The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1915-07-02
DO THE REPAIR WORK
IMPORTANT SHIPS THAT ACCOM-
PANN A SQUADRON.
British Navy Has Boats That Are
Wonderfully Equipped for the
Work-How They Operated
While "in Action"

A battleship need not necessarily
go home-into dock, that is to say
to have anything done to her Within
reason she can be repaired at sea,
thanks to the various repair ships"
which are generally in attendance on
a modern fleet, says Pearscn's Week
ly. Of course, every big warship now
adays has on board blacksmith's
forge and small repair shop, but nat
urally such forge cannot handle
everything. But unless breakdown
is very serious the damage is repaired
by the ships electricians and artifi-
GERS. They call them titles" in the
navy for short. There are a number
of famous repair ships, ships whose
sole duty it is to patch up, on the
high seas, any damage done to one
Of the units of the feet
The most famous of the ships are
the Ark Royal, the Vulcan, the Cyclops
and the Assistance. The Ark Royal
is the only repair ship of its kind
in the whole world. 1t is nothing more
or less than a floating aeroplane fac
tory, having on board appliances and
materials for mending and building
seaplanes, spare aeroplane engines
and parts, as well as spare seaplanes
all ready to be flown.
She is at present with the fleet
that is bombarding the Dardanelles,
for seaplanes there are almost as i'm
portant as ships. Without the sea-
planes, indeed, the big ships would be
unable to tell whether they had got
the proper range for smashing up the
Turkish forts. The Cyclops is equal
in capacity for work to a dockyard
employing 300 hands, for she carries
that number of skilled mechanics in
addition to her crew. Every inch of
room on board that can be spared
is given up to the various repair
shops" The famous repair ship has
on board a complete foundry, where
castings can be made, and she is capa-
BILE of turning out a new propeller for
a battleship, and battleship's propel-
Ter is not a small thing.
One of the curious things that
would at once strike any visitor to
the Cyclops is an enormous wooden
anchor hanging over the side of the
ship. This anchor is, of course. not
used for anchoring, but is one OF
set of "templets,' or patterns, which
the vessel carries for all sorts of cast
ings required in the navy.
In addition to her big repairing
plant the Cyclops carries large dis
tilling apparatus sufficient to supply
fresh water to number Of ships, as
well as ice-making machines and re-
frigerating rooms to keep food fresh
during hot weather. No other ship
In the world is fitted so completely
with FORCES, smithies, furnaces and q
big steam hammer as the Cyclops.
The Assistance Is q much smaller
vessel, though she can carry out many
repairs which are too big for an ordi-
nary ships workshop. The Vulcan is
a special repair ship for torpedo boats.
She is really a converted small cruiser
Of 1000 tons. One Of the first things
visitor would notice about her would
be two huge cranes amidships. These
cranes are worked by hydraulic pow
er, and will lift small vessel clean
out Of the water onto the deck In half
a minute or so. The foundations OF
these cranes are fixed right on the
keel of the Vulcan, otherwise the ship
might dangerously heel over when
heavy weights are being lifted. This
repair ship, one Of the Oldest in the
navy, by the way, carries launches
on board which are used for mine
sweeping, and below deck she can
carry hundred torpedoes, as well as
some hundreds Of mines, ready to
hand out to any ship that wants them.