Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-30
1O9 GERMAN SHIPS
IN THE U. S. SERVICE
Badly Wrecked by Interned
Crews Prior to Seizure by
This Government.
NOW IN COMPLETE REPAIR


All the damage done to 10e German
seizure by the United States govern
ment when war was declared. has been
repaired. and these ships are today in
service adding more than 100000 gross
tonnage to the transport and cargo
fleets in war service for the United
States
There is evidence that German cen-
trail authority gave an order for de-
struction on these ships. effective on or
about February /. 1917, simultaneous
with the date set for unrestricted sub
marine warfare. and that the purpose
was to infiict such vital damage to the
machinery of all German ships in
American ports that none could be
two years.
This purpose has been defeated in
signal fashion. In less than eight
months all the ships were in service.
Cunning Is Displayed.
The German crews cunningly COM
pretended a system of ruin which they
believed would necessitate the ship
ping of new machinery to substitute
for that wrecked. To obtain new ma
chinery would have entailed a pro-
longed process of design. manufacture
and installation.
Urged by the necessity of conserving
time. the engineers of the Navy De-
partment succeeded, by unique means.
in patching and welding the broken
parts and replacing all of the standard
parts which the Germans detached
from their engines and destroyed or
threw overheard.
The German scheme of ruin ranged
from the plugging of steam pipes to
the utter demolition of boilers by dry
firing.
The Navy Department secured tho
services of all available machinery
weIders and patchers, many OF them
having been voluntarily offered by the
railroads.
Most of the time that elapsed be-
tween the date on which work was be-
gun and the date on which the last
ship was put into commission. after
rigorous tests, was, in fact, chargesble
less to the actual repair work than to
the tedious task of dismantling all
machinery from bow to stern of every
ship for inspection, thus eliminating
every chance of overlooking concealed
mutilation.
Memorandum in German.
memorandum written in German
was picked up on one of the ships
which gave a complete record OF the
destruction on that ship. lnvestiga.
ton revealed that the list. which had
evidently been left through an over
sight, was correct in every detail The
following is translation OF excerpts
from this memorandum:
"Starboard and port high pressure
cylinder with valve chest upper ex
haust outlet fiange broken on Cannot
be repaired)."
..Starboard and port second inter-
mediate pressure valve chest: steam in-
let hanRe broken off Cannot be re-
paired).''
FIRST intermediate pressure star
board: exhaust pipe of exhaust line to
second intermediate pressure fiange
broken off (cannot be repaired"
'Starboard and port low pressure ex-
haust pipe damaged tcannot be re-
paired)."
The optimism of the German who was
so confident of the thoroughness OF his
mutilation is now the source OF much
glee among naval engineers, tnasmuch
as every one OF the supposedly irrep-
arabic parts was in fact. speedily re-
paired and those engines are today As
powerful and serviceable as when they
left the hands of their makers.
Method of Patching and Welding.
The method of patching and welding
broken marine engines had never be-
fore been practiced, although the art
has been known In the railroad indus
try for fifteen years. Three methods
of patching were used; electric wclu-
ing. oAy-acetylene welding. and ordi-
nary mechanical patching. the latter
often later being welded. Following
the repairs tests OF the machinery were
first made at the docks. where tho ships
lT.as draaa fnH tn la "a "A
the propellers were driven at low speed.
and later each ship was taken TO sea
for vigorous trial tests. The patches
and YIELDS were reported n having
given complete satisfaction
When the Leviathan, formcrl. the
yaterland and the largest ship ahoai,
was put into commission by the United
States government and sent to sea Tor
trial run. her commander, a young
American naval officer, was ordered To
exert every pound of pressure that she
possesses. for II there is any fault we
want to know il now" The Leviathan
stood the test. She was one of the ships
least mutilated. due to the fact that
she was in bad repair, and II WAS be
lieved that she would not be NJ to put
to sea for many months. The Navy en-
gineers found IL necessary to overhaul
and partially redesign and reconstruct
many important parts of the engines
The most serious typical damage WAS
done by breaking cylinders. valve
chests. circulating pumps. steam anu
exhaust uoszles on main engines. and
by dry firing boilers and thus melting
the tubes and distorting the furnaces,
in at lease one instance probably using
thermit to make the destruction COM
plete.
Damage Easily Detected.
There were many instances of minor
a nd easily detachable destruction, such
as cutting piston and connecting rods
and stays with hacksaws, smashing
engine room telegraph systems and the
and destruction of parts which
the Germans evidently believed could
not be replaced. The most insidious
sabotage was that which was con-
cealed. In plugging steam pipe the
method was to disjoint the pipe and in
sert a solid piece of brass which would
be sawed off flush with the joint. The
pipe would then be reconnected. show
ing no evidence of having been tam
pered with.
Rod stays on boilers were broken of.
but nuts were fastened to the exposed
surface for the purpose of deception
Similarly the threads of bolts in i'm
portant positions were destroyed, the
bolts being replaced and held by one
or two remaining threads. which. of
oonrse uo,1ld have given away If pres