New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-06-25
A WARSHIP'S FIRST R1VET'
r,,p .cr THAT TAKES THE PLACE OF
LAYING THE KEEL OF WOOD
EN- VESSEL.
rY~ NAVY DEPARTMENTS REPORT On inN
p,vrr OF THE oHIo's BUTTKEEL-


| prvrr OF THE oHIo's BUTT-KEEL'
Washington June "a (SpecaD.-Whhe 'he ~.
uonv Of laying a warships keel Is not a.'enueN'
me- ~ ruhIic display that accompanies a launch
49, .ho naval authorities carefully record the event
ond give this initial work ON Nationai Vesse's "
oar,ain importance which, though largely sem"
| mental IL not without its material business =,
Az far as the ordinary practicai haN"' IN -
concerned. the two most interesting per'ous .Dn
oo,ad With the addition of ship to the heh'ins
,orca ahoat are the date OF the authorziAs "|'
| Congress and the date of commissioning o,
In hsttleships the average time elapsing between
these two dates was about six years iol 'ne COZ -,
bujlt In America the oregon class ana VIII o 80
than four years for the new Maine CLASS ine o
..,o ord ,sgal officers of the Navy Depart
Wv, keen strict account Of at least -FOUR ihte
ing dates-viz. when the CONTRACT - e o
keel laid the launch occurs ana the nun 49,,
chinery contract is completed. FOR all the
vessels these data are given IN the Ch'ei ,aoa
,ors annual report in a table presenting AT s'"'
- h,s,o-,, and description OF each ship In service
ohIo condition. At the head of one of the columns
| is the old-fashioned title Keel laid' "hio" ia"
been officially perpetuated from the oiu u"y
wooden ships when the keel was actuahy i'u az, ',I1
the framing Of the hull begun "heh "oUue :,
bacame obsolete, supplanted by iron ana steel ~
was no longer possible to lay keel In single Gay
bpt the term lived although the ceremony cai''
TO consist in the driving Of the hrst ri'e' 49,,
Az matter Of fact in the modern heavy deep
draught warsh!ps. keels are sometimes 'he .as,
things about ship TO be laid ana 'hen tad
has two instead of one The peerless oregon hau
her Leels placed in position in the Puget SCUM
dock only last year. within few weeks Deioie sue
hogan her famous run around south Ai"e
osb, az Santiago. and the Iowa is only now gong
TO the same dock and for the same PURPOSE "''0'
three years good service without Keel -,
Resides the real keel OF SHIP the eAteiioi NJ,
M 1, 20 nou, called In the intricate skeleton OF steer
oonstructon there are various interior longitudinal
members which give rigidty fore ana art anu
which go to make up the backbone the 'o"e'. y,
these formerly known the keelson Is now cal'eu
the vertical interior keel 1t Is oullt up oi
hundred sheets OF metal of various sizes ana
shapes fastened by several thousand rlVets' the
total number of rivets In a battleshp approx
mating three quarters of million.
/ In beginning the actual construction Of modern
shin after nearly year has been spent in making
| the patterns for every plate and IN cohecuhg the
material until sufficient quantities have accumu-
,atod IN keep the skilled laborcrs continuously at
| u,ort two of the big web plates Of the interior
vertical keel are placed in proper position on the
WAYS and the first rivet is driven TO hold them
| together
The most recent instance of driving the frst rNet
! Of an American warship occurred at san FRAN
| oisoo about a month ago and The Tribune has
| heen placed in possession of the official records
covering the event. In the reduced drawing maue
| hv tho sunerintendng constructor for the files or
| tho NAVY Department Is shown less than ten rect
NJ the interior vertical keel which when completed
| ia nearly four hundred feet long. The first rivet
| "a about midway between frames No. "a and NO
6iL or inst about equidistant between the bow and
| stern of the vessel, which has ninety-seVen tull
ribs or frames numbered from the bow. and at
! this particular point is reinforced by additlohal
frames numbered in halves. The plates are all
about an inch thick this backbone, and the rivet
holes are the diameter Of the thickness OF the
plates
From the official report accompanying the draw
ing the following extract Is taken:
The first rivet of Battleship No. u, the Ohio was
driven at the Union Iron Works at o;lo a. M MAY
49, 1888. The rivet driven in the vertical Keel;
In the butt-strap located between Frames NO Oh ana
b4Ia and is permanently marked with a brass plate.
The following Government inspectors ana oincers
of the works formed the rivetng party:
Riveters. Captain J.. j. Allen. inspector or ma
chinery, and Naval Constructor n 6 Elliott sH-
T. Mays, Inspector of equipment and ordnance
snap tool George w Dickie, manager Union Iron
Works and rivet tongs. John /. Scott superlh-
tendent Union Iron WORKS.
The Ohio is to be completed. according TO con-
tract next June, but her first rivet will not be
exhibited TO sghtseers for 1t can be seen only
from inside the double bottoms and nobody but
inspection officers can ever go there That portion
Of the keel shown In the drawing is feet inches
deep The outer bottom II rveted to It's lower
edge, and the inner to its top, and only foot
above the first rivet will the ponderous foun-
dations Of the Oho's powerful engines and boilers
1t is doubtful even II any OF the inspectors will
ever notice the rvet, for its bronze plate as well
paint Perhaps not half dozen men OF the thou
sands who will constitute the Ohios ships com
Pany In the next ten or twenty years would have a
Tribune given the clew