THE BRITISH MOTOR LAUNCHES

Hokitika Guardian, 28 September 1917, Page 1

THE BRITISH MOTOR LAUNCHES

OVERSEA A'. UNTERSEE BOATS. (By Gerald Biss.) Here is the romance of the " Al.L.’s ” t motor-launches) built on the other side of the Atlantic for patrolling the waters round the British Isles against the Hun IJ-boats, which has at last been given to tlie public on the other side owing to the enterprise of the “ Motor Boat " of America Many references to them have appeared, especially in America; but very little has actually been known cither of the boats themselves, the uses to which they were being put by our Admiralty, or the remarkable accomplishment of their construction at the rate of more than a boat a day by a comparatively small firm, 'financed by backers, when even American bankers looked askance at this the biggest undertaking in the history of boat-building.

Bankers would not credit that a. company which in time of peace, built perhaps a dozen yachts and twenty or thirty smaller craft, could tackle a 22,000,000-ddllar (£4,400,000; contract and turn out so many boats on totally new lines in such a short time : but Alt' Sntphen, the vice-president of the Elco Company, of Bayonne, N.J., and outside financiers were prepared to back their opinion. Our Admiralty bad awakened to the urgency of the German submarine campaign and bad sent a special commissioner to the States in February 1015 who got into touch with Air Sntphen and “cottoned on ” to his idea of }i“ mosquito ” feet big enough to patrol out.' coastal waters.

The idea soon crystallised' into a type, and early in April a contract for .Vj of these “ chasers ” was signed for delivery by February 1910. Then in Alay came the torpedoing of the Lusitania, which gave things such an impetus that an order for more was that same month fixed up by cable tor delivery by November 15. HHO, which only allowed the Mien 5()1 working days, Sundays excluded. However. Air Sntphen has realised from beginning that the only possible way urn! riie touchstone of success was scientific standardisation, such as bad in comparatively small machines made possible the immense output of the huge American motor factories; but to produce a boat with twin sixi ylinder “ Standard ” motors, capable of making high speed in all weathers, and a carrying capacity in addition of 20,000 pounds of supplies, guns, ammunition, and water, involved hall a million separate and distinct parts. Each one of these pieces, laige and small, had to be duplicated as many times as required and assembled, and any one of those half million parts a fraction wrong would have thrown out the whole series.

To meet market shortages white oak from A r irginia and yellow pine from the south had to be contracted for four million feet of it in 42 feet, lengths, and as much ash. pine, and other wood for joinery work, Three million pounds of various metals and piping, enormous quantities of electric fittings, 150.060 gallons of paint, (111,050 feet of .Manila rope, i> 10,000 feet, of galvanised wire rope, 100.000 pounds of galvanised nails, 250,1)00 pounds of copper nails. -1-* X *.<)(HI pounds of galvanised washers and rings. 1,000,Oilt) iron bolts nnd .tints. U,700,000 wood plugs —these represent a few of the figures involved in this colossal new feat of naval engineering against, time.

'The crux of the whole job was (lie making of the templates, moulds, and patterns for the first or master boat. After that it was simply duplication, with perfection of accuracy. and the assembling at Alontreal and Quebec. Then, when complete, by express across the thousand-mile stretch ol rail from Quebec to Halifax, fee their tests and subsequent shipment to this conn try after they had been haiuleYl over to the British authorities. One hundred and thirty transports were required to take the “ AI.L.s ” across with all I heir spares and equipment; and everv one of them got over safely Two days alter arrival they were in the water and ready for their Admiralty tests. It was a colossal masterpiece of organisation ellected by standardisation, and shows wlmt unexpected tilings can be done when they have to be done.

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