The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

448 Shipbuilding at Low Ebb _ Few British shipyards are working but the recent placing of orders for new vessels indicates a betterment of the position. At Sunderland orders are reported to have been placed for several oil carriers and two vessels which have remained only partly con- structed for many months are to be completed. This is due in a _ great degree to the efforts by employers and employes to fix up terms which would enable a large quantity of sus- pended work to be completed. Referring to the present position in shipbuilding at the launching of the Fernmoor from the Howden shipyard of the Northumberland Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. Sir Alexander M. Kennedy, the managing director, pointed out that today it was universally recognized that there could be no revival in the industry unless costs were brought into . close relationship with market values. ; Sacrifices by both shipbuilders and shipyard workers have been made during the last 18 months. Empty berths paid neither employers nor workmen, but with the former willing MARINE REVIEW to make great sacrifices and the latter agreeing to reductions in wages, there was still hope of arriving at a basis which would enable those shipowners, who desired to have new and _ up-to- date tonnage ready for the general trade revival, to place orders. With the further effort that was about to be made they fully expected to reach a point that would attract new orders. Sir Summers Hunter, speaking on behalf of the builders of the FERNMooR, expressed the opinion that better con- ditions now prevailed. He had confi- dence in the future, for the shipbuild- ing trade was well organized and was prepared to compete with the world. with when + there is a_ better basis regard to the cost of production. Philip Runciman provided an_ in- teresting review of working costs. which could not be cut any lower than they were at present. The rates for freights to the River Plate were. 9s 6d to 10s 6d per ton before the. war and today shipowners were only getting 14s 6d. For the return journey the prewar rates were 18s at about 2s per man per day, but at to: 22s, and today the rate was 18s 6d. In prewar days they could feed a, ship. November, 1922 present the cost was 4s per man. In these times unless shipping companies were efficiently organized they could not make ends meet, he said. With regard to a trade revival, Mr. Runciman confessed he was a_ pessi- mist. With the present supply of tonnage, and with Central Europe neither giving nor receiving he could not see how a big revival in trade could be expected. An indication of a brighter period for British shipping is also provided by the announcement that Smith’s Dock Co. Middles- brough, has secured an order to build six powerful tugs and two large trawlers. Plans Barge Line Service E. A. Woodward, president of Chad- wick, Weir & Company, Ltd., Buenos Aires, reports that the republic of Ar- gentina will establish barge, service similar to the Mississippi-Warrior lines on the Plate, the Parana and the Para- guay rivers where the distances are about the same as on the Mississippi- Warrior streams. Mr. Woodward’s company represents the Mississippi Shipping Co.’s Delta line at Buenos Aires. ) Launches Last of Five Britigh Panes oil carriers for the British Tank- er Co, Ltd, Messrs. William Beardmore & Co., Ltd., recently launched the British MercHant. The four earlier launchings were of the BritisH ENTER- PRISE, BritisH TRADER, BRITISH INDUS- try and British Commerce, all of 6000 gross tons. The British MERCHANT is slightly larger. ' All except the British TRADER were constructed in the new 4-berth extension to the Dalmuir shipyard, and it was the launching of the British ENTERPRISE which signaled the opening of this ex- tension on Oct. 18, 1921. The British MercHant is 440 feet between perpendiculars and 57 feet beam, a molded depth of 33 feet 11 inches, draft of 26 feet 6 inches, 10,000 tons deadweight and 11% knots speed. She is of steel and is framed throughout on the transverse system. She is of the 2-deck type, with poop, bridge and fore- castle, has straight stem, elliptical stern, and two pole masts. The engines and boilers are fitted aft, oil compartments amidships and small cargo hold forward, under which bunker oil or water ballast may be carried. Accommodation for the captain and officers has been arranged on the bridge and upper bridge, for the engineers on the poop and for the crew in the forecastle, with separate mess eee ies oades “Gi <tve rooms for them on the deck below. The vessel is fitted primarily for carry- ing oil of low. specific gravity, and every precaution has been taken to en- sure safety when carrying such inflam- mable cargo. Capacity has been provided for about 9500 tons of light oil in 20 compartments carried up to the main deck, with expansion trunks to the upper deck and side tanks between the main and upper decks. The pump room is fitted amidships and in this space are installed two duplex oil pumps, each cap- able of discharging 300 tons per hour, through two main lines of 14-inch pipe. The discharges are arranged so pumps can deliver on each side of the vessel, through transverse deck pipes or stern discharge pipes. Additional 6-inch barge suctions are fitted so that pumps can draw from barges and deliver into all tanks, the pumps working simultaneously. A permanent pipe line is fitted from up- per deck for steaming out tanks or fire extinguishing. Pumps are also _ fitted forward. for handling the forward bunker oil and transferring it to the main bunker aft, or discharging the water ballast un- der the forward hold. The steering gear is of the electro: hydraulic type, controlled by a telemotor of latest type. All the other auxiliary machinery is steam driven: and includes windlass, winches, dynamo, capstan, etc., and a small refrigerating plant is in- stalled in the engine room for the cool- ing of meat and vegetable chambers which have about 850 cubic feet capacity. The propelling machinery consists of one set of compound turbines driving double , reduction gearing of the 3-box design. Steam is supplied by three single ended cylindrical boilers, each of 15 feet 9 inches mean diameter by 12 feet at a working pressure of 150 pounds per square inch. All the boilers are oil fired, and are fitted with forced draught ar- rangements. The British ComMerce ran her trials shortly before the British MERCHANT was launched. In design and arrangement the British ComMMERcE is similar to the larger British MercHant, from which she differs only in the following partic- ulars: The propelling machinery consists of one set of triple expansion engines, 23, 36, and 58-inch bore respectively, with a stroke of 42 inches. Steam is supplied by two single ended cylindrical boilers, each 14 feet 6 inches mean diameter by 12 feet 3 inches at a working pressure of 180 pounds per square inch. A donkey boiler, 10 feet 6 inches by 10 feet 6 inches is also fitted with the same working pressure. A complete equipment of auxiliaries is pro- vided.