The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-07-20
How a Warship Is
Built

The beginning OF tue e-hieeoAy - =
man-of-war is found in the council room
of the General Board of the Navy, In
Washington, d. c., where the needs OF
the country in the way of new yes
sells are thoroughly discussed and con-
sidered by trained, experienced experts,
presided over at the present time by
Admiral Dewey, chairman of the board.
When the general board has deter
mined upon a vessel of a certain type,
say a battleship, her required leading
qualities, in a broad way, are laid pc
fore another body, known as the Board
on Construction, which goes into some
what greater detail, determining the
distribution of the various weights,
such as hull, machinery, guns, armor
coal, stores, etc., in accordance Win
the displacement, which has been de-
cided upon for the ship.
When the general features OF the
ship, the size and character of her bat
terry, the speed and coal endurance, and
other essentials are agreed upon by
the Board on Construction, the Bureaus
Of Construction, of Steam Engineering,
of Ordnance and of Equipment, are no.
tilted, and these bureaus theneeforth
cooperate in preparing the detailed
plans of the ship as regards, respec-
lively, the hull, the machinery, the bat
terry and the permanent other equip
ments Skilled officers, civilian experts
and craftsmen in the employ of the
Government prepare the plans, to the
tiniest detail, and calculate every
weight, the stability and other mat.
e
the vessel.
Unless the vessel is to be built in a
navy-yard, in which case the plans and
specifications are sent direct to the
senior naval constructor of that yard,
with instructions to build the ship at
Government expense, copies of the
plans and specifications are sent to all
private shipbuilding companies that
wish to compete for the contract. The
contract is awarded TO the lowest re-
sponsible bidder, who thereupon fur,
nishes bond for the completion of the
work.
The actual work of construction now
begins. The first step is TO clay
down. the lines of the ship on the
floor of the mould-loft This is an OPP
Grafton by which every frame, every
longitudinal and other piece of the hull
is laid off in full size on huge, smooth
floor, and from the marks thus made
wooden patterns are constructed, about
which the frames, ETC., in the rough
as they come from the foundries, are
bent, on an iron slab called the bending
slab, to fit the ship as designed.
The first act of actual erection of the
frame is the laying of the keel, fol-
lowed by the placing of frames, stem
and stern post. From now on, the con-
struction of the hull proceeds, until all
the plates are on, and then comes the
After the launching, and
sometimes, but seldom, before, the ma
chinery and boilers are put in,-then
the armor fitted and the battery in
stalled. Numberless other fittings are
made, such as boat-davits, derricks,
military masts, electric outfit, navigat-
ing gear and so on.
Finally, after satisfactory private
dock trials, the vessel takes her pre-
liminary spin at sea. This is unofficial,
and is known as the builders trial, for
it is for the information of the build
ers, to let them see what, if anything,
needs REIMBURSEMENT or alteration.
w 0en SdtlSHe0 budG all Is wen, Iu0
builders notify the navy department
that they are ready for the official trial
trip. A board of naval officers is then
appointed by the department, and these
accompany the vessel on her official
trial, reporting, at it's conclusion,
or not the contract require
ments as to speed, maneuvering ability
and the like have been fulfilled. If so,
the vessel is accepted, and turned over
to the navy.
She still remains under probation for
six months, however, and during this
period, while in regular commission,
she is subjected to tests of endurance
at sea, her guns are fired, and she is
thoroughly tried out. The final pay
ment upon her is not made until, at the
end of these six months, she has full
filed all requirements. Then she be-
comes fuil-f1edged unit of the navy.