Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-26
DELAYS ON WARSHIPS.
STRIKES AND INABILITY TO GET
MATERIAL.
Progress Of Construction Has Been IN
satisfactory-Report of Rear Adj
miral Bowles.

Rear Admiral Bow1es. chief of the bureau
of construction and repair in his annual
report reviews at length the progress made
by this government in naval construction
during the past year.
The rate of progress OF vessels under
construction" says he lat the present time
pgesents some very encouraging indications
for completion OF many of the most impor-
tant contracts, but. considered as a whole,
the progress made during the last fiscal
years has been very unsatisfactory This Is
particularly the case with the Ave battle
ships of the Virginia class, which were
contracted for In February. 1901 to be
completed In three years In July. i3ec
these vessels were about a year behind
their contract dates. During the past year
they have fallen still further behind and.
on the average. have progressed only about
one-half as much as would be required to
conform to the contract rates.
Causes Of Delay.
Final delivery of the Missouri has been
delayed somewhat by necessary alterations
IN the turret supports as a result Of the
Names gunnery trials. All the vessels on
the Pacific coast have been delayed cons!d-
erably by strikes. The battle ship Louisl-
ana. for which the contract was signed Oc-
tooer To- 1902. has made excellent progress.
IN the navy yard. New York, although
slightly behind the louisiana has notwith-
standing the necessity for building slip
and erecting a Eantry crane over IT, made
progress well up to the best previous aver
age of contract-built ships Better pros
poets for the delivery of structural steel
material, and the completeness and accu-
raey OF the plans upon which these ships
and those subsequently authorized are be
Ing built, furnish good grounds for believ-
ing that the future progress upon these
tofore attained, and that the completion
or the hull and machinery will not delay
these vessels beyond the contract period
During the past year delays in the de-
days in the delivery of vessels. and much
armor is now on hand in shipyards In ad-
vance Of the needs Of the builders.
lnsuncient capacity for the produc-
plates has been the cause Of inadequate
deliveries to the shlpbuilders and has
embarrassed and delayed their work to
a considerable extent In the past year
and Is still operative.
More Dry Docks Needed.
The bureaus work continues to he
embarrassed by lack of sufficient dry
docks of capacity suited to the dimen-
siOns of battle ships and first-class ar
mored cruisers. On the Atlantic coast
there Is but one dry dock Chat numbered
II. IL
which Is OF sufficient size to take all the
vessels at their regular cruising draft.
The bureau Is of the opinion that the
completion of the dry docks now build
Ing at the various navy yards is a mat
ter of great urgency.
Compared With Foreign Countries.
I'm the above the bureau has consid-
cred the causes of delay and has also
mentioned in part the steps which 1t has
taken. in SO far as work under it's cog
nizaRce Is concerned. to diminish such
delays. Notwithstanding all the diff
cultfes which have been mentioned and
the state of the art Ia this country, the
bureau Is Of the opinion that the period
actually occupied from the time orders
are given to build a vessel until the time
that ship is ready for commission In ac-
tua! service compares not unfavorably
countries: namely England and Ger
many. The greater apparent speed of
ship construction in England is due to
the fact that the time Is usually reck-
oned from the time the keel is laid until
delivery of aontract-built ship. Such
vessels are delivered in a very incom-
plete condition. and are afterward sub
Jected to their trials and supplied with
their guns and mountings and large
amount OF their equipage at the govern
ment dockyards The actual time from
the date OF contract to the date of first
commissioning of the English battle ship
Russell is four years and one month. and
that Is the time which should be COM
pared with the period of construction
usually given for our vessels which aver
ages for the ten battle ships already
completed four years and eight months.
In the German navy the battle ship Wit
telsbach. the keel Of which was laid Sep
TENDER 30. 1880. and which was probably
ordered several months previous to that
date. has not yet been placed in service,
She recently ran aground while or her
trial and fs understood not to be ready
for regular SERVICE yet.
In conclusion. The bureau believes that
far the delays on the part of the
government are concerned. this bureau
has taken all such steps as are possible
for work under its cognizance to avoid
such delays in the future. and also be-
lieves that In general contractors for
government vessels have used and are
using the very best efforts within their
several means and abilities to complete
their contracts in the shortest practf-
cable time. an object which is most obvi-
ouSly to their own advantage in reduc-
ing the final cost"