1938: Motorships

Ships driven by diesel engines, commonly known as motorships, are more popular in European countries than in the United States. This may be laid to the routes, cargoes carried, and type of ship built — one particularly suited to the Diesel engine. In the United States, although tugs, trawlers, ferryboats, and barges for inland service have been built for Diesels, yet no ocean-going passenger motorship has been ordered in the past year by a private company. A contract was placed by the United States Maritime Commission, for building four 15-knot cargo motorships 435 ft. long, driven by two 9-cylinder Diesels developing a total of 6,000 h.p.; contract price for each ship, $2,075,000.

Attention is called to the reliability of motorships. For instance, the Pilsudski and the Batory, in the trans-Atlantic passenger service since 1935 and 1936 respectively, have maintained uninterrupted schedules of a sea speed of 18-19 knots, with a daily fuel consumption of 39.1 tons. There are tankers and passenger and cargo ships driven by Diesels with equally impressive records.

Several large motorships were built in Japan, one of which, the Kinka Maru, is claimed to be the fastest Japanese cargo vessel afloat. She is 477 ft. long, is driven by a 9,200-h.p. Diesel, at a speed of 18 knots when loaded, and is expected to make the run from Yokohama via the Panama Canal to New York in 24 days.

Of the new British motorships, the Capetown Castle, of the Union Castle Line, was put on the Southhampton-Capetown run. This liner, built by Harland and Wolff, is 685 ft. long, has two rocylinder Diesel engines, and carries 790 passengers. Another, the Dominion Monarch, a 27,000-ton cargo and passenger motorship, driven by four Diesels having a total of 32,000-h.p., is being built by Swan, Hunter and Wigham Richard.

At Trieste, in May, was launched the Stockholm for the Swedish American Line, which will enter the trans-Atlantic service early in 1939. She is 625 ft. long, has three Diesels with a total of 22,000 h.p., designed to give a sea speed of 19 knots.

The Norwegian American Line's new Atlantic liner, Oslofjord, made her maiden voyage in June. She is designed to carry 800 passengers, has Diesel engines giving a speed of 19' knots, and will make the run between New York and Norway in about seven days.

Besides motorships for passenger and cargo purposes, several large Diesel-driven tankers have been built by foreign countries. Of these is the Ariston. 516 ft. long, with a carrying capacity of 13,500 tons, speed 13 knots, operated by A.B.A.S. Onassis, Gothenburg.