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

construction as compared with 52 per cent ae the end of June. No shipowner, ship operator or naval archi- tect in considering the type of power for a new ship can well ignore the fact that in Great Britain and Ireland 162,721 gross tons of mo- torships were under construction at the end of September as compared with 254,664 gross tons in other types of power. A comparison of the motorship construction under way in Great Britain and Ireland and the United States with its 13,007 gross tons at the end of September, showing the weakness of the latter in this type of power, is strik- ingly emphasized in the character of the Amer- ican diesel vessels illustrated and described in the following pages. What are the reasons for this apparent lack of interest in this type of power in larger vessels? The answer is not simple. One important factor enters into the question. Practically no cargo ships have been laid down in the United States for several years. When the time comes, as it soon must come, for building cargo liners, diesel power . will be given careful consideration. In the meantime, without any marine or- ders for larger powered engines, the leading American builders of diesel engines have been 3 gaining in experience and in efficiency in build- ing this type of power through the demands of industry for economical power ashore. For successful application it is necessary for all parties concerned, shipowner, shipbuilder, - naval architect and marine engineer and the :. builder of the engine, to work together with 3 unity of desire to overcome all difficulties. Choice Should be Based on Results HE diesel engine manufacturer is compet- ing with the builder of steam machinery for _the decision of the ship owner. The decision of the owner should be freely made solely on _the basis of performance which with the same care and effort in operation will produce for him the greatest revenue. This simple state- ment covers a multitude of complicated facts which the engine builder, the shipowner with his naval architect, and the shipbuilder must : carefully consider in complete harmony and _ €0-operation without heat or prejudice. Though produce the most perfect practical engine pos- sible, he must also have a correct appreciation of the problems of the shipowner and his naval architect and the shipbuilder when it comes to choosing the propelling power in any case. From the records it is apparent that in the the primary function of the engine builder is to — MARINE Review—November, 193.1 lesser powers from 1000 horsepower down the diesel engine is finding widespread acceptance in all types of commercial craft in the United States. For years, in MARINE REvirw in the April issue an accurate analysis has been pre- sented on types of motive power in commer- cial vessels of steel above 100 feet in length. This analysis in the last April issue showed that out of 130 vessels in this category under con- struction in some stage during the calendar year 1930, no less than 60 units had the diesel engine as primary power. During the year 1929 out of 145 vessels, 80 units had the diesel engine as primary power. This is definite proof that about 50 per cent in number of ves- Sels built in the United States are being reg- ularly equipped with diesel power. The pro- portion for 1931 is likely to be the same. 3 But this is not the whole story, the gross tonnage and horsepower give an entirely dif- ferent aspect. The 130 vessels listed as under construction in 19380, represents a total gross tonnage of 520,313 while the 60 units with diesel power account for only 131,303 gross tons or about 25 per cent. The total horse- power in the 130 vessels amounted to 508,052, whereas the total horsepower of the 60 vessels with diesel power amounted to only 64,495, or 12.65 per cent. There is no reason to think that these proportions will be materially changed when the records for 1931 are worked out. These figures, therefore, present the true position at the present time of diesel power in marine propulsion in the United States. In units so powered the comparison is favorable with other nations, but it is clearly evident that we do not begin to approach any of the other nations in the use of the diesel engine when we consider the size of vessel and amount of power. The average horsepower per unit in the new construction during 1930 is only 1075. Taking Stock of European Popularity S A nation the United States cannot afford to ignore the significance of the popularity of the diesel engine in the merchant marine of other nations. Copying what other people do has not been a characteristic of Americans, and even the world must admit that they have done pretty well in pursuing their own engineering developments along original lines. — It is. n0t good sense, however, to completely ignore what the other fellow is doing and what his reasons for so doing may be. We cannot dismiss with indifference the threat to our competing posi- tion on the seas of the diesel engine in the hands of our European and British rivals. 21