The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-12-13
SWIFT REPAIR Of
THE GERMAN SHIPS
Damaged BY Their Own Crews
Before Seizure by
Uncle Sam.
s Ho w s CoNCLUs1vELY
America Has Most Efficient
Naval Engineers on Face
of Earth-103 Were
Taken.
SHOWS coNcLUs1vELY

|
pair of the German ships supposed,
wrecked by the crews before seizure
| hy the United states ut the outbreaf
OF the war is described in the annus
report of the naval bureau of engi
necrs as one of the most striking and
dra matte performances in history o.
naval engineering.
| For the first Wime the public is per
mitted to know the extent OF the Ger
man vandalism and the manner II
which engineering ingenuity and skill
accomplished what the Berlin authori-
! ties who ordered the complete dis
abling OF the vessels. confidently be
| iieved 10 he Impossible from an en-
| cheering viewpoint.
When hostilities were declared, los
OF these ships locked at various Amer.
lean ports we're taken over by the
United States and virtually all were
found to be damaged wilfully by their
German crews.
The Importance of the speedy re-
pair OF these ships is shown by the fact
that "a OF the 1o3. afterwards convert
ed to transports had a carrying capa-
city Of 7o.Ea0 troops. The work of re-
pair. conversion and QUILTING was
pressed with the utmost energy and
within about FIVE months. was virtually
completed.
!ndisnutable evidence Of Ger
nany's nremeditated plan to render
the vessels unserviceable il con-
'tained in various memoranda found
aboard the ships. one note written
by the chief engineer OF a big liner
said he began wrecking her ma
chinery January al. isl7~ene day
before the Berlin government re-
sumed unrestricted submarine war
fare
Memorandum found aboard the s. 8.
Hamburg gave in detail the parts
broken and damaged on the two main
engines OF the vessel and after each
item appeared the notation, Cannot be
repaired"
American naval engineers found Il
possible TO ase 70 an unprecedented eS-
tent beth electric and oxyaretSlene
welding in patching and reratriux the
huge cracks In damaged cylinders. Be-
FORE the ships were pronounced ready
for service they were tnken to sea for
i minimum full power test run OF for
ty-etght hours
PERHAPS the most striking common
tarS upon salvage conversion and utt-
ltxaticn OF these former German ships
IL the fact that one of them, the George
Washington, IN now carving President
W tson on. hts historic mission Ia TIRE
PARIS Conference which IS 70 write fhe
last chapter 81 the u,ifitafy = sf,16 fsntc'-
cratic career OF Germany.
In addition to the twenty large
steamers converted TO transports. six :
teen were used as auxiliary naval yes-
sells and the rest turned over to the
shtnring hoard to transport supplies
and au~tunition for Pershins's forces
on the French front.
The strength OF the naval forces ope-
rating In E.liropean waters during h~s-
ti,sti~s ts given 90 24e shins. carving
a. coo Officers and men. AT the sign
my Of the a-nistic@. The regular ves-
sAls operated bv the NAVY numbered
$50. not incfudinr nsnsty-three ships
drawn from the cast guard. a31 com
verified merchant vessels and c47 ves-
sells and s&7 vessels operated for the
army.
n II disclosed that in navy yards
and private PLANTS there are now sn-
der construction ats ccnbataht and
auxiliary vessels and hfty-fwo tugs
TOR the navy.
The report contains the interest,"
ing announcement that radio teie-
graohic communication from air
craft in night TO stations on land
IS now possible ct distance of
can mites. Communication from
Land stations to flying aircraft In
practically up to a distance Of ATTY
miles. @
ny use OF the radio telephone an
aviator can actually talk to his COM
mandtnx Officers ut the land stations
at distance Of sixty miles. The con-
verse Of this telephone communica-
ticn from land to nying aircraft IL
practical 70 = distance OF fifteen r1iIes.
Airplanes and dYrIKfbles are now Ahle
to report to land stations at regular
Intervals for distances up to 100 miles
by means Of the remarkable develop
ments IN radio equipment.