The Cordova daily times., 1918-09-13
HUGE TASK OF BUILDING SHIPS
 FUR WAR USES

WASHINGTON. Sept. 13.-Ship- building. the many sided task in which much of Americas mechanical genius is today engaged as a part of the war program, requires mechanics skilled in more than thirty trades, besides an army of unskilled workers.
 With gigantic building program ahead. vast force is employed along this phase of war work. Today 30O,- 900 men are at work in the shipyards, with 35O.O0O engaged in trades that provide material for the shipbuilders
 Here are the skilled workers who are doing the work on the steel ships: :. Shiphtters. blacksmiths. riveters. t, clippers and calkers. drillers, plumb, CTS, pipe.ttters, maChinists, joiners. carpenters. pattern makers. foundry. men. coppersmimths. heavy forgers. steel metal workers. furnace men, shearers. punchers. anglesmiths ship wrights. triggers. Hangers. drop forgers, erectors. bolters-up, crane op. orators, locomotive engineers, firemen loftsmen, painters and helpers in all these trades.
 Sixty per cent of the work on 1 ship is in constructing the hull. and the remaining 40 per cent is install ing mechanical parts, deck furnishings and other equipment that goes to make the finished vessel.
 Obviously it is almost impossible to | single out one craft that is the most 1 important. All contribute in making 1 tn" finished product. and without any one no complete ship could result ! Loftsmen. however. play great part
 Ship plans are first made in a draft. i ing room on a small scale. Going | to the mould loft-a large building i with smooth floor of sufficient size to have drawn upon it the plans O. l the ship to full sizo-thc lOftsmau i fashions the templates or moulds o' 1 light wood or paper from which the l steel for the hull can be laid off and marked for shearing. punching. plan ! ming and other operations.
 The moulds are made from three 1 plans that give shape to the ship These plans. showing the lines or a vessel. are the sheer plan or side eie' vation. the half breadth plan and the body plan or end elevations. The body plan is most used in making the | n,Oulds. for it shows better the shape of each frame, beam and floor plate 1 The moulds must be absolutely cor rect. so that they will join together properly
 The ship-htter is probably the one metal worker whose trade may be | termed purely shipbuilding trade. l He marks off the steel material for l the parts of the vessels hull by fit ting the loftsmans mould over the steel. Drillers also play a big part in the drilling and roaming of holes. | They are necessary because of the rivet holes being punched in the shop not always COinCiding. despite careful | workmanship. In some cases also unevenness between holes is removed | by roaming, which is merely a slight enlargement.
 Riveters do perhaps the most spec tacular work. the "rat-a-tat-tat" of l their pneumatic tools having a fasct- nation reminiscent of the anvil of the | village blacksmith. Rivetting holds | the ship together, and a ships plans | specify every rivet, for each has | certain function. Clippers and calh, | CTS trim off or smooth the edges of | plates. castings and other parts and make them watertight. Shipwrights | install the wooden decks. masts, spars | and booms. Other ship woodwork is 1 done by joiners.
 Ventilation, piping and light metal work is done largely in shop by sheet metal workers, Plumbing and piping also is done in shop by plumbers, ma chinists and pipe-ftters
 Shop work on the hull proper is done by workmen operating shears punches. bending rolls, planers and ether machines, and the frame bend, CTS. acetylene burners. furnace men and anglcsmiths perform the prepara tory work to the erection of plates. brackets, clips. beams, bulkheads and