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of two sets of cross compound, sin- gle reduction geared turbines, four oil-burning watertube boilers, and all necessary auxiliaries. Each set of turbines consists of one high pres- sure and one low pressure ahead turbine arranged in series, each driv- ing its own pinion through a flexible coupling, an each set has its own condensing plant, thus making two complete units. The ahead turbines are of the straight Parsons reaction type designed for saturated steam of 215 pounds gage pressure and for a total normal output of 8500 shaft horsepower at about 1800 revolu- tions per minute, with a continuous maximum of 9500 shaft horsepower. For astern use there are fitted in the exhaust end of the low pressure casings two three-bucket impulse wheels to give a total astern power of about 55 per cent of the ahead power at about two-thirds of the ahead revolutions. The turbines were built in the shops of the New- port News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co. The single reduction gears are of the double helical single plane type designed and built by the De- Laval Steam Turbine Co. and have a reduction ratio of about 11 to 1. Thrust bearings of the Kingsbury type are incorporated in the forward end of the gear casings. Each set of line shafting drives a solid man- ganese bronze four-bladed propeller 12 feet 6 inches diameter and 14 feet 6 inches pitch, which turns out- board when going ahead. High Vacuum Condensing Equipment The condensing plants were de- signed with particular reference to maintaining a high vacuum in the tropical waters in which the vessel will operate. There are two main condensers located outboard of the low pressure turbines, each having about 6650 square feet of cooling surface, arranged in two passes. Each condenser is served by a Warren ver- tical twin beam air pump 12 x 30 x 21 inches and one Wheeler radojet augmentor. Circulating water is sup- plied by a steam-driven centrifugal pump built by the shipbuilders to their own design and each of the two pumps is capable of delivering 11,000 gallons: per minuté at 25 feet head. For port use there is an aux- iliary plant consisting of a condenser with 1005 square feet of cooling surface, a 1000-gallon per minute centrifugal pump driven by a vertical Sturtevant engine, and a Warren ver- tical simplex air pump. Other engine room auxiliaries in- clude a Griscom-Russell Reilly two- pass feed water heater for single stage feed heating, and a Reilly evap- orator of 30 tons capacity. The main and auxiliary feed pumps, and in gen- eral all the principal pumps, are steam driven, vertical simplex re- 26 ciprocating type of Warren make. A few of the small pumps for fresh water service in port are motor driv- en. There are four main boilers of the Babcock & Wilcox standard ma- rine watertube type arranged in one fire room with the drums fore and aft for athwartship firing. The boilers are designed for 250 pounds working pressure and saturated steam, and have a total heating surface of about 28800 square feet. Each boiler is fit- ted with six Todd burners designed for burning oil under forced draft, the oil being heated in three Todd fuel oil heaters. Diamond soot blow- ers are fitted to each boiler. The up- takes from the four boilers combine into one stack. Forced Draft is Supplied Forced draft is supplied by two Sturtevant fans each having a ¢ca- pacity of about 35,000 cubic feet of air per minute. The fans are lo- cated on an elevated platform in the after end of the boiler room so as to draw air from the top of the fire- room and provide additional ventila- tion to the latter. The air is led through separate ducts under the fireroom floor to each boiler front. The fans are engine driven, the en- gines being located on a flat in the engine room and the shafts extend- ing through the bulkhead between the engine and boiler rooms. The keel of the FrLoripaA was laid on Sept. 2, 1930, and the vessel was launched on March 7, 1931, the spon- sor being Miss Leila Delano, daugh- ter of the executive vice president of the Atlantic Coast Line railway. On May 12 an extensive sea trial was given off the Virginia coast dur- ing which full speed runs were made in each direction between Chesa- peake and Winter Quarter light ves- sels. On these runs an average speed of about 21% knots was obtained. The results of the trails were very satisfactory to both the owner and the builder, the propelling and deck machinery functioning without a hitch of any kind and successfully meeting all tests. Immediately after delivery the Fiorwa sailed for Key West where she will enter into the Peninsular & Occidental Steamship Co.’s service and run in conjunction with the S. S. Cusa and S. S. Governor Coss. J. Saunders, vice president and general manager of the line, who took an active interest in the building of the vessel, making fre- quent visits to the shipyard while she was under construction, together with Carroll §. Smith, consulting en- gineer, and other representatives of the owner and the builder, accom- panied the vessel on the trip to Flor- ida. MARINE REVIEW—J une, 1931 The steady growth in the volume of passenger travel and the movement of freight between Cuba, and West In. dies, other Latin-American countries and the United States via the ports of Key West and Tampa has created a demand for increased transportation facilities. The building of the Frop. pA, therefore, at a cost exceeding $2. 600,000, is in accordance with the long established policy of the Penin- sular & Occidental Steamship Co. of keeping abreast of the times by pro. viding an adequate and especially sat- isfactory service for the many patrons of the line. The Peninsular & Occidental Steam- ship Co. was organized in 1900 and incorporated under the laws of the state of Connecticut. Its formation resulted from the merging of the Florida East Coast Steamship Co. then operatitng between Miami, Key West and Havana, and the Plant line operating between Port Tampa, Key West and Havana. For many years it also operated freight and passenger service between Miami and Nassau, but has now discontinued that service. When the Flagler system extended its line below Miami, the steamer line shortened its service to connect with the rail line at Knights Key instead of Miami. When the overseas exten- sion was built by the Flagler system into Key West in 1912, the steamer line again shortened its run to con- nect with the rail line at Key West instead of Knights Key. Its present service, therefore, is between Port Tampa, Key West and Havana. It is the pioneer line between Florida ports and Cuba and by reason of its depend- able year-around service has firmly es- tablished itself in popular favor for both freight and passengers between the United States and Cuba. Operate on Regular Schedule Passenger and freight ships are op- erated on regular published sched- ules, scrupulously maintained. Dur- ing the winter tourist season sailings between Key West and Havana are daily and between Port Tampa, Key West and Havana, four times per week. During the summer months there are five sailings per week be- tween Key West and Havana and two per week between Port Tampa, Key West and Havana. Terminal facilities at Key West are maintained jointly with the Florida East Coast railway and at Port Tam- pa with the Atlantic Coast Line rail- road. Direct shipside connection is made with through passenger trains to and from all points in the United States and Canada. Transfer of freight, express and the United States and foreign mails is also expedited by this direct shipside connection. Of the other steamships of the com- pany referred to above, the S. S. CUBA is a twin screw vessel, 342 feet long with a beam of 47 feet, speed, 17