The Hawaiian gazette., 1917-08-14
WILL CONCRETE
SHIPS DEFEAT
HUN U-BOATS?
Experts Argue That Torpedoes
win Not Sink New Ship
r." Building Productions

a Reports that the first concrete hui
has been built on the Pacific Coast anc
will he towed to Honolulu TO test IT,
seaworihines lends local interest to tn,
discussion of the comparative claim
for the steel ship and the wooden shiI
which raised the question whether any
more novel form of marine eonstructiO OF
offers improvements. A Boston exper
ia construction engineering has writer
for the Boston Record the claims for tn,
ship Of reinforced concrete, his argu
ment being that IL is quickly construct
ell, Of large carrying capcity, and proof
against destruction from torpedo at
tack. He writes;
II is urgent that every effort be made
by inventors ana specialists in modern
construction TO bring out a strong sea
going ship that can be built and be
proof against the torpedo. A number of
men of inventive minds are working on
the problem, and with the aid of spe
cialists, each in their own line, the tor
pedoproof ship will soon be ahoat. One
proposition was made and illustrated in
The Scientific American Of June by
Hudson Maxim. He says:
"It is necessary N this time to slim
nlate inquiry and invention with re
spect to ways and means for protecting
freight.ships and troop,ships against
torpedoes, and while believe that my
plan Of torpedo. proofng ships will be
very efficient, and that IL is the best
thing that has yet been suggested, stin
what have done may possibly serve A.
suggestion TO lead some other inventor
10 do far better than have done; and
the facts that have given in this arti
Gle about the nature and action Of the
explosive blast win help others in the
investigation and understanding Of this
subject. (" at'......
II is by the careful study and re
search given by the specialists, tn,
marine engineer, the concrete engi
Heer, the naval architect and the guI
expert, each doing his own part, tha'
the problem win be successfully solve,
and will bring forth sthe ship of sucl
sturdy strength that on the new shiI
the submarine will have lost its power
Many are conversant with the feats
of engineering accomplished with re
inforeed concrete; factories and manu-
featuring plants having great strength
and practically free from vibration
bridges capable of carrying any load
are demonstrated facts, but it's posi-
bilities in modern shipbuilding are not
SO well known. But nearly every coun
try in the world Is making some use
Of reinforced concrete as applied tc
shipbmlding. IL remains for the meth,
obs TO be thoroughly worked out and
perfected by specialists to give u
practically an indestructible ship.
This article is to deal with the tor
pedo.proof ship; the writer makes
public his plans for the same reason
as that given by Hudson Maxim, in
ventor of the gun sileneer; the per
fected work is for our common good
and TO defeat the enemy. Let Other
specialists bring forth their experience
TO perfect the weak points that they
may discover, and the work of putting
the submarine out of commission Ca
far as the new ship is concerned) l.
accomplished. Let us put forth every
effort 10 build up quickly an unsink
able, fireproof merchant marine. "
The Concrete Ship
My plans make little if any change
in the outward appearance of our
modern steel ship, except that the
structural part of the ship il of &.
specially prepared emulsified concrete
reinforced with a fabricated network
Of steel rods that binds the ship to
gether in every part giving great
strength and making the structure one
continuous monolith All decks, bulk,
heads, partitions, etc, are interviewer
together in one continuous mass OF
steel and concrete, The ship has two
huils and double bottom; the double
hull runs to above the water line all
around the ship. There is a space Of
B ITO in. between the outer and inner
huh which is divided every IL it,,
making continuous number of water
tight compartments 3 ITO in. x l2' flo
in. girding every part of the ship TO
above the water line. In the center
OF this 3 flo in. space is system of
Fabricated steel rods looking somewhat
like heavy wire fence; the purpose
OF which will be explained later. This
space between the double hulls and
double bottom is not wasted, but being
watertight is used as storage tanks
for carrying oil cargOes and for storing
fuel for the ships engines, the vessel
being driven by oil engines, requiring
n much smaller crew than n steam
driven vessel and giving more space
for freight.
The design and methods of fabricat
ing the steel reinforcing rods is such
as 20 make ship strong enough to
resist the heaviest sort of a gale with
out straining herself, yet no attempt
j. made in this plan to build the outer
hull heavy enough to resist the ex
lhosion of a torpedo; so let us suppose
Bueh a ship is struck by torpedo
fred by an enemy submarine; the
force of the explosion is so great that
hole two or three feet in diameter
may be shattered in the outer hull, aud
now appears the use for the fabricated
rods lOf strong wire fence) inside the
space between the two hulls,
Torpedo Made Harmless
These rods work on the same prin.
eiple as Mr.. Maxim $ gun silencer, they
dissipate, or in other words break up,
the force Of the explosion, at the same
time they protect the walls of the
inner huh from being damaged by
flying pieces of the concrete; thus q
teetion 3xl2 feet is damaged and its
cargo OF oil is thrown against the
force Of the explosion, but this of itself
Helps TO cool the hot gases caused by