A REMARKABLE SHIP

Hokitika Guardian, 4 July 1930, Page 2

A REMARKABLE SHIP

FIRST RIVETLE3S SHIP.

SUCCESSFUL TRIAL TRIP. What next will Science do for Humanity? Oil top of the wonderful strides made in every direction during recent years comes the all-welded, rivet- ' less ship—a ship without a single bolt or rivet in its make-up. lor long a dream of many engineers the creation of such a ship lias been transformed into very fact. This new process of'ship-building is the invention of Mr Richard E. Smith, who was reared in the environment of the shipyards at Newport News, Va. Smith had long been interested in the construction of such a ship. He first experimented with a combination of electric welding and riveting. Later he built an ■ all-welded barge and eventually worked out the details of what is nOw known as the lock-notch process. Charles V. Boykin, Vice-President and General Manager of the Charleston Dry Dock and Machine Cornnany, Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.A., agreed to assist Mr Smith and construction work was begun at once. In due course the slnp was completed and left the slip as'the first all-welded, self-propelled steamship ever constructed. The event was one of unusual interest especially to officials of the American Navy a,lid several large ship-building ■'corporations. On her trials, hold on March Bth. it., is stated that the ship, while unloaded, made 11.5 knots and steamed well out to sea. Members of the crew said that no leaks develoned and that no vibration was experienced. It is claimed that by the new process, a saving of 20 per cent- in weight and 25 per cent, in construction costs would be ; effected as compared with the cost of a rivetted ship. The estimates proved correct and it was further discovered that the welded ship bad a greater cargo canacitv than an ordinary tanker of the same dimensions. In addition, the lines of the ship provrde less resistance tV» *,hej waiter, making it possible to attain greater speed with the same amount of power.

From the time the keel was laid until the launching of the ship, no

more than nine workmen were used at one time. The equipment comprised an octylene cutting-torch and one electric arc-wekling machine. Eight thousands pounds of electric welding wire wore required as compared with 28,000 pounds of rivets which would he necessary to build an ordinary ship of the same size. The new boat christened the “Carohman’' has been purchased by M. L. Clark Texaco Distributor and Representative, and will be used for the X'Xylusixej \i , .rarispo;rt<a l t , iOni jof ’Jiexjaco products from the Texas Company’s Norfolk, Virginia, Terminal to Elizabeth City, North Carolina. Next, probably, will come the news that ocean greyhounds are being built by this new process and that new speed records are being created. Truly, we live in a wonderful age—but what of the morrow 1