OUR GIANT HUN SHIP.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 May 1920, Page 12

OUR GIANT HUN SHIP.

IMPERATOR REACHES SOUTHAMPTON. The Imperator. Hip second largest vessel yet completed, (looked at Southampton 011 Sunday, December 21, after her first trip across the Atlantic under the British flnir. ''lmperator, Hamburg," still sprawls across lu-r stern in great letters, but the Red Ensign is at the main. She-is one of the vessels surrendered by the Germans after the armistice. Southampton's dock berths are built on a spacious scale, but no single one could accommodate this vessel. Two had to be allocated, and then it took the cleverest seamen in the employ of the Cimard Company to get her safely alongside without mishap. Horded by six fussing tugs, the liner approached the dock-mouth just before 10 a.m. A south-west gale caught and slowed the ship just as the tugs had manoeuvred her into position for entering the dock stem first. The tugs pulled and pushed, and one little vessel, gettinc foul of a hawser, had its bridge-railing smashed, lifeboat davits swept away, and funnel damaged. More hawsers were run out, but two brand-new manilla ropes snapped like threads, and a steel hawser broke under the strain. Still more hawsers were run ashore and eventually, held head and stern by about 20 cables, the Imperator came safely to rest at the quayside, though missing the pier head by only about flft. The first living thing to come ashore was the ship's black-and-white cat, which, totally unmoved by the "shooings" of the bystanders, made for happy hunting grounds in the dock warehouses.

This was the end of what many passengers described as an adventurous voyage. They told of how one morning when well out in the Atlantic, and with the weather all that could be desired, the ship took on a very noticeable list to port. Rut the captain (Captain C. A. Smith, C'.B r E„ R.N.R., late captain of the Aquitania) denied that anything untoward had occurred, and, apart from slow steaming due to bad-quality American coal, the voyage was quite uneventful. "Of course," he said, "she wants overhauling." These were the only reasons he advanced for the ship being four days iate. She took 11 days to do a voyage she was expected to do in seven. There were 3777 persons on hoard—--082 were crew, 500 saloon passangers, 530 second class,. and 1680 third class. When the Imperator was built the exKaiser selected her for his pleasure trips and a special suite was built for him. There was great competition for this •suite, even at £IOOO. but the company would not lease it. Owing to a mishap in his own suite Prince Michel Murat was transferred to the Emperor's suite for the last three day 9 of the trip. Owing to the shortage of clerical staff in the vessel'the offers of help by raloon passengers, both men and women, headed by Mr. Ernest G. Sehiff, the millionnaire, were gratefully accepted. The Imperator was "dry," as the American authorities refused to relense (iny intoxicants from bon<). Among the eatables consumed on the voyage were:

Meat, 75,0001b. Fish, 27.7001b. Tea, 'l4oolb. Coffee, 25001b. Sugar, lfi.OOOlb.' Fruit, 480011). Jam, 25001b. Flour, 107.8001b. Potatoes, 80 tons. Eggs, 80,000. Fowls, 80-1 Chickens, 1400. Squabs, 2500. Turkeys,'4oo. fieesc, 108. Sausages, 50001b. Milk, 2000 gallons; Ice cream, 2500 boxes. LARGEST LTNER AT WORK. WONDERFUL SWIMMING BATH.

The Impcrator, r>2,000 tons, the largest liner in commission, was formerly owned by the German Hamburg-Amerika Company. Under the terms of the nrmistice she was surrendered to the Allies, nnd temporarily lianded over to the tTnited States Shipping Board for the transport of troops. While the Peace Conference were deciding on the disposal of the liner there was a proposal that she be given to the United States as compensation for the Clerman-Ameriean tankers allotted to Fiance and Great Britain. 'Eventually the United States delegates gave way on this point, nnd shl? has been handed over to Great Britain. The Cunnrd Line is working her for the Ministry nf Shipping. Owing to eoal shortage and other troubles the liner was idle in New York Harbor for 124 days, while the United States paid .£2OOO a day rent for the wharf at which she was docked.

Thc launching of the Impcrator on Mav ■-!:!. 1!)I2. by the ev-Kaiser, was l.vf-ceded hv Mv"'nl hitches. Her trial trin was dclaveil more, than a year. \\ hen the vessel did start, however, she made the journey from Hambiirr to New York in six days and five hours. She has a woi/.ci'ful swimming hath, copied from one at the Roval Automobile Club, and extraordinarily largo lounges and restaurants,