Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-02-17
LAUNCHING A sATTLEsHiP.
Interesting and Delicate Engineering
Preininaries.

general feel that the real moment OF
suspense has passed when the sponsor
smaslies the bottle upon the battle
crafts ponderous stem. The mere
fact that the vessel sweeps smoothly
toward the water conveys to them
the idea that 1t is a simple perform
ance that calls for no wonderment,
because, after all, isn't she Just slid
ing down hill? But the man in charge
of her building and Immediately res
ponsible for her safe transfer from
the land to the water is conscious of
no citation until she rides upon the
tide, and then he breathes a heartfelt
sigh of relief. When you know some
thing of the work that proceeds a
launching you will understand the
apprehension which the builder feels
until his ship is securely afIoat.
The battleship New York when COM
pleted viii have a total displacement
of something over $4,000 tons. but at
the time of her launching her weight
wos probably about 10000 tons Ten
thousand tons of steel is q counterpart
in weight of many a skyseraper, but
skyscraGers are designed to remain
naval contractor is first to fashion his
ship upon the land and then to carry
her to the water without breaking her
back en- route. The bigger the vessel
the harder the task becomes
The New York has a total length of
SIS feet, like that of her sister ship
Texas, launched at the Newport News
shipbuilding companys yard some
months ago. The New York had to be
moved something more than a tenth
of mile before her bow reached the
river--the vessel being launched stem
first. In all this distance everything
had to be equal to the stresses placed
upon it, if accident and perhaps dis
aster was to be avoided
Some years ago faulty calcula tions
came to a fatal climax when one of
the cruisers of the British navy was
launched. That ship stumbled on her
way TO the water and turned over and
sank, drowning many workmen who
Were busy at their tasks inside her and
below deck. When the French cruiser
Danton should have gone overheard
about three years ago she struck after
travelling about 40 yards and it was a
matter of several weeks before she
was finally put in the water. Perhaps
now you can grasp something of the
anXitey and the responsibility which
Naval Constructor Robert Stocker felt
until the New York noated upon the
East river.
Broadly speaking, the launching of
large ship begins before even her keel
is laid, because everything must be
considered contributory to that event.
The site where the vessel is to be
built must be chosen with the ultimate
event of launching uppermost in mind,
ana, as far as possible. taking advant-
age OF natural conditions. 1t is pre-
ferable if the land slopes gently to-
ward the waters edge. but above all
things the ground must be solid enough
TO bear without yielding the growing
weight of the craft while under con-
struction.
This must be the case not only under
the blocks which bear her body while
building, but likewise under the slid
ing ways upon which she will fianally
move into the water Even though
the battleship is thing of wonderful
strength when afloat. still it is sensi-
tive TO slight variations from proper
during the time it rests
upon the land The sagging of an
inch in rthe supporting ground may
mean reformation to the growing
structure and consequent weakness,
and ut the time of launching this
yielding of the foundation may lead
to delay. disappointment or even aetu-
al damage
In order that the foundation may be
rigid enough it is customary to drive
into the ground many rows of billings
and so to fasten them together that
they shall add materially to the sta
biiity of what is usually called the
building slip. Sometimes concrete and
masonry are employed to insure the
desired firmness. There must be
ample water at the time of launching
TO float the vessel and to give latitude
enough for her initial plunge There
fore tidal conditions at the probable
season of launching must be consider
ed, and not infrequentIy an hour chos-
en- which will hamper least the traffic
upon busy waterway
In the case of the New York. which
1t Il larger and longer ship than the
Florida, which preceded her at the
navy yard, it was necessary to move
the building slip further to one side.
and this necessitated restrengthening
the underlying ground. AS the land
does not at that point slope helpfully
toward the East river the desired in
cline had to be insured by laying the
New Yorlfs keel at an angle which
brought her bow up above the roof
of some of the neighboring buildings.
Now let us follow the further prepare
tons from the ground up.
The keel blocks are next laid. These
are heavy pieces of timber, rectangular
IN section, placed one upon the ether
ana on which the ship is actually
built. These blocks or piles of blocks
are placed at frequent intervals, say
three or four feet apart, and a line
along the tops of all of them forms
the gradient upon which the keel of
the ship is laid At the lowest point
near the river these blocks are high
enough to make sure that the bow of
the ship viii be clear of the ground
at the time she CPS forward when
reaching the water.
When the keel h9s been laid on the
blocks, then from these foundation