SCHNELLDAMPFER KRONPRINZ WILHELM
In the latter part of September 1901 there arrived the steamship "Kronprinz Wilhelm" , the latest addition to Norddeutscher Lloyd's fleet of Atlantic Schnelldampfer. This new competitor for the "Blue Ribbon of the Atlantic" was built by the Vulcan Shipbuilding Company of Stettin, Germany. "Kronprinz Wilhelm" is the third high speed liner turned out by this Shipyard, and in many repects resembles the other two. i.e. , the "Kaiser wilhelm der Grosse", belonging to the same company, and the "Deutschland" of the Hamburg Amerika Pakketfahrt Aktien Gesellschaft, known as HAPAG. "Kronprinz Wilhelm" is 15 feet longer than the "Deutschland" and 21 feet longer than the "Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse". The cost, with all equipment, ready
for service, is approximately $3.200.000, an increase of $500.000 over the "Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse" and it is interesting to note that the German companies have found that the increased first cost and operating expense of these flyers have, nevertheless, made them dividend producing investments, as on all their passages they carried almost as much ast the accomodations would allow. General dimensions of the "Kronprinz Wilhelm" are as follows:
Length over all .....................................................................................................663 feet.
Beam.........................................................................................................................66 feet.
The immense hull of the "Kronprinz Wilhelm" ready for launch within a few moments witnessed by thousands of spectators.
Depth moulded....................................................................................................43 feet.
Gross tonnage......................................................................................................15.000 tons.
Displacement.......................................................................................................21.300 tons.
This displacement includes 4.400 tons of coal and 5.250 tons of cargo. The "Kronprinz Wilhelm" was built to the highest class of the Norddeutscher Lloyd as a four decker with considerable extra stiffening. Several flying decks are fitted for passenger and boat accomodation. The poop deck is 115 feet long, the bridge house 374 feet, and the forecastle 115 feet. Above the poop and bridge house there is a promenade deck 508 feet long and above this a sun deck of equal length. A double water bottom extends nearly the entire length of the steamer, and is divided into 24 water tight compartments, while the interior of the ship is divided by 15 transvers bulkheads reaching to the upper deck. All bulkheads have been made sufficiently strong to stand the pressure due to anyone of the compartments being filled with water while the adjoining compartments are empty. The motive power consists of two 6-cylinder 4-crank quadruple expansion engines of 33.000 indicated horse power, built on the Schlick balance system. The diameter of the cylinders are 34.2 inches high pressure, 68.8
inches first intermediate, 98.4 inches second intermediate, and 102.3 inches low pressure, all having a common stroke of 78.8 inches. The high pressure cylinders are places above the two low pressure cylinders,and these two pairs are at the middle; the first intermediate cylinder being at the forward end of the engine, and the second intermediate at the after end. The normal speed of the engine is 80 revolutions per minute, although 84 can easily be obtained. With the exception of the valve mechanism of the high pressure
cylinders, the engines of the "Kronprinz Wilhelm" are identical with those of the HAPAG "Deutschland" . Steam is supplied at 213 pounds pressure by 16 Scotch boilers, of which 12 are double end and 4 are single end. All are 16 feet 9 inches in diameter, and the double end boilers are 20 feet 8 inches long and of 104 tons weight each. The total number of furnaces, 45 inches in diameter, is 112 , giving a total grate surface of 2.702 square feet. The total heating surface is 93.865 square feet. The boilers are to be worked under natural draught and are arranged in four batteries, each with a funnel whose height above grate bars is 110 feet, the diameter being 14 feet 9 inches. Coal is stored in wing bunkers extending the full length of the boiler compartment, and in a large bunker between the second and the third boiler rooms. The shafting is made of Siemens Martin steel, and the the diameter of the various lengths are: crank shaft, 24 inches, thrust shaft, 23.6 inches, tunnel shaft, 22.8 inches, propeller shaft 24.8 inches. The propellers are manganes bronze, each with four blades, 21 feet 10 inches in diameter, and 32 feet 9 inches pitch.