New-York tribune., 1918-03-08


TENHE United States Shipping Board sew
cral weeks ago decided to begin the
construction Of large occangoirg,
se!I-propcllcd concrete ships. Following
long Investigation OF the possibilities of
this type ot marine construction by the
United States Bureau Of Standards and the
Shipping Board, the latter body on De-
cember 27, 1917, formed q department o.
concrete ship construction, which has al
ready developed considerable organiza.
ton.
corps of designers is engaged in the de-
Nciopment of 4 standard design for Il rein
forced concrcte ship OF approximately
$500 tons dead weight cargo carrying ca
pacity. In this study an original investiga-
tor IS being made into the movements 30
which an oceaMgolng vessel is subjected, Is
result of which the stresses arc naly2cd
and the design made. The complete draw
lngs and specifications arc nearly ready. ana
bids Will be asked iron certain selected
contractors.
This same designing force is also super
Vising the design of the ships already cor
tractcd for. The board requires that plans
and specifications for all such contracts
must be approved before construction is
started. 1t is reported that satisfactory
progress is being made in this Work.
Three contracts have been let. These are
to the Liberty Shipbuilding Company, of
BOSTON; the Fougner American Steel Con-
crete Shlpbullding Company, of New York,
and the Ferro Concrete Shipbuilding Com
pany, of New York All three contracts are
professionally for a number of ships, but arc
contingent upon the seaworthiness and sat
lstactory character Of the first ship built
which building will be under the direction
OF the Shipping Board. fourth contract
Is under negotiation with the firm building
the 5000-ton ship at San Francisco which
was illustrated in "The Engineering News
Record" Of January H. The three first con-
tracts are for 3,500-ton ships, but the con-
tcmplated San Francisco ship is to be a
7,5Oo-ton vcsssel-by far the largest con-
crete ship ever attempted
The design of all but the 75OO-ton ship
is such that the boilers, machinery and fit
tlngs Of the governments standard wooden
ship can be used. Such fittings will be
available for installation when the concrete
huls are launched. The Shipping Board has
let contracts to number of we'll estab-
llshcd plants and yards, at which the as
sembllng and fitting out Of the wooden ships
are to be done. These yards are convenient
to the yards where the concrete huls arc
to be made, and those hulls will be towed
to the fitting out yards as soon as launched,
there TO be completed for service.
In addition to the work set forth above.
the board is conducting a number of tests,
which are being made under the direction
Of the Bureau of Standards 1t is also CO.
operating with the United States. Steamboat
Inspection Service and Lloyds Registry
both Of which bodies have detailed engi-
neers to cooperate with and assist the
board
The department of concrete ship con-
structlon is under the direction of James
0. Heyworth, Of the United States Emer-
gency Fleet Corporation, with Rudolph J.
Wig, Of the United States Bureau of Stand
ards, as chief engineer. The organization
includes Lewis j. Ferguson, as assistant
chief engineer; Robert W. Boyd, of New
York, as consulting concrete engineer, and
". A. Slater, of the University of Illinois,
as concrete engineer. Other concrete de-
signers and constructors and naval design
ers are being brought in as quickly as pos
sible.
Every effort is being made to expedite the
work sufficiently to put the experimental
ships in the water at the beginning of warm
weather. so that should they prove success
fuI, quantity production can be we'll under
way by the middle of the summer.