Ships [antikvár]

PREFACE The main purpose of this book is to introduce the observer to the wide variety of vessels existing today under the four main headings- merchant ships and their auxiliaries such as tugs; warships and their noncombatant auxiliaries \fishing vessels; and sail training vessels. It alsó aims at providing somé generál background about ships and the sea. In recent years somé new types have appeared which do not quite fit into the main categories. These, like the oil rig supply vessel and the semi-submersible heavy-lift carrier, are associated with the new offshore oil industry. The container (or box) ship still dominates the freight trade and 'super container ships are appearing; the sea-going generál cargo break-bulk carrier is being replaced by the multi-purpose combination carrier which incorporates facilities for containers. The days of the giant tanker seem to be nearly over as so many of them are either laid up or are now being scrapped. Approximately 200 passenger liners operate the cruise markét; many of these are recently purposebuilt vessels, and several more will be launched in the coming years. In the 1990S new 50,000 gt cruise liners will be in operation, to be surpassed by a ship capable of carrying 2,500 passengers; and if, and when, the projected 210,000 gt ship is built she will carry twice that number of cruise passengers. Sailassisted motor power is getting beyond the experimentál stage and the latest such vessel is a Frenchbuilt cruise liner for the USA which will have a cruise liner superstructure with a clipper bow, a length of about 133 metres and four masts with fi ve huge triangular sails. The world-wide cruising markét seems to be expanding, but the same is not true about the British shipping scene. Only 10 years ago UK registered ships numbered about 1,600, but that figure has now