Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-11-12
New U. 5. Cargo Ship
Planned for War Use,
Admiral Land Reveals
Vessel Will Be Larger
Foster Than Present
Liberty Model

Rear Admiral Emory s. Land,
chairman of the Maritime Commits
sion and head Of the War Shipping
Administration, disclosed in q speech
in New York today that the Mari
time Commission is designing a new
type OF cargo vessel to supplant the
current program of Liberty ships,
originally termed ugly ducklings."
The proposed new ships, he told
the Society of Naval Architects and
Marine Engineers, are to be longer,
wider and speedier and will have
greater carrying capacity than the
10,000-ton limit of the present Lib
erty ships.
Admiral Land explained that when
the Liberty was designed, it was
not contemplated that it would be
required to carry the amount of
guns, gun foundations and other
protective devices now being in
stalled. AS result it has been
found necessary to cut down the
amount of cargo which the ships
originally were designed to carry.
The propulsion machinery, Ad-
miral Land reported, will be greatly
increased in power which, together
with better hull form, will result in
higher speed. This increased speed,
he said should render the modified
Liberty ship less vulnerable to sub
marine attack in wartime and
should greatly improve its CONNER
cial value in the postwar era.
New Engines Planned.
Admiral Land pointed out that
the commission was forced to adopt
the less modern reciprocating en-
CINE for the Liberty ships. Although
considerable sums have been in
vested in expansion Of turbine and
gear production facilities, there is
still limit on that type of equip
ment available, he said. As a con-
sequence it is still necessary for the
commission to continue to use some
type of reciprocating engine for
these emergency vessels.
In the ship now being designed,
however, the commission contem-
plates the installation of a new pro-
pulsion system, he said. The new
vessels are expected to be in pro-
duction by the latter part Of next
year.
Americas merchant shipbuilding
goal Of 5000, 1000 tons in 1912 will be
reached, Admiral Land told the So
ciety, of which he is president.
Goals Will Be Reached.
He said that not only would the
1912 program be met, but that Presi-
dent Roosevelt's demand for 16,0OO.-
900 tons of oceangoing vessels in 1913
would be fulfilled.
Each succeeding month has wit
messed a steady reduction in the
production time required" the ad-
miral declared. I'm a recent in
dividual case, only 10 days elapsed
from keel-laying to launching. The
overall expansion of facilities since
the commission came into being is
more than 600 per cent"
More than 300 industrial plants
were engaged in the program and
the total number of workers in these
plants and in shipyards reached
nearly 1000 900, he said, adding that
more than go yards, having in ex-
cess OF 300 ways, were constructing
vessels for commission.
Speedup Reported.
Since the commissions original
shipbuilding program started in
1887 up to the first of October, the
commission had ordered more than
1890 ships of all types exclusive
Of those built on private order or for
the British government in American
shipyards, Admiral Land continued.
= AS of March l the average
time on the ways from keel-laying
to launching for EC-2 vessels was
149 days and the average time for
Quitting from launching to deliv-
cry was 1873 days" he declared.
This average had been reduced late
in October to 48.5 days on the ways
and 1873 days for Quitting, a total
OF GA days from keel-laying to de-
livery. Even further reduction Is
expected.
Admiral Land pointed out that
more and more attention is being
paid to increasing the speed of all
types of vessels being constructed
by the Maritime Commission. He
said that in some tankers 10000
horsepower engines are being in
stalled in the place of the 5000
horsepower originally designed for
them.