The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-09-11
SHIP BUILDING.
A Many Sided Task Requiring Thou
sands of Skilled Workmen.

Washington, Sept 1.-Shipbuild-
ing, the many-sided task in which
much of Americas mechanical gen.
ius is today engaged as a part OF the
war program, requires mechanics
skilled in more than thirty trades be-
sides an army Of unskilled workers.
With gigantic building program
ahead, vast force is employed
in this phase of war work. To-
day 300,00Os men are at work in the
shipyards, with 25O,OO0 engaged in
trades that provide material for the
shipbuilders.
Here are the skilled workers who
are doing the work on the steel ship;
Shipftters, blacksuiths, rivetters,
clippers and calkers, drillers, plum
bers, pipeftters machinists, joiners,
carpenters, pattern makers, foundry
men, coppersmiths, heavy forgers,
steeE metal workers, furnace men,
shearers, punchers, anglesmitfs, ship
wrights, riggers, hangers, drop forg-
ers, erectors; bolters-up, cane opera
tors, locomotive e&dneers, fremen,
loftsmen, painters and helpers in all
these trades.
Sixty per cent Of the work on
ship is in constructing the hull, and
the remaining forty percent is install
ing mechanical parts, deck furnish
ings and other equipment that goes
TO make the finished vessel. -
Obviously, it rs almost impossible
81 &c "a
most important All contribute in
making the finished product and
without any one no complete ship
could result. Loftsmen, however,
play great part.
Ship plans are first made. in a
drafting room on small scale. Co
ing to the mould loft--a large build
ing with a smooth floor of sufficient
size to have drawn upon it the plans
Of the ship to full size-the loftsmen
fashion the templates or moulds of
light wood or paper from which the
steel for the hull can be laid off and
marked for shearing, punching, plan
aing and other operations.
The moulds are made from three
plans that give shape to the ship.
These plans, showing the lines of a
vessel are the sheer plan or side ele-
vation, the half breadth plan and the
body plan or end elevation. The
body plan is most used in making the
moulds, for it shows better the shape
of each frame, beam and floor plate.
The moulds must be absolutely cor
rect 80 that they will join together
properly.
The shipftter is probably the one
metal worker whose trade may be-
termed purely a shipbuilding:, trade.
tle marks off the stee: material for
the parts of the vessels hull, by fit
ing the loftman's mould over the
STEEL DrilIers also play a big part
in the drilling and roaming Of holes.
They are necessary because the rivet
holes being punched in shop do not
always coincide despite careful work
manship. In some cases also holes
must be drilled on the ship. The ul1-
evenness between holes is removed by
roaming; which is merely a slight en-
iargenlent
Rivetters do perhaps the most spec
.acular work, the rat-a-tat-tat of
their pneumatic tools having a fasei-
nation reminiscent Of the anvil of the
village blacksmith. Rivetting holds
the ship together, and ships, plans
specify every rivet, for each has
certain function. Clippers and calk-
ers trim off or smooth the edges OF
plates, castings and other parts and
make them water tight. Shipwrights
install wooden decks, masts, spars
and boorns. Other ship woodwork is
done by joiners.
Ventilation, piping and light met
al work is done largely in shop by
sheet metal workers. Plumbing and
piping also is done in shop by plumb
ers, machinists and pipefitters.
Shop work on the hui! proper Is
done by workmen operating shears
punches, bending rolls, planers and
other machines and the frame bend
ers, acetylene burners, furnace men
and angle-smiths' who perform the
preparatory work to the erection OF
plates brackets clips, beams; bulk
heads and parts required for the hull
of a ship.