Evening star., 1943-07-04
By HELEN RAU.

Ov nLLLC\ hAO.
The daughter of an Army general
and the daughter-in-law of New
England Governor rub elbows with
former 5-and-10 cent store clerks,
housewives and farm women in help
ing to boost production 280 per cent
in the space of a year at the Naval
Torpedo Station in Alexandria.
I saw the part played by the
plant in turning out weapons to
beat the Axis as the result OF an
invitation by Capt. r. R. Simons
to tour the station. Capt. Simons,
an expert on torpedoes, has been
in command of the station for the
past year after serving at Pearl
Harbor.
My first impression was gained
in the captains Office, large room
overlooking the Potomac, where it
was easy to forget one was in a
busy factory, and where naval par
lance did not seem out of place.
(Visitors are taken aboard, con-
Quoted above and below. cau-
toned when decks" are wet, and
told that the afternoon shift works
from 1900 to 2400 o'clockD
20 WAVES in Service.
The personnel of the station in
cludes so officers and 20 WAVES in
addition to a vast number of men
and women whose business it is to
build and assemble the tin fish"
for submarines and torpedo planes.
The number of employees at the
station is secret, but Capt. Simons
said a large proportion of them are
women.
Four large buildings comprise the
main part of the station and the
Ford assembling plant several blocks
below the main site recently was
taken over for assembling COM
mercially manufactured airplane
torpedos.
After the torpedos are completed,
they are sent to firing ground down
the river where they must pass the
most rigid tests for accuracy. When
they are finally approved, they are
returned to the station, overhauled
and Grated in three separate parts
for final shipping to war zones.
Each torpedo is numbered and
log is kept on every one, giving its
testing record. date OF shipping,
destination and final accomplish
ment.
Keep Torpedo Record.
The workers in the station are in
formed by printed notices and broad
casts when an Alexandria-made
torpedo scores a hit on an enemy
ship and there can be no greater
incentive to production for the men
and women on the assembly line
than to hear that a number, which
they produced, sunk a japanese de-
stroyer, cargo ship or submarine.
While no uniforms are required
for civilian workers. women are en-
couraged to wear slacks and safety
hats, while safety shoes with steel
reinforced toes are sold, ration free,
at the station. Posters depicting
Veronica Lake with her peek-a-boo
bob tangled in machinery reminds
women workers of the advantages
of trim hair-dos.
The safety and security of the
workers is the direct responsibility
of 1t. John Van Ryan, former
Davis Cup tennis star, who interests
himself not only in physical security
but in the organization of after
hours recreation to help maintain
morale. A tribute to his efficiency
is the plants safety record which.
during February, showed a perfect
record of no time lost through acci-
dents. It has remained consistently
remarkably high.
Operating "a hours a day, seven
days a week, the station works on
three shifts with the mechanical
workers alternating shifts monthly
Help Bond Sales.
After a relatively short period of
training in the stations apprentice
school, the women employees handle
the precision instruments, gauges
and tools that turn out the intricate
machinery of the torpedos' motors,
propellers and steering mechanisms
The Torpedo Station workers have
established a fine civic record in
Alexandria for their purchases of
bonds, contributions to the Com
munity War Fund. Red Cross and
tuberculosis Association. and their
donations to the Red Cross blood
bank.
Capt. Simons' interest in his
workers has a great deal to do with
the spirit of cooperation which has
contributed directly to the station s
record of four Navy Els.
Where it does not interfere with
safety, smoking is permitted in the
plant, containers of fresh flowers
brought by workers decorate some
of the machines and every room
has a soft-drink machine. recently
improved to dispense drinks in
paper cups, thereby eliminating the
hazard of broken glass from empty
bottles.
Suggestion Committee.
A Suggestion Committee with a
representative from each division
meets with Capt. Simons weekly to
discuss all complaints and sugges-
tions in an effort to maintain ideal
working conditions.
In the dispensary Ensign Nancy
Lee Albert, a Navy nurse, told me
she treats many cases each day
ranging from colds and sore throats
to an occasional case of jitters."
A sympathetic and dynamic young
woman, Miss Albert has solved many
home problems which affect work
ers' production by the simple ex-
pedient Of showing an interest In
the worker.