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enactment of the Jones-White act. Other countries have realized this con- dition, as is evidenced by the number of high-speed passenger and freight vessels for overseas’ transportation which they have built. It will prob- ably take many years before we, as a nation, reach a parity in this im- portant respect. “The most appropriate way of ap- proaching the subject of developments in naval architecture in the past year is to speak of the BREMEN, which startled the world last June by her record-breaking voyage from Cher- bourg to Ambrose light ship in 4 days, 17 hours and 42 minutes, with an average speed across the Atlantic of 27.83 knots. Everyone was _ in- terested to know how this was accom- plished, and immense crowds of people visited the ship in New York, thousands of them out of curiosity, undoubtedly, but many of them techni- cal men who looked over the vessel with critical eyes. The contract for the BREMEN gave the de- signers and the builders a wide latitude in the de- sign of the hull and ma- chinery. After extensive model tests a fine and special form of hull with carefully designed lines and an apparently small block coefficient was adopted. The dominant feature of the BREMEN’S design of the fore-body is her bulbous bow. This idea is not a new one, as it has been used ad- vantageously for some years in this country to reduce resistance and is now being adopted by European designers. A modified Maier form of lines was adopted for’ the after-body, where also particular at- tention apparently has been given to the stern with its very steep bossings. An unusual feature is the aperture in front of the rudder post and the adoption of the peculiar shaped rud- der post which fairs in with the Oertz streamline type of rudder. “The omission of the customary bilge keels has been compensated for by the installation of anti-rolling tanks on the Frahm principle. Wind resistance, which at high speeds amounts to a very substantial amount, has also received consideration, as the forward end of the immense super- structure has been given a streamline shape and the stacks have been made of modified aerofoil shape and are cut off short. Her plating, unlike that generally employed in ship construc- tion, is lapped forward instead of aft below the waterline. Such a prac- tice is said to push the water away from the side of the ship, thus re- ducing the eddy resistance. There is no doubt that the form of hull and superstructure adopted represents a very considerable saving over’ the usual form in the horsepower required to attain her speed. The use of high tensile steel throughout has resulted in a considerable saving in weight with a corresponding saving in power. Ship designers and _— shipbuilders throughout the world will doubtless adopt many of these features in the construction of high-speed passenger vessels in the future. Turbine Electric Liner Santa Clara for the Grace Line Launched at New York Shipbuilding Co., Camden, N. J., Nov. 14 Developments in Marine Engineering “In the past year a number of very important problems have been carried further in their development. One of the most important of these, from the owner’s standpoint, is the continued improvement in fuel con- sumption of large ships. In the past year several large passenger ships have gone into service which are op- erating at fuel oil consumptions which a few years ago were unheard of and would have been considered impossible. This excellent showing is due pri- marily to. the use of higher steam pressures and superheat. In fact, in all large passenger vessels now con- templated with steam machinery it is proposed to use high pressures and superheat so that the total tempera- MARINE REVIEW—December, 1929 ture of the steam is close to 700 degrees Fahr., this being about the limit which the present materials in contact with the steam will stand. “The internal-combustion engine has been extensively used, and improved types are being developed. The elec- tric drive has been tested out further in merchant service and has_ been found very efficient and reliable. The use of pulverized coal has had quite an impetus, and several new ships constructed especially to use this fuel have been delivered. These vessels operate on considerably lower fuel consumption than hand-fired boilers, but a much greater saving is made due to the use of cheaper grades of coal and the saving in fire-room force. The past year has witnessed trials of our two large airplane carriers, the LEXINGTON and SARATOGA. While these vessels were de- signed for a speed of 33 knots with 180,000 horse- power, the LEXINGTON made a maximum speed of 1% knots in excess of this and developed over 200,000 horsepower. I believe we are safe in saying that this is the fastest ship for her size . ever constructed by any country in the world. The combination of recipro- cating engines and low- pressure turbines_ has progressed by several in- stallations with a large saving in fuel over re- ciprocating engines alone. There is considerable ac- tivity in the field of watertube boilers of the express type. In _ the building of high-speed passenger vessels, sav- ing in weight is of the utmost importance and this has led designers and builders of boilers to strive for reduction in weight and higher efficiency. Safety of Passengers and Ships “The year 1929 has witnessed im- portant steps in increasing the safety of passengers at sea and of ships and cargo. The international conference on safety of life at sea held in Lon- don last April evolved definite rules covering such vitally important sub- jects as the watertight subdivision of ships, bulkhead and shell openings, fire-resisting bulk-heads, stability, life- saving appliances, fire detection and extinction devices, radiotelegraphy, and safety of navigation. The recommen- dations of this international conference have not yet been adopted, but I hope they soon will be, as the effect will, 19