Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-27
BY REAR ADMIRAL L. e. GREGORY,

4 nations first line of national de-
Tense, will be found the shore
facilities which have conditioned and
equipped them as a formidable battle
force. This battle force is predominant
in the minds of the layman, whose
service may lean to the spectacular.
ANY array of battleshipS, cruisers, de-
stroyers, submarines and aircraft GER
tainly instills in the minds of specta-
tors that feeling of awe and respect for
these powerful weapons Of modern war
fare. And rightly so, for the Nays
combatant force comprises the bulwark
against foreign invasion. 1t is this
force, trained in the strategy of war,
that, when called upon, must obtain
the successful issue which the nation
expects.
But within the service sea power sig
nifies more than combatant forces. Sea
power is a combination of the three
elements that are necessary for the
control Of the seas. These are the fight
! ing forces, the merchant marine and
the naval bases. The last named will
be made the subject Of this article.
The strides in science and industry
in the last two or three decades have
carried the country forward in an era
| of progress heretofore unconceived. No
where is this progress more marked and
more apparent than in the instruments
of modern warfare. The scope of en-
cheering, especially where applied to
| naval shore facilities, has been one of
constantly changing designs and meth
DDS of construction.
Service Stations for the Fleet.
In certain of the protected harbors
OF our two coast lines, in Cuba, Virgin
Islands, Panama, Hawaii Philippine
Islands, Guam and Samoa will be found
naval shore facilities fulfilling miscel-
laneous and multitudinouS functions,
but existing primarily as service sta
tions for our naval fighting forces and
auxhlar1eS. These shore establishments
range from small radio compass sta
lions to the large industrial navy yards
employing thousands Of men.
Other shore bases Of primary impor-
lance TO sea power are air stations,
submarine bases, training stations,
hospitals, ammunition depots, fuel sta
tions, supply depots, radio stations,
marine corps bases, destroyer bases, etc.
These stations serve a multiplicity of
purposes, many of which can be inter-
preted from the names of the activities
The work Of designing, constructing
and maintaining these repair bases, or
yards and stations, as they are known
to the service, Is by law assigned to
the Bureau of Yards and Docks, and
the work in the field is carried out by
officers of the Corps of Civil Engineers.
There is assigned to this bureau engi-
| neering work of the most varied nature.
embracing the fields of civil, mechan-
lea! and electrical engineering and of
architecture.
Bureau Has Many Problems.
It is believed that there are not seq
regateo elsewhere under any one office
or bureau the intricate and multitude
nous engineering problems such as
those confronting the Bureau of Yards
ana DOCKS, and which are necessary
Tor the proper construction, equipment,
maintenance and repair Of the feet and
Its appurtenances.
The larger of the industrial navy
yards provide for the major overhaul.
repair and conditioning of the physi-
Cal material OF the fleet. The training
stations provide the personnel. In or.
der to give the reader a general under
stand1ng OF the public works and utiIi-
Ties required, typical navy yard of
major Importance will be briefly de-
Scribed.
A navy yard proper is considered as
comprising complete docking and renair
IaclIlsleS, ana usually supply depot
carrying all of the stores 1ecessarv
for servicing the feet. Where a nav
yard is contiguous to the other shore
eStaollshmentS previously mentioned.
Che combined activities can be termed
naVaI base or naval operating base.
Long Water Front Necessary.
The yard itself must be laid ont
with a view to handling all classes of
naVai vessels, the maximum size of
which is limited by the size of the
locks Of the Panama Canal. The main
area OF hard. disable land for the yard
proper manufacturing Yard may vary
from 100 to 1000 or more acres,
long water front Is necessary with
numerous wharves and piers of vary
ing length and types of construction to
meet SPECIFIC uses. These specific uses
comprise f1tting-out, repair, fueling for
both oil and coal, freight, etc.
The depth Of water at low tide must
be about 40 feet, which permits a
small clearance between the keel of the
largest vessels of the feet and the bot
tom OF the water. Even greater depths
are desirable when it is considered that
there may be times when vessels of
deep draft are disabled with possibly
flooded compartments, resulting in
their drawing more water than nor
mally.
This same depth of water must pre-
vail In the channel between the yard
and the sea, and in the dry docks which
must receive vessels damaged below
the waterline In order to effect re-
pairs. 1t is generally necessary to OBJ
tain and to maintain these depths of
water through dredging operations, as
most OF the naval harborS are fed
from rivers which, in carrying mud.
sand and other more or less solid SUBJ
stances, I'LL or silt up the dredSed
areas.
Protected by Permanent Notifications. |
The water front Of the yard must be
sufficiently well protected to avoid |
danger to vessels berthed there dur |
ing periods Of high winds, with re- |
sultant rough water. The yard must |
be protected by permanent fortif1ca- |
tons; otherwise, 1t would provide a |
Vulnerable point Of attack in time Of |
war.
At such time disabled warship with |
no facilities for repair may technically |
be placed in the same category as one |
lost. The need for close proximity of |
the yard to an adequate labor supply |
OF skilled artisans and to material |
markets must be apparent.
All vessels require periodic bookings
for the removal of marine growth and |
for the repainting or repairing Of the
hullS. Gigantic masonry drawing dry
docks, capable of docking the largest
vessels afioat. are available for this
purpose.
These docks (the length of three
average city blocks) have a depth below
the surface of more than 40 feet. =
vessel enters the dock and when placed
in the proper position for its keel to
center on the blocks located on the
floor, large steel caisSon is set across
the entrance to the dock and the dock
pumped dry.
Dur |
centrifugal pumps capable of discharg-
ing 100, 900 gallons per minute each Is