Engineering Wonders of the World
Volume I

78 ENGINEERING WONDERS OF THE WORLD. Launch of the “ Lusitania ” and “ Maure- tania.” Fig. 21.—LAUNCH OF H.M. BATTLESHIP “ LORD NELSON ” IN 1907 AT THE YARD OF MESSRS. PALMER’S SHIPBUILDING AND IRON COMPANY, JARRO W-ON-TYNE. Observe the greased standing-ways and the arched girder support for the cable-ways spanning the building slips. Wigham Richardson’s yard at Wallsend, created world-wide interest as engineering feats, on account of the size and weight of the mass transferred from the building berths to the water. The moving weight of ship and cradles at the launch of the M aur etania was 16,800 tons, and the launch- ing weight of the Lusi- tania was only a few h u n d r e d tons less, the former ves- sel being in a slightly more ad- vanced stage towards completion than her sister when first floated. These weights con- stitute the world’s rec- ord in ship- launching, the weight of the larg- est battleships, such as H.M.S. Vanguard and the other vessels of the enlarged and im- proved Dreadnought type, being only about 8,000 or 10,000 tons when launched. At the point where the Mauretania was put into the water the river Tyne is only 785 feet wide ; but her builders laid out the berth on which she was built at such an angle to the river that a run of nearly 1,200 feet was avail- able. Small as this distance appears for launching and bringing to rest a vessel of the Mauretania's length (790 feet over all), it proved more than sufficient, for she was brought up with her bow only 93 feet from the way-ends. The launch occupied exactly seventy seconds. During the first seven sec- onds the ves- sel moved 6 feet only, but she at- tained a maximum velocity down the ways at one brief period of 231 feet per second, or say 14 knots an hour. Over 1,000 tons of drags were used to bring the ship to rest, and with the aid of the six tugs in at- tendance she was quickly moored alo ngside her builders’ yard. This memorable launch was witnessed by about 100,000 spectators — in the shipyard, on steamers afloat, and from points of vantage on both banks of the river. It will be easily understood that the launching of a large ship is a matter of considerable anxiety to those responsible for the operation, which is the most critical incident in the making of a vessel.