The Pascagoula chronicle. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1905-1920, 1918-08-31
FoRD'S PLANT SOON TO
LAUNCH EAGLE A DAY

Navy Daniels he would do 1t, when h
undertook the contract for the frs
100 Eagle-boats-the new submarin
chasers designed by the navy depar
ment. That was last January. In
few days. the plant which was dc
signed, built and put into operation II
less than six months, hopes to b.
dropping Eagles" into the water a
the rate of one day. Dropping" |
the correct term; they are not launch
ed.
The River Rouge plant of the Fore
Motor Company, where spent the da.
inspecting the production of the new
navy boats, is called a shipyard.
looks like vast factory; and it i!
in fact steel fabricating, assembl,
and equipment plant.
These boats are built on moving
platforms, conveyed on wheels; the,
are made of steel parts fabricated II
endless quantity and put together witt
rivets; they are wheeled out to he
waters edge, placed on platform
operated by hydraulic jack, and plat
form and all is let down into the water
and the ship floated away. 1t is the
theory of "f1ivver" production applied
to ships.
Secretary Daniels called Henry
Ford to Washington last January to
ask him If he would undertake the
job of building the new Eagles =
Ford saw no reason why ships could
not be built in quantity like automo
biles. Sc the contract was signed
January II.
Within "a hours plans were being
drawn, and details of the buildings
worked out. The site on which the
great plant stands was partly under
water. 1t was filled; the river was
dredged, canal was cut to the fac
tory doors, and work begun on the
buildings.
| The fabrication shop was built in
three weeks. Long before the 1,7O0
foot assembling building was finished
the fabrication shop was producing
plates, angles, channels, etc., SO that
the first ship could be begun as soon
as the assembling plant was ready
The first complete Eagle" went in
to the water July Is. Eighteen ships
are under way now, in few days
there will be 21 on the shipw4ys-the
capacity of the plant. perara long /,
ship a day will go into the water.
These boats should not be confused
with the 110-footers-the origin sub
marine chasers. These are far larger
and more powerful vessels. They are
in fact hallway between the Chaser
and the destroyer" type, two hundred
feet long and of 500 tons displacement
The plant is laid out Systematically
so that the steel Is fed into one end
while at the other completed boats,
with naval crews, guns, stores and sup,
plies aboard, sail away to the Atlantic.
Across from it is the navy depart
ment's cantonment, where the naval
crews to man the ships are being
trained.
steel stampings, pressed from sheet
metal. In the fabrication shop these
plates--keel, floors, beams, angles
frames-are shaped and then run
through great punching machines that
cut out dozens of rivet holes at a
time. Service railways run frori ;his
shop to the assembling plant, which
covers IS acres of floor space. The
keels are laid and the complete hulls
built on 12x12 timber mounted on II
standard steel car trucks, operating
on ordinary rails. There is room for
seven af these trucks in each shipway
and there are three shipways. To the
keel the frames are added, then the
plates, the decking, and a
the seventh operation the hull is com. |
plete and the boat ready for launch
ing.
AT the lower end of the assembling |
plant sreat transfer table operates. |
Onto this the car truck CARRYING the |
hull are run, and this table |
with the launching bridge. |
rhe boat and its carriage are run onto |
he bridge and by means of large |
hydraulic jacks, the whole is lowered |
nto the water. The carriage with |
is trucks is lowered away from the
,oat, thus allowing it to float free
After launching the hull is floated
lown to the outitting shop. where the
'oiler, engines and other equipment
S added.
More than 500 men are at work now
The vista of ships on the platforms
With the three nearly completed huils
ar away at the lower doors, and the
hree lines tapering down until at
he end OF the line only the keel and
keleton ribs represent the ships. con-
eys clear idea of the plant of the
Shole thing. One can actually see
hese boats creeping forward day by
ay to their places in the feet that is
uniting the U-boats.
The Eagles" will be sent to the
.tlantic through the New York State
large Canal. The fuel is oil, and the
hem across the Atlantic. Ford is ;
the engines in big addition !