Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-03-27
CHAIRMAN HURLEY TELLS
OF VAST SHlPRllll DING
Continued From Firs. pare1

winter. They had tho same spirit and
demonstrated the same pluck and un-
seihshncss as the men in the trenches
And they have virtually completed the
job OF building Americas new shin
yards-the new yards that will make
US the greatest shipbCilding nation.
1t has been an uphill struggle.
am willing TO confess there have been
times when we have been discourarcd
not at the magnitude Of the task. but
through doubt Of human ability to
accomplish the stupcndous work in the
short time allowed.
But We have had our moments or
citation when we have fel. that We are
making progress. The record made by
the Skinner * Eddy Co. Of Seattle, is
4 case In point. That company laid the
Keel FOR an S,SO0-ton vessel. which was
launched in sixty-four days She was
delivered TO the Fleet Corporation OH
January and started on the first voy-
age on January II. This record accom-
plishment shows what can be done in
live, wide-awake. efficient American
shipyards.
Then few days ago we received
telegram from the Moore Shipbuildin.
Company. OF Oakland. Cal, announc-
Ing the successful launching OF one OF
their large vessels Twenty minutes
later we received another telegram from
the same company announcing the
launching Of a second ship of the same
type, and forty minutes afterward &,
third telegram saying that a third vcs-
sci Of similar character had gone over
board This was the record OF one
American shipyard. The launching Of
three e,4oo-ton vessels in single after
noon-an plishment which ] be-
iieve Is unrivaled in the worlds annals
OF shipbuildng.
TWO METHODS FOR THE
FIGURING OF TONNAGE:
There are two methods for COM
putting the construction Of tonnage to
show what is accomplished. One is by
showing the tonnage in the water.
Tho other is by showing the tonnage
under construction. But when great
many ships are put under construction
at the same time. the question to be
asked Is how are they all progressing:
how near to completion Is the vast pro-
gram? Here is the answer:
THE total amount of our steel con-
struction on March was s,2o5,7os
uedu elS III LUXE his Is IEdUC up Oh
5.IG0.30o dcadwcight tons under con-
ration. and 3.0i54os deadwcisht tons
of rcquisition vessels.
'Of this total steel construction. p
12l,5GS lightweight tons, or approxi-
mately 2S per cent, has been COM
plcted That means that in addition
to the building Of our big new yards
III h,,il
That is. the program for steel ships
has advanced % per cent toward com
pletion. or the amount OF steel ships
under contract and under requisition,
655,45S dcadweight tons, or approxi-
nately per cent, were actually com
pleted and in service on March OF
this year. nearly month ago. This
amount of floating tonnage exceeds
our total output in 1916. including
steel. wooden and sailing vessels. By
approx mateiy so per cent.
Dad WEATHER AND EMBARGOES
ALSO HAMPERED PROGRESS
"In the yards which we have already
completed and those which are near
ing completion the progress will be
cumulative from this time on.
Thus while we have been building
the yards and training the new FORCES
necessary to construction, we have also
been building the ships.
Notwithstanding the difficulties OF
organization, of the handicaps OF bad
weather conditions. of transportation
embarsoes and railroad congestion,
nearly as much tonnage has been con-
structed in American waters In the
past three months as by all the other
maritime nations OF the world COM
bined.
1--WE have had to build up n ire
mendous administrative organization.
with expert ship architects. eXper,
traffic and operating heads. and at q
time when the demand for such talent
greatly exceeded the supply. We have
had to negotiate for neutral tonnage.
We have had to rcquisition and pro-
vide for the operation OF the entire
existing American merchant marine: VIC
have had also to provide skilled SUI
pervision for the repairs of interned
German ships which were seized.
The Germans thought that by Grip