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Two United Mail Ships are Launched © Talamanca and Segovia—Sponsored by Mrs. Herbert Hoover in twin Launching at Newport News—Enter Service in December and February N NUMEROUS occasions in the history of the Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co. there have been twin launchings at the shipyard in Newport News, Va. Prob- ably the outstanding event of that na- ture was the launching of the first two battleships the yard built for the United States navy, the KEARSARGE and Kentucky, on March 24, 1898. Multiple launchings were, of course, a common thing during the World war period and all precedents in shipbuild- ing were broken during that compara- tively short period of exceptional ac- tivity. However, if that particular period is excepted, the occasions when two sister ships of medium or large size have been launched practically simultaneously in any of the shipyards on either the Atlantic or Pacific coasts of the United States are exceedingly few, particularly so in the last decade. That is one reason why the twin o launching of the ‘'TALAMANCA and Segovia on Aug. 15, 1931 at Newport News, Va. deserves more than passing notice. -Another reason is, of course, the fact that they had the honor of being sponsored by Mrs. Herbert Hoover, wife of the nation’s Chief Executive. It was indeed a notable gathering which witnessed the chris- tening of the two vessels by the “First Lady of the Land,” with water col- lected from various rivers in Central America. In addition to the distin- guished sponsor, prominent among those in attendance at the ceremony, were diplomatic representatives from all the Central American countries to which the vessels will trade when they go into service. The First of Six New Vessels The TALAMANCA and SEGOVIA are the first of a fleet of six sister ships now under construction for the United Above: The Se- govia and Tala- manca Ready for a Twin Launching at Newport News, Va. Aug. 15. The Sponsor was Mrs. Her- bert Hoover, wife of the President At Right—The Talamanca in the James Riv- er at Newport News Just Af- ter Launching 18 MARINE REVItEw—September, 1931 Mail Steamship Co., a subsidiary of the United Fruit Co. Three of the ves- sels are being built by the Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co.; the third, to be named CurriQut, will be launched in the latter part of this year. The other three ships, the AntTr- GUA, QUIRIGUA and VERAGUA are to be launched before the first of the year at the Fore River plant of the Bethle- hem Shipbuilding Corp., Quincy, Mass. In practically everything except length (and in that particular only two of the older vessels exceed) the new vessels exceed all other vessels of “the great white fleet,” as the United Fruit ships are popularly known, which is such an important factor in passenger serv- ice to Central American countries and in the fruit carrying trade. The principal dimensions and par- ticulars are as follows: Weneth over -all, “feet: = cuca 447 Length on waterline, feet.......... 430 Length between perpendiculars.. 415 Beam: CeCt- wi vein esas shsdasdiseeseteacouss 60 Depth to upper deck, feet, inches 34-9 Load: <dratt;: feet; INCWES. civ c.cascce 24-6 Displacement at load draft, tons 11000 GLOSS “EONNALE, oiencsscccece ves cee about 7200 Sea: speed, 2 KMOtS icc. cscicsecses about 18 The vessels have four decks in the hull proper, a combined forecastle and bridge, a poop, and three tiers of steel deck houses above the bridge deck. They are twin screw, have one smoke stack, and are rigged with two steel masts. The main hull is subdivided into nine compartments by eight water- tight bulkheads, all of which extend to the upper deck or above; the sub- division thus provided is in excess of the requirements of the international conference (1929) on safety of life at sea, and makes them ‘two compart- ment” vessels, able to keep afloat with any two compartments flooded. <A