The evolution of the motor ship

A lasting interest in diesel engines for large ships inspired AP Chalkley to found The Motor Ship some 83 years ago. The brief now includes many other aspects of marine

technology, though the original mission to champion new innovations has endured. As a result, the publication?s 1,000 issues to date chart the development of technology that has shaped today?s industry. Here are just a few excerpts taken from The Motor Ship?s past 999 issues, which serve as a record of key events throughout that evolution:

May 1920

The Conversion of Steamers to Motor

Owners of 26 steamships commence converting them to motor vessels.

June 1920

The Passing of Steam

William Oxford and Sons Ltd., whose shipbuilding output last year was second in Great Britain for any single yard, and who have been building on the most up-to-date principles of steam marine propulsion, are now entirely abandoning it and going with all their available facilities into the construction of motor vessels on the largest possible scale.

March 1925

The Future Engine

So long as the Diesel cycle is retained ? and no serious proposals have yet been put forward for a new cycle ? it is difficult to see how there can be any increase in thermal efficiency that will represent a saving of more than a few per cent the fuel bill, and we doubt if a consumption lower than 0.35 lb per bhp-hour (which has already been attained in some cases) will be improved upon, except within small limits.

April 1927

1920-1927

In April 1920 the tonnage of motor ships under construction was about five percent that of steamers. At the present time it is approximately 90 percent.

January 1932

Motor Ship Construction Abroad

It may be recalled that at the end of 1930 Japan has easily reached second place in motor shipbuilding output. The Japanese figures for last year are sixth, and Holland now occupies a position next to Greta Britain, followed by Germany. Danish figures are placed fourth in the list, Sweden if fifth, both as in the previous year. Following Japan is Russia, and in both cases every ship has been constructed for the respective national interests. The Russian effort has put Italy back to eight on the list. Spain has risen to ninth position. America, placed tenth, is just in the picture with three completed motor ships.

January 1936

20,800 hp from one engine

The fact that an engine designed for 14,000 bhp can develop over 20,000 bhp for a short time indicates that the production of Diesel motors for marine service capable of a continuous output of 20,000 bhp is now no very difficult problem. As the limits in size and speed of future passenger liners are likely to be about 33,000 gross tons and 25 knots respectively, with machinery power of, say, 50,000 bhp, the Diesel engine would now appear to be able to cover the complete field of shipping without any more risk being involved than when steam machinery is employed.

March 1941

Supercharging two-stroke engines

Some years ago, when it seemed that the progress which had been made in the design and construction of two-stroke single-acting engines would cause the four-stroke single-acting type to be entirely replaced for marine propulsion, pressure-charging was successfully applied to the latter design and gave it a new lease of life.

July 1949

“Car-ferry”

The “Car-Ferry” is an open shelter deck ship with two continuous decks. For loading and disembarking the vehicles there is an electrically operated double door on deck D at the after end. When the necessary arrangements are made at the quay at Ostend, it will be possible for cars to be driven on and off, whatever the state of the tide, and it is hoped that sooner or later there will be similar developments at Dover.

April 1953

Dry cargo ships with machinery aft

The increasing number of contracts being placed for all classes of dry cargo ships to have the machinery space placed aft, and the growing interest in the possible advantages of such a design, represent a trend which many consider is long overdue. The growing appreciation of such an arrangement is also a recognition that it may prove increasingly costly to demand conventional designs which may, or may not, give a more attractive appearance.

May 1959

A.P. Chalkley

We regret to record the death on April 19, after a short illness, of Mr

A.P. Chalkley

, B.Sc. (Eng.), aged 73, who founded The Motor Ship in 1920 and been Editor with the distinction of having been responsible for every issue of the journal since its inception? He collaborated in Munich with Dr. Rudolph Diesel in the early development of the internal combustion engine and thereafter waged a vigorous and far-seeing campaign to further the adoption of such machinery.

December 1963

“Breakthroughs” and nuclear propulsion

The Savannah nuclear propelled ship programme has cost the US some $80 million. The vessel has logged around 30,000 miles, visited 11 ports, the reactor has had 35 unplanned ?scrams? (automatic shut-down operations) in the first year and, we would say, failed to convince anyone that there is any benefit in specifying nuclear propulsion for a commercial vessel? This is not to say, however, that nuclear propulsion lacks any kind of future.

December 1967

A gas-turbined propelled US merchant ship

One of the most interesting of the many revolutionary ships built in the USA enters service this month, this being the Admiral William M Callaghan, the first merchant ship to be powered by aircraft-type marine gas turbine machinery.

September 1968

The effect of container ships on world trade

By the year 1970 there could be a world container ship fleet of about 300 ships. As previous estimates tend to suggest that one container ship can put out of business as many as 7-10 cargo ships, this gives grounds for serious concerns.

April 1970

50 years on

Today the low-speed marine diesel engine stands almost at the peak of its potential development. Subsequent development work will apply mainly, perhaps, to eliminating the conventional crankshaft, improving reliability so as to reduce the need for cylinder overhaul to four-year intervals, and to reduce noise. High-powered medium-speed-engined installations have made impressive advances, but the gas turbine is now re-emerging as a serious competitor.

December 1977

Korea ? the strengthening force in the Far East

Korea today is a country which can only be classed as a major force in the world economic league, and as such its shipbuilding industry is making a considerable impact on the industry worldwide. Certainly comparison can be made with Japan in terms of determination and flexibility, though of course the scale is much smaller.

March 1987

75 years of the marine diesel

the remorseless rise of the diesel engine at the expense of the steam reciprocating and turbine installations ? stifling the pretensions of gas turbines on the way ? is neatly symbolized in this anniversary year. The cruise liner Queen Elizabeth 2 returns to service next month after the most prestigious steam-to-diesel conversion ever completed. The turbine and boiler rooms have been ignominiously gutted to allow a 130,000 bhp diesel-electric plant, the world?s most powerful merchant ship installation, to propel the 18-year-old Cunard flag ship economically into the next century.

September 1990

World?s largest reefer can be run by crew of six

Extensive automation allows this 16,600 dwt to be run by a crew of six. The design was developed as part of Denmark?s Project Ship programme.

December 1990

Australia concentrates on fast ferry market

An unparalleled growth in Australia?s tourist and leisure industries, catering in particular for Japanese travelers, has led the country?s marine industry to excel in two specific markets, leisure boating and fast passenger-carrier sectors. It is in this latter sector that the industry has been particularly successful with the development of fast aluminium-hulled catamarans and monohulls, and more recently with the radical wavepiercing concept.