“FABRICATED” SHIPS

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1847, 2 July 1918, Page 2

“FABRICATED” SHIPS

WHEN the State undertook the reorganisation of the United Kingdom’s mercantile shipbuilding industry, it naturally adopted the principle of standardisation, because in mass production of a specific object the highest possible speed of output is obtainable. A series' of standard ships were designed,and contracts to build them wei’e given out to the private yards of ' the country. As supplies of steel and labour increased and promised a margin over and above the requirements of the existing controlled shipyards, the idea was carried a stage further; the “fabrication” of ships was decided upon and the necessary provision made. In proceeding from standardisation to what may be called “super-stand-ardisation” or fabrication, the aim was still further to increase speed of production, and therefore ‘the output of vitally necessary merchant ships. As matters stood, all the shipbuilding yards, engine factories, and boiler shops were full of, chiefly, standard ship work. There were, however, many other industrial establishments in the country dping work of kinds closely resembling shipbuilding and marine engineering. Amongst them were bridgebuilding yards and land engine factories. The majority of them were in inland centres and remote from launching water; but taken altogether their resources were so great that it was felt they ought not to be allowed to go unutilised. The problem of how to utilise them efficiently was solved by the adoption of fabrication. A ship was designed the materials of which could be satisfactorily fabricated in the bridge yards. It is a larger vessel than most of the standard ships, and there is not a. curved frame in it. Size and weight of unit of construction are limited, so that transport is easy and powerful gear for placing it in position unnecessary. In order to avoid the same difficulties as regards machinery supply, geared turbines have been adopted instead of reciprocating engines. Every pari of the complete ship can, in fact, be. fabricated in inland establishments selected near the steel mills, which have never done ship or marine engine work, and can he transported by ordinary means to the seabord.