Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-09-04
men OF 80
TRADES To-
Ill. BUILD SHIPS.
Men Are at Work in
American Yards at
This Time:

washington, Sept. 4.-Shtpbutld-
ing the many-sided task in which
much of Americas mechanical genius
il today engaged as part or the war
program, requires mechanics skiiled
in more than thirty trades besides an
army of unskilled workers.
With a gigantic building program
ahead, a vast force is employed along
in this phase of war work. To-Day
100000 men are at work in the snip
yards, with, $50, 900 engaged in trades
that provide material for the snip
builders.
Here are the skilled workers who
are doing the work on h steel ship:
Shipftkers. blacksmiths, rivetters.
clippers and calkers, drillers, plumb
ers. pipefitters} machinists, joiness'
carpenters, pattern makers, foundry
men, co~ppersmiths: heavy forgers,
shearers, punchers, anglesmiths,
shipwrights, ringers. Hangers, drop
forgers. erectors, bolters-up, crane
operators, locomotive engineers, fire.
men, loftsmen, painters and helpers
mall these trades.
Sixty per cent Of the work on a ship
is in constructing the hull. and the
remaining forty per cent is installing
mechanical parts, deck furnishings
and other equipment that goes to
make the finished vessel. -
to single out one craft that Is the
most important. All contribute in
making the finished product and
without any n no complete ship
could result. Loftsmen, however.
play a great part.
Ship plans are first made in q
drafting room on a small scale. Go.
ing to the mould loft-a large build
ing with a smooth floor Of sufficient
size to have drawn upon it the plans
of the ship to full 3ze-the loftsmen
fashion, the templates or moulds Of
light WOO or paper from which the
steel for the hull can he. laid off and
marked for shearing, punching, plan
ming and other operations.
The moulds are made from three
plans that give shape to the ship.
These plans, showing the lines Of a
vessel are the sheer plan or side
elevation. the half breath plan and
the body plan Or end elevation. The
body plan is most used in making the
moulds. for it shows better the shape
Of each frame, beam and floor plate.
The moulds must be absolutely cor-
rect so that they~will join together
properly.
The shipf1tter is probably the one
metal worker whose trade may be-
termed purely a shipbuilding trade.
He marks off the steel material for
the parts OF the vessels hull, by fit
ting the loftsman's mould over the
steel. Drillers also play a big part in
the drilling and roaming Of holes.
they are necessary because of the
rivet holes being punched in shop do
not always coincide despite careful
workmanship. In some cases also
holes must be drilled on the ship. The
unevenness between holes is emoyed
by. roaming. which is merely a SLIGHT
enlargement. -
Rivetters do perhaps the most spec
tacular work, the rat-a-tat-tat: Of
their pneumatic tools having a fas-
cination reminiscent Of the anvil Of
the village blacksmith. Rivettine
holds the ship together, and a ships
plans specify every riyet. for each
mas a certain function. Clippers and
caikers trim off or smooth the edges
or plates. castings and other parts and
make them water tight, shipwriehfs
install the wooden decks. masts. spars
n booms. Other ship woodwork ia
done by j~oiners, "
Ventilation, piping and light metal
work Is done largely in shop by sheet
metal workers. Plumbing and mining
also Is done in shop by plumbers
machlnists and pipeftters- /
Snop work on the hull proper Ia
done by .workmen operating shears.
punches, bending rolls, planners and
oLner chi and the frame bend
ers; acetylene burners, furnace men
ana aneesmiths who perform the
preparatory work to the erection Of,
plates. brackets. clips, sbeams, bulls
heads and parts required for tha h,,II
Of a ship. Az "ut!