Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1919-05-05
ship BUILDING
HONORS co TO
GREAT LAKES

WASHINGTON, May 5f-By AS
ISOLATED Press First honors in the
building of ships during the war
have been awarded by the Shipping
Board to tie Ninth or Great Lakes
district. Held by canal restrictions to
lighter type of vessel than was built
on the seaboard, the district did not
produce so many net tons as other
sections, but outstripped all other
districts in the number of ships. In
one year it put into service IL more
vessels than were delivered from all
American yards in the year before the
United States entered the war.
At the outbreak of war, Great Lakes
yards, which had developed a highly
efficient type of cargo carrier, were at
work on 100 bottoms for foreign ac-
count. All were requisitioned by the
Shipping Board and the first ship turn
ed over to the board under it's war
program was the Limogen, 1880 ton
freighter, built at Toledo, Twenty
seven ships were finished and put to
sea from the canals froze in 1917.
y While winter gripped the Lakes
new work was continued and the exist
ing fleet, even old boats which had
been laid up, were overhauled. Sum-
mer saw every available craft worked
and overworked as never before, keep
ing the stream Of grain, iron ore, coal
and manufactures moving toward the
east for shipment to the men in Eu-
rope. At the opening of navigation,
20 ships slipped from the ways and
work was carried forward at Increased
speed. In November a total of %
ships-nearly one day-was put in
to service by Great Lakes yards.
The total for 1918 was 1853 new
freight carriers, all of them steel, ex-
cept one. The smallest yard on the
Lakes, having only three ways, deliv-
cred 13 ships and finished fourteenth
only little too late for delivery be-
fore the ice closed navigation. Be-
tween the end of Noevmber and the
end of March, six more were launched.
All were 1920 tons boats.
One yard built a 3,500-ton ship in
81 days. Another launched 3,400-
ton hull in % days, a record which
was clipped to "a days by another
plant soon after. That record stood
but a little while, for still another
yard launched 3,500-ton ship in II
days after laying the keel and de-
livered it complete IA days later.
Expansion of the yards to meet the
wars demands gave the lakes a total
of 112 berths, 70 for cargo ships and
SO for tugs. While the average total
number of rivct gangs in the Great
Lakes district is only ten per cent. of
the nations total, they point proudly
to a record of delivering 80 per cent.
of the country's total ship tonnage.
Additional contracts for 946 ships of
1920 tons each have been placed in the
district since the last requisitioned
ship was finished in October, the pro-
gram to be completed by the close of
navigation this year. Since the sign
sea-going tugs, two steel harbor tugs
ing of the armistice 100000 tons of
shipping have been delivered. Orders
also have been been placed in the dis
trict for % steel seagoing tugs, IL
wood sea-going tugs, two steel harbor
tugs and 80 wood harbor tugs.
Completion of the building program,
according to officials will give the
Lakes district a record of 4447 cargo
ships and tugs delivered to the gov
eminent, the largest number of ships
and the largest tonnage built in any
district.