Modern shipbuilding and the men engaged in it

by David Pollock

The early steamers of the Cunard Line possessed an average speed of 8½ knots, and took about 15 days for the voyage. Through the Collins rivalry the speed was increased to an average of 12½ knots, and the time for crossing the Atlantic was reduced to 12 days 9 hours outwards, and 11 days 11 hours homewards. In 1856, the powerful paddle-steamer Persia (the first iron vessel built for the Cunard Company) was placed on the service, and attained an average speed of about 13 knots, consuming 150 tons of coal per day. She made the distance between Queenstown and New York, on an average, in 10½ days. In 1862 the Scotia, belonging to the same company, made the passage in 9 days.

Coming down to more recent times, the White Star Line, with its steamships Britannic and Germanic, built in 1874 and 1875 respectively, held for a considerable period first place in the matter of fast steamships. The vessels named were, however, in time beaten by the newer ships Gallia, of the Cunard Line, and Arizona, of the Guion Line. As illustrating the speed at which the vessels named accomplished the transatlantic voyage—between Queenstown and New York—the following brief list, compiled from published records, of fast runs out and home during the period 1875-1881, may here be given:—

Vessels.	Out.				Home.
	Date.	Time.			Date.	Time.
		D.	H.	M.		D.	H.	M.
Britannic,	Aug., 1877,	7	10	50	——	——
Britannic,	May, 1879,	7	13	7	May, 1880,	7	19	22
Germanic,	Oct., 1880,	7	13	0	Nov., 1881,	7	17	34
City of Berlin,	Oct., 1877,	7	14	12	Oct., 1875,	7	15	48
City of Berlin,	Oct., 1880,	7	20	32	Sep., 1879,	7	19	23
City of Richmond,	Oct., 1880,	8	0	0	July, 1879,	8	3	52
Gallia,	May, 1879,	7	22	50	May, 1881,	7	18	50
Arizona,	Sep., 1881,	7	8	32	Sep., 1881,	7	7	48

When the success of vessels of the size of the Arizona and the Gallia was made apparent, it was decided by the Cunard Company to build a larger and faster ship than previous ones. Accordingly, in the autumn of 1880, specifications were issued to some of the leading shipbuilding firms, asking them to tender for the construction of a vessel of 500 feet in length, 50 feet beam, and 40 feet depth. At the suggestion of Messrs J. & G. Thomson, who were successful in securing the contract for this remarkable vessel, the dimensions were increased to 530 feet by 52 feet by 44 feet 9 inches. With these dimensions, and with mild steel as the constructive material, the new vessel—the Servia—was thereafter proceeded with in Messrs Thomson’s establishment.

The Guion line, not to be left behind, placed the order for a vessel of the dimensions first proposed for the Servia, with Messrs John Elder & Co., but, in order to be faster than the Servia, the weight-carrying was considerably reduced, and the boiler power much increased. The wisdom of this step has been justified by the now generally received opinion that these fast steamers should not carry such heavy cargoes as the slower ones. This new vessel for the Guion line was the Alaska, now justly noted for her fast runs across the Atlantic.

The Inman Company also decided not to lag behind, and as soon as the conditions of the design of the Servia had been fixed, they placed the order for a ship—the City of Rome—with the Barrow Shipbuilding Company, intended to be larger, finer, and faster. Expectations as to speed and carrying powers were not in her case fulfilled, and the result of the dissatisfaction which this occasioned, was, that the City of Rome changed ownership, Messrs Henderson Brothers, of Anchor Line fame, coming into possession. In the hands of its new owners, the City of Rome was re-arranged internally, and her boiler power was considerably augmented, while her engines also were thoroughly revised. When first built, the vessel was fitted with engines of 8500 horse-power. As revised, they indicate 12,000 the acquisition being largely due to the fitting of four additional boilers. The results which have accrued from the extensive alterations made are such as to have firmly established the vessel in a foremost place in the Atlantic service.

The performances of the vessels named have been the subject of considerable interest to all concerned in shipping affairs, and to the public generally. The following table of fast passages accomplished during the past two years by these vessels has been compiled from published records, and from information supplied by the shipowning companies:—

Names of Vessels.	Out.				Home.
	Date.	Time.			Date.	Time.
		D.	H.	M.		D.	H.	M.
Alaska,	April, 1882,	7	4	32	June, 1882,	6	22	0
Do.,	May, 1882,	7	7	0	Sep., 1882,	6	21	48
Do.,	May, 1882,	7	4	10	Jan., 1883,	6	23	42
Servia,	Jan., 1882,	7	8	13	——	——
Do.,	Aug., 1883,	7	6	0	——	——
City of Rome,	May, 1883,	7	12	16	June, 1883,	7	7	4
Do.,	June, 1883,	7	4	56	July, 1883,	7	2	19
Do.,	Aug., 1883,	6	22	6	Aug., 1883,	6	21	4
Do.,	Sep., 1883,	7	3	0	Sep., 1883,	6	23	24

An addition to the list of competitors was made in the Aurania, built by Messrs Thomson in 1882, and tried in June, 1883, when she attained a mean speed of 17¾ knots, and showed herself not unequal to a maximum speed of 18½ knots under circumstances ordinarily favourable. An untoward and serious accident to her machinery laid the Aurania aside just as her capabilities in actual service were being shown. It is during the “passenger season” that the qualities of these transatlantic steamers are best brought out, and it remains with the season which has just begun, to demonstrate to the full the Aurania’s powers.

A similar remark applies to the Oregon, a still more recent competitor from the same stocks as the Alaska, whose dimensions correspond with those of the Alaska, except in respect to breadth, the first-named vessel having 3-ft. 6-in. more beam than the latter, the figures being—length over all, 520-ft.; breadth, 54-ft.; depth, 40-ft. 9-in. Extra power of engines to the extent of nearly 3000 horses indicated has been fitted in the Oregon. On the occasion of her speed trial on the Clyde she ran the distance between Ailsa Craig and Cumbrae Head—-29½ nautical miles—in 1 hour 20 minutes, or about equal to 20 knots per hour. This was attained with the engines indicating 12,382 horse-power and making 62 revolutions per minute, the steam pressure being 110-lbs. per square inch. This result was doubtless attained under conditions more favourable to speed than the vessel is, as a rule, likely to meet with in actual service; and, as has been indicated, it still remains with the future to determine how far the aims of the owners and builders of the Oregon are realised.[1]