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134 IS THERE A LIMIT OF SIZE FOR SHIPS.* By Sir Wittiam H. WHITE. pos questions asked by dock and harbor authorities of ship builders and ship owners are: Will there ever be an end to progress in dimensions of ships? Is there an upper limit of size for ships? These are questions not easy to ati- swer definitely. From the point of view of naval architects there need be no such limit, provided the necessary out- lay is faced by ship owners and_ the necessary accommodation provided by port authorities. Higher speeds and greater carrying capacities can and will be obtained by naval architects, if they are demanded by ship owners. In my opinion the question is one to be an- swered by ship owners rather than ship builders; the decision will be based on commercial grounds and not on profes- sional considerations, Already it has happened that the con- struction of the Lusitania and Maure- tania has been made possible by state subsidies and financial: aid, granted on national grounds and for the public ad- vantage. It may be doubted. whether these vessels will be surpassed by oth- ers in speed and cost, unless similar state aid is obtained. In saying this I am not overlooking the action of the White Star line in adding the Olympic and Titanic to their fleet. These ves- sels differ essentially from the swift Cunarders, for a sea speed of 20°'to 21 knot, will probably require little more than half the engine power and coal, and wiil possess immensely greater cargo carry- ing capacity. It has been stated that the cost of each of these ships will ap- proach £1,500,000 sterling, which is sensibly less than the actual cost of the great Cunarders; the less speed and coal bill will correspondingly reduce _ work- ing expenses and cost--of- maintenance; the greater carrying capacity must lead to increased freight earning capability, if the cargoes can be secured and handled promptly so as to shorten the periods of stay in port. The Olympse and Titanic, in fact, really constitute new and splendid examples of the so- called: "intermediate" type, in the devel- opment of which Bruce Ismay, and his colleagues of the White Star line, . to- gether with Lord Pirrie and. Messrs. Harland & Wolff, have played so great a part. It may be assumed that these gentlemen have not embarked on the *An extract from the presidential addres * . . s of Sir William Henry White, honorable pres- ident of the Hartley University College Engi- neering Society, Southampton, Jan. 29. A910: "can ic made to pay a dividen because they are~ designed © Tae Marine REVIEW construction of these great steams without full consideration of all the conditions and the conviction that they : d on the huge outlay involved. It is equally cer- tain that e-eat depth of water must be secured at the terminal ports frequented | by vessels uf such great size, if they are to utilize fully their freight earn- ing capacity. j Future increase in the dimensions of merchant ships will, in my judgment, be limited and decided by commercial con- siderations and not by the possibilities of ship building and marine engineer- ing. On the side of ship owners the question of earning dividends, after making proper allowance for deprecia- tion in the book value of steamships, is and must be the governing consider- ation, unless state aid comes into play. and such aid will be altogether excep- the side of dock owners and port authorities also commercial considerations must be operative, and it is quite conceivable that there may be a refusal to incur the large expense which would be required to meet the requirements of ships which would be altogether exceptional in dimensions. It is a matter of common knowledge that even in existing circumstances the largest merchant ships not unfrequently fail to obtain full cargoes, or to utilize their maximum freight earning capacity. Only when exceptionally favorable con- ditions prevail are these vessels fully laden; and the collection of full cargoes for such vessels is not an easy matter, requiring the creation and maintenance of extensive and expensive organiza- tional. On - tions even on special trade routes be- tween first-class ports. If vessels re- main in ports for long periods.in order to embark or discharge full cargoes, their earning power must be prejudiced considerably. Although it is universal- ly true that the cost of sea transport is reduced when it is conducted in ves- sels of larger dimensions, provided that full cargoes are always carried, it may well happen that in the actual conditions of everyday service--except in special trades--vessels of' comparatively mod- erate dimensions may prove more re- munerative investments to ship owners than the largest class would be, seeing that they are so 'frequently far from fully laden. It is true that many ex- isting steamships cannot Ioad down to the draught marks sanctioned by the beard of trade because the depth of water in the ports they frequent does ROL permit. them to do so. On the other hand, it is practically certain that the occasions are few on which they could secure cargoes which would cor- respond to their legal load lines, even hips - April, 1919 if there were no limits of, depth of water at the ports. If speeds are to be still further increased, it would un- doubtedly be of great advantage {, naval architects to have a greater mar- gin of draught of-water than is now available at most of the principal Ports; and if such a margin is not Provided. the lengths and costs of ships must he . made greater. From this brief state. ment of the case it will be seen, there. fore, that the settlement of what a¢. commodation ought to be provided jn harbors and. docks is not a simple mat- ter or one to be decided only on the basis of what» would best: suit- the ship "builder, the ship owner, or the port ay. thorities. Their individual interests are diverse and to some extent conflicting; the case is one for"conference and mu- tual concession; and the future devel. opments of ships and harbors are like- ly to be governed finally by considera- tions of the balance of commercial ad. vantage to the whole community. A NEW NELSON LINER. The Highland Laddie, the latest-ad- dition to the fleet of Messrs. H. and W. Nelson, will prove a notable addi- tion insthe link of steam communica- ticn between -England and _ South Ametica, She 'has. been built ie Messrs. Cammell, Laird & Co, a@ Birkenhead and Sheffield, and is the first of four steamers of a similar type with which Messrs. Nelson have en- trusted the Mersey side firm. - Inci- dentally, her construction shows what the Mersey can do in the way of ex- peditious construction of -- high-class specialized steamers. The keel plate of the Highland Laddie was laid down in March of 1909. The hull was launched at the end of October of the same year, and on March 5, 1910, the vessel was ready to run her trials. The Highland Laddie is a handsome steel screw steamer of the following dimensions: Length, 420 ft.; beam, 56 ft.; depth of shelter deck, 37 ft. 6 in.; gross tonnage, 7,500 tons; . indi- cated horse power, 4,600. Externally she presents a striking picture, the lines of the hull and the imposing deck erections of the passenger ac- commodation, the massive funnel and tapering masts giving her a handsome and yacht-like appearance. The ship has been built to the requirements of the Board of Trade and the highest class of Lloyd's Register. There are complete orlop, main, up- per and shelter decks of steel, 'the Of lop deck aft forming crown of tunnel. A cellular double bottom runs all fore and aft. There are three holds fot