Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-12-12
Erierges after Conflict
Most Important and Larg.
est Of Nations Ship Build.
ing Depots
Building Greatest Drydock
and Permanent Wdys to
Cradle Sea Fighting
Leuiathans

Csntihued from Page One
to give one some idea Of the terrific
power and efficiency Of American ar
tillery. .........
The story of the great aircraft fac
tory Mt League Island has been told.
Until the Navy Department permitted
some of the facts to be made. known
few PhiladeIphians even guessed that
giant seaplanes were being built at the
yard, and built faster than the smaller
airplanes could be constructed for our
land forces in private factories.
The flying boats" were finished at
I League Island at the rate of two a day.
The men who ran the big airplane plant
there, commander Coburn and his as
sociatcs, would have increased produc-
ton to four a day within n short time.
They even planned six a day little
later. Any one who saw the great
sfying boat" exhibited on the north
plaza of City Hall during the last LIB
erty Loan drive can easily realize the
work involved in manufacturing even
two of these giant aircraft in a single
day.
Equipment Wasn't Modern
When the war began the yards equip
anent for the construction or repair Of
vessels was fairly extensive, but not
very modern. The yard was just be-
ginning to reach, out after the new
construction work''--shipbullding in
nontechnical langpage-which every
( Philadelphian considered its due. This
had to be set aside, very largely. during
the period Of the war. The yards ia
cilittes could be put TO better use for
the repair and refitting of craft already
in the service. And with the taking
over Of merchant ships for naval and
transport purposes, and the general con-
version Of pleasure craft to serve in
the scout patrol, the shops and dry
docks at League Island became vitality
important to the American naval pro-
gram.
The most important activities of the
p yard came under one or other of two
main departments. the Hull Division
and the MACHINERY Division" Between
them they employed 1000 men,.
Construction work at the yard was
organized and modernized by Captain
John q. Tawresey. until recently con-
struotion officer there, an expert trained
in the best shipbuilding schools of Amer
lea and England He had the good
fortune to be in charge of construction
at the Philadelphia Navy Yard during
the entire period Of this country's par
ways small--it takes seven or eight
3 years to train the likeliest candidate for
the exacting Job of naval constructor
and experts were In universal demand
! but the work they did was tremendous.
1000 In Hull Division"
Construction. repair. reftting of ship'
IL done by what Is known as the Hui
Division at the navy yard. When tn
!. war began their working personne
Z consisted Of about 1000 men. At tn
signing of the armistice this numbe
had been multiplied by four. And tn
1000 men were almost all engaged IL
vitality necessary repair and rehtmen
work.. New construction was abandoned
or cut down to the minimum that woult
keep the various shipbullding under
takings Just moving along.
The Philadelphia yard became tn
central repair station for all subma
rines.
Many German ships-a score at leas
which had been seized by this countr;
for war transport purposes were fitte
out at. the navy yard to carry troop
as we'll as supplies. The policy was t
make every vessel that sailed oversee
capable, of carrying troops-if it wer
only q hundred or so. This was one o
4 the secrets of our tremendous movemen
of hghting men to france.
During the war two German auxil
larry cruisers which had fallen into ou
hands were put to extremely good us
against their one-time owners. Thes
were the Prinz Eitel Friederich and tn
Kronprinz Wilhelm. They were f1tte
out at the Philadelphia navy yard.
ID Terpedoed Ships Repaired
During the war two American ship
were torpedoed or mined in America
waters These were the steamship Hel
bert l. Pratt and the United State
steamship Minnesota.
Both were repaired at the Philade
phia Navy Yard. The Minnesota
there in drydock now.
EARLY In the war the local yard fitte
out forty destroyers for overseas serN
ice. Seven Of these were of the earle.
type built for the American navy--co;
burners. They were every one of thel
brought up to the last possible degrt
of efficiency, equipped with the late
and best devices, stiffened to stand II
battering of heavy seas on the wa
across. equipped to drop depth bombs
the lash cans which the German sui
marine commanders came to hate al
fear-at the League Island yard. II