Part 11

Part 11 of Shipping Wonders of the World was published on Tuesday 21st April 1936.

It included a centre photogravure supplement featuring the port of Liverpool, which formed part of the article on the Liverpool: A Home of British Shipping.

The Cover

The cover on the current issue is a remarkable view taken from the side of the German express liner Bremen. I found this picture on board, among several thousand others, and decided that this view of the sea itself would not be out of place as a cover.

The Bremen also features on the covers of part 6, part 20 and part 23.

Contents of Part 11

Epics of the Submarines

Exploits of submarines from both sides during the First World War. This article is concluded from part 10.

Racing at Two Miles a Minute

Man’s ability to travel at two miles a minute on water is a wonderful achievement which is a direct result of years of experiment and keen rivalry in international boat racing. This is the story of the racing motor boat from the single horse-power vessel of the last century to the modern 7,800 horse-power Miss America X, with her record speed of 124.86 miles an hour. This chapter not only describes the many amazing international duels for the World’s Speed record, but also includes a wealth of information about the boats which have been driven by celebrities such as Kaye Don, Sir Henry Segrave, and Commodore Gar Wood. The article is by Sidney Howard.

Liverpool: A Home of British Shipping

Liverpool, Great Britain's premier port for exports, had contributed largely to the progress of British overseas trade, and her name is woven into the pattern of maritime history. To-day millions of tons of shipping arrive and depart annually from the docks which are renowned the world over. This story gives a vivid impression of the vast extent and activity of the port. Liverpool claims to handle the largest export trade in Great Britain. In 1933 the total value of imports and export merchandise which passed through this port amounted to over £236,000,000. The Liverpool Docks stretch for six and a half miles along the River Mersey, and the area of the docks and basins is about 477 acres. On the Cheshire side of the river are the Birkenhead Docks - under the same authority - which have a water area of about 182 acres.

This article is the third in the series Great Ports of the World. It includes a photogravure section which is illustrated below.

The Landing Stage

THE LANDING STAGE at Liverpool (left), at which the largest vessels can berth at all states of the tide. The first floating stage was built in 1847. The present one was completed in 1876, and extensions have been made since so that its total length is now nearly half a mile. The landing Stage is carried on the water on some 200 iron pontoons. It is held in position by bridges and booms. The deck level is about 6 feet to 8 feet above the water. For ferry passengers fixed gangways are provided; for big ships moveable gangways are used, and high-level bridges, adapted to the towering decks of ocean giants. On different parts of the structure are post, telephone and custom offices.

A View of the Gladstone Docks System

Completed in 1927, the Gladstone Graving Dock, used also as a wet dock, cost nearly £500,000 to build, and its water area is 3 acres 2,585 square yards. The main Gladstone Dock - used by the biggest ships visiting Liverpool - has a water area of 24 acres, 3,464 square yards. Of the two branch docks, one has a water area of 11 acres, 3,950 square yards, the other an area of 13 acres 520 square yards.

An Aerial View of the Dockland Along the River Mersey

 VESSELS SAIL FROM LIVERPOOL to ports all over the world. In 1934 the number of vessels entering the port was 17,499 and in 1933 the value of export and import merchandise handled by Liverpool amounted to £236,678,813. Here is a splendid aerial view of a large portion of the 6½ miles stretch of dockland along the River Mersey. In this picture can be seen the twin towers of the seventeen-stories Liver Building, which is opposite the Landing Stage.

Contents of Part 11 (continued)

Romantic Sailing Coasters

 Until recently one of the commonest type of craft to be seen round British shores was the sailing coaster, which has played an important part in the development of merchant ships.

A Clyde Paddle Passenger Packet

Nowhere is local shipping more keenly and critically followed than on the Clyde and its estuary. The vessel described in this article is the Talisman, one of the latest of these ships. She is engaged in excursion runs during the summer in the lower reaches of the Firth of Clyde, and on regular “packet” work in the winter. The ship maintains practically a daily schedule throughout the year, and works for the London and North Eastern Railway Company.

 This is the sixth article in the series on Merchant Ship Types.

The Franklin Mystery

A brave endeavour to fore the last link in the discovery of the North-West Passage led to a series of amazing events and to the setting of a tragic riddle that has not yet been solved. On May 19 1846, Captain Sir John Franklin, famous Arctic explorer, sailed from England to complete the discovery of the North-West Passage. Two ships and over 120 men vanished. For many years search parties roamed the northern ice wastes striving to solve the mystery which to-day can only partly be explained.

This chapter is the third article in the series Epics of Exploration. It is concluded in part 12.