SHIPBUILDING IN AMERICA

Hokitika Guardian, 27 July 1918, Page 3

SHIPBUILDING IN AMERICA

ON THE PACIFIC COAST

striking AcnmmiEjns. A cheering story—all too scarce thes ; days— is related in a recent America] t publication by Colin V. Dyment, i which tho writer deals with the outpu of shipbuilding from the yards locatei on the Pacific Coast of the. Unitot States. Washington, Oregon, and Cali fornia, between April 1, 1917 ,nnd M<\\ ], 1918, launched 202 steel ships, oi which 100 were launched in the first four months of 1918. The tot deadweight tonnage of the 202 wns 1,332’896 ; of tho 100 it was 646,31 The average tonnage wa9 thus f“ Tlio total number of workmen employed in the industry on the Pacific Coast was then 92.000: 59.000 of them were

building steel ships and 1,700 wood ships; 8000 were building new yar for steel ships.'; and the remaining 80* new yards for wooden ships. When tl

new yaiuh uits uumpicwu ww ign army of tho Pacific will numb* more than 100,000. One of tho most progressive firms c tho Coast and one that was the fir; to sot the example in speeding up t meet the programme of tho Fleet Coi poration is that of the gkinner and Ec dv Company, of Seattle. This firm 01 iginally established a record by launch ing the Seattle (a freighter built to tli Government’s standard type of ste< vessel; 8800 tons deadweight, 410 ft. j: length, 54 ft., beam and 29ft dopth in 74 days after the keel was laid. Th Seattle was delivered to the Emergen cy Fleet Corporation in 137 days fron I lavino- of keel. This record wa

promptly boat-on by tbe Columbia Shipbuilding Company, of Vancouver Wash., which delivered the 8800-toi sfcec-1 freighter Onnoga 133 days aftet the laying of the keel. The Skinner and Eddy Company then replied with a similar vessel, tho Ossineke, the keel of which was laid on December 26 th.; last; launching took place on March 14th, and on April 14th, the big freighter was delivered—-81 days ahead of contract. Time from laying tho keel to delivery, 103 days. The Columbia Company renewed the offensive, completing the Westgrove (another stanuard 8800-ton freighter) in 83 days. Tho inevitable counter attack was instituted by the Skinner and Eddy firm. Tbe 8800-ton freighter West Lianga left the ways 55 days after laying of the keel; she was completed in 67 working days, and five days later embarked on her first voyage. The West Lianga was on the sea, with a full cargo, exactly twelve weeks after.work was begun. Skinner and Eddy’s latest record at time of writing the article was a 8800ton freighter in 55 days. Excellent ns these performances wore however, something like a bombshell fell amongst Pacific Coast shipbuilders, when it was announced by Mr Hurley, chairman of the Shipping Board, that the New York Shipbuilding Company, of Camden, N.J., had, on the morning of May G., launched the, hull of the 5548-ton steel collier, Tuckahoe, ‘27 days after work had commenced. Delivery was made ten days later, which made tho total time for completion only 37 days! This is claimed to be easily a world’s record. It- is, in fairness, pointed out that tliore is a considerable difference in the time required to complete a 8800-ton freighter and that required for a 5548-ton collier hut even so the record of 55 days of the Pacific firm for an 8800-ton ship will have to lie improved on to equal the performance put up by the New York Shipbuilding Company. These achievements are all the more striking when it is remember ed that in 191 G, when the United States Shipping Board was created, there was not a single shipyard in the United States in which the Government order could be placed. The thirty-seven steel yards that did exist were employeci to their fullest capacity, seven-tenths of which was engaged in naval work. The record of achievement in steel construction applies also to the building of tho more humble, but not to he despised, wooden, ship, for which the Fleet Corporation had contracted for 584 (140 to be of 14700 tons, and the remainder 3500 tons), and about 100 seagoing tugs.