THE “GEORGE WASHINGTON.”
From a Photograph. By permission of the Norddeutscher Lloyd Co., Bremen.
THE “BERLIN.”
From a Photograph. By permission of the Norddeutscher Lloyd Co., Bremen.
The George Washington, which is seen steaming ahead in the illustration herewith, was the first of the Norddeutscher Lloyd steamers to make a considerable advance on the 20,000 tons (registered) limit. In length, breadth and tonnage she was launched as the biggest of all German ships, and some of her details are not without interest. Her speed of 18½ knots is obtained by two engines with an indicated horse-power of 20,000, and her gross register is 26,000 tons. She is propelled by twin-screws, and was built of steel according to the highest German standards, with five steel decks extending from end to end, a double bottom, which is divided up into twenty-six water-tight compartments, while the ship herself is divided by thirteen transverse bulkheads which reach up to the upper deck, and sometimes to the upper saloon deck, and separate the vessel into fourteen water-tight compartments. A special feature was made in the bulkheads to render them of such a strength as to be able to resist the pressure of the water in the event of collision. The three upper decks seen in the photograph show the awning, the upper promenade, and the promenade-decks; while, as in the Mauretania and her sister, and in the Adriatic, electric lifts are installed for the convenience of the passengers wishing to pass from one deck to the other. The four pole-masts are of steel, and have between them no fewer than twenty-nine derricks. The George Washington’s engines are of the quadruple-expansion type, with two sets of four cylinders, the propellers being two three-bladed, made of bronze. The difficulty with large reciprocating engines has always been to cause them to work without giving forth considerable vibration. But the careful arrangement of the cranks of the engine so as to balance each other tends to neutralise the vibration. It is easier to balance four cranks than three, and in this German ship the four-crank principle is followed. Steam is supplied by four single-ended and eight double-ended boilers, the Howden draught system being employed.
The Berlin, the other latest modern liner of the Norddeutscher Lloyd Line, will be seen in [the next illustration]. Unlike her sister, she has been given only two masts, and [in another illustration], in a later chapter, we show this ship under construction. She was recently built at Bremen for the Mediterranean to New York service, and carries 3,630 persons, inclusive of crew. Like other modern German liners, this vessel is handsomely furnished, and the public rooms are all united in a deckhouse lighted by a large number of cupola-shaped sky-lights. She has a registered tonnage of 19,200 gross, and in the Norddeutscher fleet ranks next after the Kaiser Wilhelm II. She passed into the hands of her owners at the end of 1909.
THE “LAURENTIC” ON THE STOCKS.
From a Photograph. By permission of Messrs. Harland & Wolff.