SHIPS OF THE U.S. MERCHANT MARINE 



THREE new sister ships, the Alcoa Cavalier, Alcoa Clipper and Alcoa 

 Corsair, are leaders in the type of passenger-cargo ship which prom- 

 ises to be a major postwar trend in the maritime field. 



These Alcoa ships represent a new type in that, while smaller than 

 present vessels of the superliner class, they have all of the amenities and 

 comfort of the famous liners and in some respects excel them. In essence, 

 they are the postwar development of shipping men who have taken into 

 account the increasing competition of plane transportation and realize the 

 futility of trying to compete with airplanes on a speed basis only. The 

 great Victory ship's hull has been utilized with fine results comparable to 

 the service these excellent ships gave during the war. 



Each one of the new sister ships has berths for ninety-five passengers. 

 Passenger-carrying capacity was held at that figure in order to provide 

 comfortable and spacious accommodations. All staterooms are large out- 

 side rooms, each with private bath. 



Despite the space required for passenger accommodations and quarters 

 for additional crew members, these ships will have large freight capacity. 

 Each ship can carry 8,500 tons of cargo, with a cubic capacity of 419,090 

 feet — 2L sacrifice of less than 25 per cent of the carrying capacity of a 

 freight ship of their size. 



One consideration apparent in the construction of the new ships is the 

 adaptation of their freight capacity to bulk commodities. In addition, 

 equipment for the handling of 14,850 cubic feet of refrigerated cargo has 

 been installed. 



The Alcoa ships, each with a displacement of 15,199 tons, have an over- 

 all length of 455 feet, a beam of 62 feet and a draft of 28 feet 6 inches. 

 Their normal sea speed is approximately 17 knots, with power supplied 

 by geared turbines and water-tube boilers. 



These new passenger-cargo vessels have been carefully constructed to 

 achieve the maximum in safety. Hulls have been subdivided into seven 

 compartments to insure the greatest possible stability under emergency 



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