Coll 29/29(3) 'Muscat: launches' [‎25r] (50/73)

6
5* t tfeia point* X should iiice to say . tmm #orda
regarding launches, In which our Department h ve, Extaaen*
received a great deal of mielnfannation from technical
eouroee* Bel ore the #&r* the only /eaeel av^iirtie was a
eteam launch* costly to purohaee* very expensive in
upkeep* deo&ndiDg copious draughts or freah eater* and e
ekilled engineer. Ater the ar a regular flotilla 01
obsolete death traps sere foisted on the dull agencies
(all with the best advics) and involved us in such heavy
upkesp and repair charges that the provision of yet another
for Muscat was out of the question. These craft were meetly
river tugs utterly unsuited for open sea work* and Col.Dickson
was nearly drowned in one and Col.Barrett in another* *uth
the advent of motor launches* however* a new era began ,nd
one was purchased for Bandar Abbas at e cost of £.3000/-*
This* however* proved unsatisfactory# m it hrd evidently
been designed for the Thfluaee estuary, and it was far too
saail in relation to its parch se pr«ce. It was a em&ller
edition of this type that was recommended for fair weather
use in Muscat in 1920.
later twenties saw the introduction of a new
type oi launch to the Gulf* the motor dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. , they consisted
of a dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. body with an imported engine# usually Kelvin* and
carried a mast and sail as an insurance against mechanical
breakdown. The hull was half as expensive as an nglieh
type hull *itn its superior finish* and being made ox local
materials could be maintained by local labour* ^nd did not
require docking or indeed any attention beyond the application
of *m rk oil. Having no steam engine, the cost of upsee^
was very greatly reduced and the range w*e increased. Being
made of wood and not iron they were buoyant an; not floating
coffins, and finally* with their sail* they had a second
string/