ATLANTIC SERVICE

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIII, Issue 24, 24 December 1932, Page 7

ATLANTIC SERVICE

WORLD’S BIGGEST LINER LAUNCH OF NORMANDIE. THE VESSEL DESCRIBED. At three o’clock on an afternoon in early November the biggest liner in tho world was launched at the mouth of the Loire, near Nantes. Mine. Lebrun, wife of the French President, broke the traditional bottle of champagne over the bows of the new monster and christened her Normandie, ■the 1 resident stood beside fhis wife on the special platform, which hgd been built up to the level of the liner’s prow, and with them were many other distinguished guests. The Minister of Marine (M. Georges Leygues) and the Minister of Mercantile Marine (M. Leon Mayerwill) were there, together with all the leading personages of the Compagnie Generate Iransatlantique (the French line) and the Penkoet shipyards. All St. Nazaire was up early this morning to see the arrival ’of ‘the President, for whom 300 marines formed a guard of honour. As soon as she was launched the great hull was towed into the dock, where she only remained a few hours, afterwards being taken to the great Penhoet dock, where she will be fitted, an operation that will last some eighteen months. . The huge size of the Normandie has necessitated the building of a new entrance to the port of St. Nazaire, modifications at Havre, and the building of a new landing stage at New York long enough to accommodate her. NORMANDIE’S DESCRIPTION.

The dual problems confronting the builders of the Normandie have been on the one hand to design engines of the greatest possible power and dependency, and on the other to build the ship with lines which would enable it to attain the greatest speed with a minimum of power, and consequently with a relatively low fuel consumption. To achieve this, more than 60 models were designed, all on different theories and with details of line, and were studied as they were propelled through the water of experimental tanks. Many months of experimenting eventually evolved the most perfect shape. Before this design was completed 7000 plans were drawn, taking five years of the skill of 25 expert designers, and giving work to 250 draughtsmen. - *

It was decided eventually that the Normandie should be built with a bulbous stem rather less pronounced than those of tlie German and Italian vessels. By increasing tlie flare on the ship’s sides it was found that by reason of the great height of the sides and the forecastle deck only exceptional waves will reach the qpper decks, and to ensure shelter in heavy weather the forecastle deck is covered by rounded sheathing and is clear of .ventilators —reminiscent of the bows of a submarine.

The hull is divided by eleven watertight bulkheads, and by longitudinal bulkheads parallel to tlie ship’s sides, thus forming a double shell over the engine-room and boilers. This hull, weighing about 30,000 tons, has required many exoeptionallv large and heavy forgings, and the total weight of the stern piece, for instance, exceeds 100 tons, and is built in two pieces. Jhe rudder post and rudder together weigh 125 tons, and the special steel used in its construction to lessen the tremendous weight, has a breaking stress of 40 tons per square inch. Despite the fact that electric welding was extensively used in the building of tlie hull, no fewer than 11,000,000 rivets have been used. PROPELLING MACHINERY.

Tlio propelling machinery consists ol four screws actuated by turbo-electric sets, each shaft developing over 40,000 s.h.p. and giving a total horse-power of over 160,000. It is the first French ship of large tonnage to bo fitted for electric propulsion. Four steam turbines will drive the four alternators, and the steam will be supplied by 29 water-tube boilers, each working at a pressure ol 4001bs to the square inch. The steam has a temperature of 350de C. In the turbo-alternator room are six turbodynamos delivering direct current at 220 volts, with a capacity of 60,000 amperes. This current is for the ship s auxiliary machines and for lighting, ventilating and various other purposes. The power of the propelling machinery is calculated to enable the ship in all weathers to make the voyage from Havre to New York, via Plymouth, in under five days, thus allowing for a trip in each direction inside a fortnight. Thus a weekly service which at present requires three ships can be maintained by two of the same type as the Normandie. This conforms to the fact that the great cost of high speed can only be balanced by higher earning power, and passenger capacity, where rates cannot be, is increased so that to have a speed such as the Normandie will have it is absolutely essential that the ship be of great dimensions. The speed of the ship is expected to be 28 knots. PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION. Of the eleven decks of the ship, live are continuous, and her passenger accommodation will provide for 930 firstclass passengers, 680 tourist class, and 560 third class, making a total complement with the 1320 ofiicers and crew of 3490. , The accommodation in all four classes luxe, first, tourist and third—is known’ to be a monument to French decorative art. The designing and laying out of the special saloons lias been done by the collaboration of a committee of leading French architects. The magnificent and lofty hall is the entire height of the ship, and is situated slightly forward amidships, where forms the nucleus of all the. public saloons. The promenade deck is almost entirely devoted to the large public saloons, among which, right forward, is a winter garden, reading room, and children’s play-room. Aft there is a special theatre, and a grand salon with smaller drawing-rooms adjoining, and a twostoreyed smoking-room, the upper one on the sun deck. As an extension of this room on the sundeck is a glass shelter cafe terrnsse looking astern, and laid with a special dance floor. The upper decks are devoted to sport and * ea The decoration, flooring and lighting combined novelty with more than traditional lavish ness. In tlio luxe and first-classes, which arc fitted with a sumptuousness comparable only to a royal palace, fs a magnificent swimming pool with a bar and gymnasium adjoining. The ventilation has been the result of very careful study, and equable temperatures are maintained in all the passenger quarters. OTHER GREAT SHIPS.

The only British liner to challenge the Normandie in size is the uncompleted Cunarder, whose overall length is exceeded by some nine feet and its tonnage by 2,‘000. Work on the Cunarder, which 'is building on the Clyde, has now been suspended for many months, and there is still no sign of its being 1 British liner afloat is tlio White Star liner Majestic (56,621

tons), but with the Cunarder Berengaria (52,226 tons) was built before the war' in Germany. The largest ship ever built in Polfast was the first Britannic, which had a gross tonnage of 48,000, and the largest Belfast-huilt afloat is the Olympic (46,439 tons). The liner projected by the White Star Line, and which if over ordered will bo built in Belfast, is to be of GO,OOO tons. THE SHIP’S DIMENSIONS. Length over all 1,027 ft. Oin. Length between perpendiculars 963 ft. Cin. Beam at main deck 117 ft. 9in. Beam at promenade deck 119 ft. 6in. Moulded depth 91ft. 4in. Height Oin. Draft 36ft. mi. Displacement (tons) 67,500 Deadweight (tons) 12,000 Approximate gross tonnage 75,000