Air-Conditioning

Air conditioning is applied most extensively in providing comfortable conditions throughout the range of public rooms aboard the new Cunard White Star liner Caronia, world's largest postwar passenger ship. In addition, the two Hairdressing Saloons and Beauty Parlours, Gymnasium and Medicinal Baths, five hospital wards and operating theatre are supplied with conditioned air.

Seventeen plants are incorporated in the system - all of the spray type - and form one of the largest installations ever fitted aboard ship. Temperature and humidity are controlled to give comfortable conditions within public rooms when outside temperatures range from 30 to 100°F.

In hot weather air is drawn through a dense mist of cold water in the dehumidifier, is cooled and moisture abstracted by condensation. In cold weather the process is reversed and the dehumidifier adds moisture to air passing through. At all times it acts as an efficient air washer and ensures a clean air supply.

The automatic control system operates by means of compressed air supplied from a central station air compressing plant and comprises thermostats, both in rooms and the plants themselves, which regulate adjustment of the volume dampers and the admission of steam to heater batteries. In this way the temperature and humidity are varied automatically to maintain comfortable internal conditions irrespective of outside weather and variation in occupancy.

To achieve these results the plants have to supply and remove approximately 7,000,000 cubic feet of air per hour, and eliminate 3,500,000 B.T.U.s per hour by supplying plants with 75,000 gallons of water per hour.

Some Interesting Facts…

• Nearly all bedrooms are “outside” with portholes or windows. Every stateroom has private bath or shower
• There are two beauty parlours and two hairdressing saloons in addition to medicinal and curative baths
• There are more than 570 electric clocks on the ship. Every stateroom has a silent electric clock which is automatically corrected by a master chronometer
• There are 700 telephones on the Caronia; 600 are connected for calls to any part of the World and the remaining 100 are phones for internal communication. Every stateroom has a private telephone
• There are four passenger elevators and ten others for handling baggage and stores
• A laundry capable of handling the washing and valeting of 2,000 persons in tropical weather conditions is at the service of passengers and crew
• The single tripod mast abaft the bridge reaches a height of 127 feet above deck level
• The twin propellers each weigh 22 tons and have a diameter of almost 19 feet
• The propelling machinery consists of two sets of triple expansion impulse reaction turbines, the high pressure turbine at full power running at 3,686 revolutions per minute with the Inter. and low pressure turbines at 1,190 r.p.m
• The six watertube boilers are installed in one boiler room. Steam is supplied to the main engines at a temperature of 800°F. and at a pressure of 600 pounds per square inch. The total number of boiler tubes fitted is 14,900
• The six special diesel launches accommodate 60 passengers and each weighs about 15 tons. They are carried in the largest gravity davits ever built for a passenger liner

Special features by ten notable British artists match the spirit of the Caronia's forward-looking design. Diverse treatment of subject results in a varied and interesting cross-section of contemporary decorative design for ship interiors.

Sculptures in bronze by Barney Seale and Fredrick Mancini, carvings in limewood by Donald Gilbert, engraved glass panels by John Hutton, murals by Margaret Blundell, lacquer and gesso work panels by F. H. Coventry - these are but some of the contributions of art.