bulkheads and watertight divisions. The •space between the outer and inner shellg will be the width of the web frames at present in the ship, and this reinforced structure will run front the tank top, i.e., from the top of the double bottom, to a point well above the load water-line. In addition, an extra watertight bulkhead will be introduced, and several of the existing bulkheads carried right to the bridge deck. The additional strength and safety afforded by these methods will be easily appreciated, not only by experts, but also by the travelling public. Hitherto it was considered sufficient if a. vessel could float with any two compartments pierced; but the Olympic and Britannic, besides having this extra protection against serious damage, will be able to float with any six compartments flooded; and with these special provisions it is not considered within the possibility of chance that so many compartments could be in this condition. Still, eyen in the unlikely event of such happenings, the vessel would still float. The White Star Line and the builders, having given the matter the most earnest consideration, believe they have solved the problem of carrying the. precious human freight of these vessels in absolute safety, the enormous cost involved being ;reated as of minor importance.

It lws boon arranged for the Olympic to be sent to Belfast this winter for the necessary alterations, which will lirinjr ■lier in all respects np to the standard wliieh has ben decided upon for the Britannic, which vessel is now 111 the early stage of building on the stocks at Hariand and Wolff's vard at Belfast.

The Britannic, it will be seen, challenges comparison with the great Gorman liner Imperator, built at the Vulkan works, Hamburg, for the Hamburg-Amc-rika Line, and launched by the Kaiser. This vessel is also one of 511,001) tons, more than double the tonnage of the two vessels which were formerly the largest ships of the Haniburg-Amerika Company. The length of the Imperator is 300.84 yards, hc.r beam 32.7 yards, and depth 20 yards. She has a capacity for 4000 passengers and a crew of 1200, and there is to be boat accommodation for all on board, She is expected to make her maiden trip in the spring of next year. —Home paper.