The “Finland”
The largest vessel ever built in this country was the “Finland,” recently launched at Cramp’s shipyard in Philadelphia. Her length is 580 feet, while the width and depth are 60 and 42 feet respectively. The gross tonnage is 12,000 tons, or about 400 tons greater than either the “St. Paul” or “St. Louis,” the next largest vessels built by Cramps. The “Finland” will make her first transatlantic voyage early in the year 1903.
The “Great Eastern,” constructed some fifty years ago, had a length of 680 feet, and was finally destroyed for the reason that she was too large for ordinary use. The advance in the science of steam navigation, however, has been so great since that time that shipbuilders no longer have any fear of making vessels too large for use.