Personal Pride Taken By Transport Minister In NewP. E. I. Carferry n Nfuonar. cnavrum Minister of Transport. CHARACTERISTICS i 0F “ABEGWEIT” Principal characteristics of the Q. SM. V. “Abegweit" are listed below; Approximate speed-IS knots. Length overall——372 feet. 4 in- shes. Length between perpendicular-s- 348 feet. Breadth, mouided—6l feet. Breadth. extreme-GZ’ feet. \ Depth, moulded-M feet. 9 in- thes. Dfililflhi. ioaded-—19. Tonnage. gross—6694 tons. Tonnage, 'net—3.605. Deadwcight. carrying capacity- _________,_ *___ (Cmtinued On.g'ag_e 12> The following message has been received from the Hon. Lionel Chwfill‘, Minister of ‘Dranspcrt. Otta/wa: . he Department of Transport is justly proud of the new icebreaker and car ferry, the 0.6.5. ABEG- WEIT which is about to outer 0n its maiden run between Bordon, P. E.l. and Tormentine. NB. in the regular ferry service which provid- es the main connecting link be- tween the Island and the Mainland. As Minister of the Department which iiBg been responsible for the creation of the A-BEGWEIT and which has supervised its conshruct- ion, I take a personal pride in this all Canadian vvessel. It gives me great pleasure to be associated in this very fine supple-mom bets; published by The Guardian on the occasion oi’ the arrival of the ABEGWEIT 'in Prince Edward Island waters. "The creative genius 91 cannu- ians_ who have been engaged 1n de. slam-ins. enslneerlng and construct- ing the ABEGWEIT have produced a vessel which ls unique in marine history. It incorporates the very latest developments in power,‘ manoouvrabilityi and design and n5 H result. it is possibly the most mod- ern craft of its kind in the world. “Construction of the vessel cali- ed upon the productive skill and ingenuity of many Canadian firms. Material used in its construction was restricted to domestic products. Such restrictions were responsible for occasioning some delays in can. structlon but the completed vessel today stands as a lasting monument to Canadian skill and Canadian material. "The capacity of hhe new car ferry and ice-breaker. the C.G.S. ABEGWEIT. will make possible the expansion of the trade and com- merce of Prince Edward Island Its speed and manoeuvrability provid- es for more rapid tum arounds at the terminals at Borden and Tor- mentine which are now being re- built and thus enable it to hande the increased traffic that will un- doubtedly develop. - Embodies Latest Type Facilities For P.E.I. Service Canadian designed and Canadian built. the Quadruple Screw Motor Vessel “Abegweifl is one 0 f the most modern and powerful railway car ferries in the world and is a monument to the skill. efficiency and craftsmanship of Canadian naval architects. ship- bullders and marine engineers. The vessel incorPOTBiE-‘i i119 "W" modern technique in ship design ng and propulsion engineering. and is provided with the latest type facilities for rapid and efficient handling of passengers. motor vehicles and railway cars. The vessel is expected to travel at i6 knots and should make the actual crossing between Cape Tormentine. N. B., and Borden. PEI. in 45 minutes. The "Abegweit" is an all-electric operated vessel, equipped with powerful diesel engines capable of| generating 1 500 brake horse-pow- er or sufficient electricity to meet the requirements of a small city. 1n addition lo the main eleflrifi propulsion motors. the pumps. steering gears, winches. hoists and other auxiliary services are oper- ated by some 135 separate elec- tric motors. All lighting. cooking (except the crews galley which is oil fired) and refrigeration is by electricity. The vessel will. how- ever. be heated throughout ny steam provided by oil-burning‘ boilers. ' Four Propellers One of the features of the new railway car ferry is the fatt that it is equipped with four propel- lers, two at the stern and two n the bow. ‘these provide a ma '- mum amount of manoeuverabiiity for docking purposes. The tyfc fore propellers are mainly intend- ed however for icebrenkirig pur- poses. They may be operated to suck the water from beneath ‘he lca or to push water under it and thus weaken it when struck by the heavy ship's bow, The fact that diesel-electric pro- pulsion is used on the “Abegv/eli" does not it lf represent a novel- tv in marine-drive design. Diesel- electric propulsion is already being used successfully in ice-breakers in operation in Russia. Finland and the United States. The inno- TIE IIIIIIC SILCI vation which is attracing world- wide interest in marine engineer- ing is the manner in which cur- rent from the various generators can be distributed to the different. propulsion motors to obtain the maximum amount of torque oi turning effort and manoeuvcra- bility more successfully to com- bat ice conditions which have to be contended with in the Norah- umberland Strait. Special Features It is possible to distribute the output of the generators as fnl- 010W 1. The maximum output of two generators on each of the four motors. proceeding either aihcad or astcrn. 2_ The maximum output of three generators each on the two stern motors and the maximum output of on: generator each on the fore motors whether proceeding ahead m" astern. 3. A combination of/ the output of one, two or three generator sets to either the forward or after motors. proceeding either ahead or astern. ' Other features of the new VES- sel are the safety devices which are provided Tfhe vessel has been built. to withstand the most se- vere ice conditions. Watertight doors are operated either locally or from the bridge. An elaborate chemical fire extinguishing ' stern " _ . n...» s.“ -