Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-03-15
LARGEST CONCRETE SHIP
LAUNCHED IN PACIFIC
Huge Vessel, Built as an Expert
ment, Expected to Solve Ma
tion's Problems.

A PACIFIC PoRT,N March 15.-The
largest concrete ship in the world was
launched here yesterday. If the vessel
stands all tests, the builders hope this
type will help to solve the nations
need for ships. Every step of the con-
struction has been watched by the gov
eminent. The vessel is 800 feet be-
tween perpendiculars, AS feet wide
and 80 feet deep, and when loaded will
draw "a feet of water. Her displace-
ment will be 1900 tons and she will
have a carrying capacity of 5000 tons
and make ten or eleven knots an hour
with triple expansion engines furnish
ing 1850 horsepower
She is ten times larger than any con-
crete boat now on record in this coun-
try.
Advantages claimed for the new yes
sci are that concrete construction does
not interfere with steel construction,
plenty of concrete can be had; concrete
vessels can be built for the present cost
of wooden vessels; concrete vessels of
1900 tons can be launched within nine
~ days after work starts: while the
cost of the plant" is "as $4,000 to
$1,000 0o." compared with a steel ship
yard.
Agree on Success.
when the first steel vessels were
built, people said they'd not float, or il
they did. they would be too heavy to
be servicea ble.'' said W. Leslie Comyn,
president of the concern which built
the boat. Now they say the. same
thing about concrete. But all the en-
glneers we have taken over this
ooat, lhciuoing many who said it was
an impossible undertaking, now agree
that 1t is a success
The floor of the vessel is about four
and one-half inches thick; the side four
inches, with a great steel shoe down
the bow. Embedded in the concrete are
a4o tons of steel: a continuous basket
Work OF welded steel mesh and hum
dreds of heavy iron bars, also welded
together.
A watertight wood flooring resting
on the bottom beams constitutes the
aouole bottom of the vessel. No pro-
vision is made for water ballast, the
theory being that the vessel will travel
without ballast. riding safely with her
heavy bottom. Six concrete bulkheads
divide the vessel. The main deck is
wood. laid on concrete stringers; the
shelter deck is concrete The dead
weight is put at 800 tons more than
that OF steel vessel of like capacity
IN vessel will burn oil. usin 100 bar
reis a day and her reinforced concrete
Must Stand Tests.
This boat will have to stand her
tests. like any other vessel" said the
builder today. Il expect We will send
her to the orient, and when she gets
back we will know all about her At
present, there are no insurance quota
tons covering concrete vessels; it's all
as new to every one else as it was to
us, as we had to design our steel and
have it rolled as We needed it.
Besides the low first cost, we will
save 70 per cent of our lumber on
later boats, by refusing it. Two other
vessels of 800 tons each, will be
started as soon as we get this one out
of the way. In these we will use forms
built in sections and bolted. When we
strip them from the concrete, they will
come off A section at time
A concrete boat will last-I don't
know how long. We know that con-
crete gets better the first nine years
of its life and after that it should last
a long while. The life of a steel boat
ordinarily is twenty-five years.