The Washington times., 1922-05-25
MUCH SALVAGED
FROM Us. SHIPS
ON JUNK HEAP
Famous Gold Star Destroyer
Becomes Fruit Ship-"Battle-
Wagon" Machinery Valuable.
International News Service.

PHILADELPHIA, May ga ma
rine graveyard surpassing in ca
paCity any in the world, with the
possible exception OF the Sargosso
Sea, has sprung into being on the
banks OF the Delaware river, at
Bridesburg, Pa, where battleshlps'
cruisers, and destroyers OF the
United States navy, once the lasI
word in naval construction, are pelng
cut to pieces for junk, or reconVerteu
into prosaiC merchantmen.
Odd squat monitors and tiny SUP
marines, reminiscent OF the DAYS
when under water craft were nov
city, are slowly disappearing under
the crunch of huge crocodile shears
and the incisive cut Of the acetylene
torch, which bites through eleven
inch nickel steel armorplate as
though 1t were paper. A NUMBER OF
old British troopships also are there,
of immense Junk value because OF
their hulls of pure wrought iron.
Few ships escape the junkpile
Once in a while someone sees the
possibility of utilizing the hulls for
peaceful purposes and purchases one
or two. The destroyer Stewart which
sank U.boat off the Brest coast
during the war, for which 1t was
awarded a metal star, is being con-
verted into q banana boat for coast
wise fruit in the Caribbean sea.
Columbia at Anchor.
Alongside the Chuiser Columbia,
once the fastest ship afloat. swings
at anchor, a forerunner Of the battle
cruisers of today, although she would
not last three minutes in an engage
ment with one of her descendants.
Not all the enormous weight OF
armor on the battleships IL allowed
to 20 to the junk pile. Much OF 1t is
retained by the Government for use
in hallistiC tosts OF modern ordnance
and for the study of bomb dropping
from airplanes. But. the guns of the
battleships and other craft are being
distempered and sawn into ingotS 10
return to the steel mills which gave
them birth for use again in peaceful
industries.
The dismantling OF "A battleship is
curious to watch. The hull of the
average monster weighs about 5000
tons, the armor over 5000, and the
prOpelling machinery and accessories
5000. The armOr plate is torn off in
chunks weighing from twenty-five
to forty tons. The pieces are held
upright by powerful cranes in the
wrecking yard and cut into billets,
two by six feet, with the acetylen"
torch to prepare them for shipment
20 the open hearth furnaces. Tho
niCkel.steel armor plate is especially
valuable, az. when melted down. 1t
finds ready sale to the automobile ir'
dustry.
After the armor belts have been
dismantled the machinery which
once operated the turrets, ammunt.
ton hOists and refrigerating system
is attacked by 100.ton pile drivers,
which break It up into small pieces
readily handled.
Make Machinery From Hulls.
The bulk Of the mat<hl finds its
way to the gray iron foundries,
where II is utilized in the manufaC-
ture of castings for agricultural ma
chincry. engine bases, and other
products where tensile strength is
lot requisite.
The curious navy metal" com.
position Of SO per cent copper, 10 per
cent tin, and per cent zinc, with a
tensile strength OF 10000 pounds TO
the square inch, u greatly priced.
Other precious metals. viewed from
present day shortage conditions, are
copper, zinc, and navy brass, which
all find their way into the melting
pot. after being separated and
graded