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18 -and made fast at the upper deck of the vessel, The advantage of this arrange- ment is that after the launch these -hawsers can be let go, and the whole cradle fails away from the vessel and is lifted clear by the crane while she lies in the builder's fitting-out basin, whereas by the usual method of at- taching the cradle to the hull this can- not be removed until the vessel goes into dry dock. Up to date in every respect, Messrs. - Beardmore have replaced the old type of dog-shores by an ingenious electrical arrangement, connected to a series 'of interlocking levers, which release the triggers that hold the vessel until the signal is given that all is ready for launching. Two. separate triggers were placed on each side, each fitted with magnetic reply gear to indicate on the launching platform that the me- chanism had _ worked satisfactorily. The whole gear was controlled by means .of a miniature steering-wheel and standard placed on the launching- platform, and so adjusted that when the Countess of Aberdeen, who per- formed the, ceremony, gave the wheel one complete revolution, the triggers were released, and the vessel was free to run down the ways. A,powerful hy- draulic ram was placed at the for- ward end of the sliding ways on each side of the vessel, the cylinders being coupled to the same supply-pipe to en- sure equality of pressure. These rams Were fOr 'the purpose of. giv- me ihe. vessel a start if .she had not moved directly the triggers were released; but, in this instance they were unnecessary. The drags for checking the "way" on the ship after she had successfully taken the water were formed of chain cables; three piles being arranged on each side to come into play at suitable intervals. The total weight of drags employed was about 600 'tons, and their action in bringing the ship to rest was in ev- ery way Satisfactory. The. total time taken from the start until the vessel was actually clear of the ways was one minute 51 seconds. The newly acquired steamships Doric and Coptic are not only to henceforth sail under Pacific Mail Steamship Co.'s . colors, but are to be rechristened very soon. The Doric will be renamed the Asia, and the Coptic the Persia. For- mal application will be made shortly for a change in the names of these steamships, but owimg to the necessary red tape attending' the transfer it will ' probably be some time before the re- christening will take place. THE Marine REVIEW THE HASLAR FLOATING DOCK FOR SUBMARINE BOATS. There has just been constructed to the designs of Messrs. Clark & Stand- field by Messrs. Vickers Sons & Max- im, Ltd. Barrow-in-Furness a special "type of floating dock intended for sub- marine boats, which will, it is expected be an important addition to the re- sources of the Portsmouth dock yard. This dock, intended primarily for the use of submarines, is capable of pick- ing up any vessel of this class out of the water in half' an hour or there- current for working the pubis and capstans was obtained from a sub- marine moored a short distance away. The dock is of the double-sided type, and all the working arrangements are on one side. The motive power is elec- tricity conducted on board by cables laid on a hinged boom, one end of which is attached to a jetty and_ the other to the back of the dock. One very noticeable feature is the valve house, which, instead of being placed, as is usual, on the deck of the wall, is on top of the motor house, so that the 4 FLOATING DOCK FOR SUBMARINE BOATS AT PORTSMOUTH NAVY YARD. abouts. The length of the dock is 250 ft., the clear beam between the fenders is 32 ft., while the maximum depth of water over the blocks is 16 ft. These - dimensions are, of course, much larger than is required by any submarine, but it is also intended, if necessity arises, to utilize the dock for lifting destroyers and other small craft weighing not more than the lifting power of the dock, namely, 100 tons. The official trials of the craft have just been made, and the destroyer Ga- la, which had been reduced to a dis- placement of 500 tons, was selected as the trial vessel. By means of the dock's own appliances she was cen- tered, and berthed in about 20 minutes, no cutting or wedging up of shores being necessary, and in 28 minutes from the time she touched the blocks the keel of the Gala was out 'of the water, and in eight minutes more, the whole of the pontoon dock was above the surface. Owing to the supply from the power station not being available, dock master has an exceedingly good view of all that is going on without being interrupted by anyone going to and fro on the wall deck. On the op- posite wall to the valve house is a powerful traveling crane, which can plumb the center of the dock. This is worked by hand power, plenty of which is always available when a ves- sel is being repaired, when the dock is placed in its final position--that is, near Haslar, on the western side to the entrance to Portsmouth harbor--it will be moored between four dolphins, con- structed of ferro-concrete, and will be anchored in position by means of the hinged boom before referred to. The dock is fitted with all the usual labor- saving devices found on structures of this kind, and is admirably adapted for the work it has to do. One illustration which shows the dock being launched has been supplied to us by the build- ers, Messrs. Vickers Sons & Maxim, naval construction works, Barrow-in- Furness,