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New steel diesel tug W. M. Wightman for quarantine boarding duty has a draft of 7 feet 2 inches, and is powered with a Fairbanks, Morse & Co. direct reversible 4-cylinder, 10 inches by 12% inches, 140 horsepower diesel engine which, turning a 52 inch by 40 inch Type I Columbian propel- ler at 369 revolutions per minute de- velops a speed of 9.8 knots with 16 per cent apparent slip. Bids Received for Dredge Bids have been received at the offices of the chief of engineers, war department, Washington, for con- structing and delivering afloat one steel hull, steam driven stern wheel 24-inch pipe line dredge for St. Louis. This dredge is to be 224 feet 1% inches long overall, 196 feet between perpendiculars, 44 feet 4 inches molded beam, 7 feet molded depth at side and 7 feet 6 inches depth at center. Draft is not to ex- ceed 4 feet 1 inch in service with 500 gallons of fuel oil, 800 gallons of potable water, ete., on board. Pro- pelling engines will be two horizon- tal tandem compound poppet valve condensing engines. Bids received were as follows: The Dravo Contracting Co. $359,500 completion in 295 days. Taking the bid of the Dubuque Boat & Boiler Co., $385,000, completion in 245 days which was the earliest delivery date bid, and applying the $300 value per calendar day raises the Dravo bid to $374,500. Chas. Hegewald Corp. $444,539 completion in 365 days, price adjusted for delivery $480,539. Howard Shipyards & Dock Co. $397,- 743, completion 250 days, price ad- justed for delivery $399,243. Mari- etta Mfg. Co. $418,000, completion 300 days, price adjusted for delivery $434,500. Nashville Bridge Co. $393,000, completion in 350 days, price adjusted for delivery $424,500. Launch Big Italian Liner in Presence of Royalty The Rex, 50,000-ton vessel designed for the southern route to the United States, was launched Aug. 1 in the presence of King Victor Emanuel and Queen Elena of Italy. Making a speed of 27 knots or more, the Rex, flagship of the Navigazione Generale Italiana line, is expected to cross from Naples to New York in seven days. The liner will carry five classes of passengers—400 in first, 250 in second, 300 in second class tourist, 400 in “In- termediate,” and 900 in third, besides a crew of 800. The steamship has broken a record for construction thus far. Her keel was laid only 15 months ago—April 27, 1930. The hull weighs 15,000 tons. The ship is divided into 15 compart- ments by means of thirteen bulkheads. It can float with three compart- ments flooded and navigate with two flooded. Twenty huge motor launches will be carried, each with capacity for 150 persons. The builders have tried to give the ship as large free spaces as possible. Six of its eleven decks run the whole length of the ship, 880 feet. The first class dining room is 7000 square feet in area. The rudder and mechanism weigh 100 tons. A single boiler weighs 80, the anchor and chain, 160, the paint and varnish used, 200 tons. Launch Italian Super Liner Rex at Sestri HOUUAUELAACGNULA ALLDATA AL HE steamship Rez, largest vessel of the Italian merchant marine, launched at Sestri, Italy, July 30. The Rex is of about 50,000 gross tons; length, 880 feet; total height, 121 feet 6 inches. This vessel was constructed in 15 months. With an an- ticipated speed of 27 miles per hour, the passage from New York to Genoa will be made in 7 days. NQUUSUQINISUINNANNN0ULIN MARINE REvVIEw—September, 1931 35