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Cross Channel Ferries Have Novel Design Features first of three channel train ferries, building for the Southern Rail- way at the Neptune yard of Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd., on the Tyne, England, was launched on March 15. The two sister vessels which are to follow will be named HamperoN FERRY and SHEPPERTON FERRY. There are a number of interesting features in connection with these vessels, They are fitted with geared steam turbine twin screw drive built by the Turbinia Works of Messrs. Parsons. The boilers are of the Yar- ‘row watertube type, and are being fitted for coal burning with special automatie Taylor stokers. Speed of the vessels in normal service will average 15 knots but it is expected that they will be able to do over 16% knots if required, The horse- power developed for each propeller will be 2500. Te: T. S. S. TwicKENHAM FERRY, HBlaborate Tank Experiments One of the problems of design was to combine to the best advan- tage a bulky form above water with a fine form of hull below water. A fine form is especially necessary because the vessel’s length (360 feet overall) is short for her speed and she is extremely broad (some- thing over 60 feet) in relation to her draft (12 feet, 6 inches when ordinarily loaded). An elaborate series of trials with models was, therefore, made at the National Physical laboratory under the super- vision of G. S. Baker, These experi- ments showed that it should be pos- sible to obtain a speed of 1614 knots with about 5000 horsepower deliv- ered to twin screws, or 2500 horse- power for each propeller. Special experiments were also made with model propellers, as these were particularly affected by the form of the ship and the shallow draft of water in which they must operate. Special model experiments were also made in connection with the steering gear and rudders which are provided at each end of the ship. Trials were also made on the effect of the rolling of the vessel by means of waves artificially created in the tank, A model was loaded for roll- ing purposes so as to create a simi- lar motion to that encountered by the ships themselves when crossing the channel with a following sea. The main service on which these ships will be engaged is to carry a train of 12 sleeping cars or, alterna- 36 tively, 40 loaded freight cars, For this purpose there are four lines of rails over the greater part of the train space, At the stern these con- verge into two tracks by which the trains will pass on to the shore across a drawbridge at the end of the dock. The depth of the vessel from keel to train deck is 20 feet and the height of the train deck space is 15 feet, 6 inches. Load and Discharge Cars The chief advantage of a ferry as opposed to a ship is in a ferry’s abil- ity to load and discharge vehicles without using cranes. As the waters of France and England, on either side of the channel, have a daily rise and fall between 10 and 20 feet, an inclined slip such as is used for the reception of many road vehicle ferries, was out of the question in this case owing to the necessity of having a gradient suitable for rail- way operation, The alternative of locks which would enable the ves- sels to link up with the shores on level terms at any state of the tide was therefore adopted and _ these docks are now being built at the ports of Dover and Dunkerque, thus determining the route of the ferries. These vessels are to be fitted, in addition to their train carrying facilities, with a special garage, of all steel construction, entirely isolat- ed on the after end of the upper deck, to accommodate 25 automo- biles which can be driven on to the ship by an inclined ramp. The cars ean thus be carried without any re- striction as to emptying gasoline tanks, etc., while the owners can use the passenger deck accommodations. Should the traffic develop, it is also possible to carry heavy motor driven vehicles on the after part of the train deck space, the surface _ be- tween the rails being made level for this purpose. Care in Fire Protection Particular attention has been given to fire protection. Passenger accommodations on the upper deck are of principally steel construction so arranged that separate sections can be isolated; while an elaborate provision of fire fighting appliance is fitted on the train deck. The vessel is fully equipped with life-saving appliances sufficient for a total number on board of 550. Four boats are carried on each side of the ship on gravity davits, making the boats instantly available for use in MARINE REVIEwW—July, 1934 emergency. A special feature of these gravity davits is that the boats they will hold will be 6 feet above deck level, thus forming no obstruc- tion, It is expected with these vessels in service that a sleeping car express may leave the Victoria station, Lon- don, at midnight, delivering passen- gers at Paris the next morning in time for breakfast. While the pri- mary object of these vessels is to carry trains of either freight or pas- sengers, with the elimination of cran- ing at both ports with consequent delay and greater risk of damage yet the new ships will have splendid promenade decks and saloon and cabin accommodations for passen- gers, Naval Architects See Fleet On June 14, some 300 members and guests of the Society of Naval Archi- tects and Marine Engineers inspected the airplane carrier SARATOGA. The party made up of American citizens only, boarded the SARATOGA at Pier 90, foot of West Fiftieth street, New York at 9:30 a.m. to visit parts of the ship not open to the general public. Following the inspection, an _ illus- trated lecture on airplane operations and airplane handling gear continued until about noon, when the party went aboard the Hudson River Day line steamer, CHAUNCEY M. Depew for lunch and a sail around the United States fleet, at anchor in the Hudson river. Annual Lifeboat Race According to an announcement made by Capt. S. W. Tansley, of the Cunard line, and chairman of the rules com- mittee in charge of the race, the in- ternational lifeboat race will be held Labor day on the Hudson river near the George Washington bridge. The United States lines has the honor of being the first steamship com- pany to file an entry in the coming race. Capt. John F. Milliken, of the United Licensed Officers association, reports that lifeboat crews from American, British, French, German Italian and Norwegian ships have already an- nounced their intention of taking part in the race, and it is expected that many more ships will enter. Seth H. Taylor Jr., of the Lincoln Electric Co., Cleveland, has been ap- pointed Pacific coast manager, in charge of all the company’s activities in that territory. Mr. Taylor has been in charge of the Los Angeles office for four years. Previous to that, he spent some time at the Cleveland head- quarters of the Lincoln company, be- ing engaged in research and applica- tions of production welding.