America's New Ships

Levin Daily Chronicle, 9 July 1918, Page 1

America's New Ships

—■4 - — THE riRST MILLION" TONS. The first million tons of ships completed and delivered to the United States Government under the direction of the Shipping Board have been put on tjie high seas to help defeat Germany. A total of 159 vessels of 1,108,021 tons was completed up to May 11, according to statistics compiled by experts of the Shipping Board. Since January 1, more than half of the .total tonnage, 007,596, has been delivered, and the monthly totals have shown a steady increase, says the "New York Herald" of May IS.

Most of the ships delivered were requisitioned on the ways or in contract form when the United States entered the war. Virtually all are of steel construction. None of the ships of the great wood programme has been delivered, although forty-six have been launched, due to delay in obtaining boilers and other machinery. The first completed wood ship built on contract for the government now is undergoing speed trials off the Pacific coast. It was said at tlie Shipping Board that boilers for about half the wooden hulls have been delivered and are awaiting installation.

Wooden ships have been launched at th 0 rate of more than one a day for the last four weeks. The Shipping Board announced that just seventeen wooden craft, aggregating 80,000 tons burden, had been added to the Ameriean merchant marine in the first 17 days of May.

Eecently four wooden hulls were launched, totalling 14,500 tons, probably the greatest amount ef wooden tonnage ever launched in a single day in the history of American yards. The four ships were the Paacagoula, 3500 tons, Pascagoula, Miss., the first wooden vessel launched for the Shipping Board in District No. 5, comprising" the States of Missisippi, Alabama and Louisiana; the Knwa, 3500 tons, St. John's, Ore.; Blackford, 4000 tons, Aberdeen, Washington.; and Basco, 3500 tons, Houston, Texas. None of the fifty or mor c wooden ships has been completed and delivered because of a shortage of boilers. The Shipping Board is making a survey of the boiler-making plants of the country in an effort to speed the output to keep pace with the shipyards.