Evening star., 1943-06-02

SIIPyoIuS III Toy
VickeY Reports Output
Exceeds Annual Rate of
10000, 900 Tons
American shipyards in May set a
new high monthly production rec
ord with the delivery OF IT'S vessels
Of an estimated tonnage OF 1882, 900,
Rear Admiral Howard L. Vickery,
vice chairman of the Maritime Com
mission, announced at a press con-
ference late yesterday.
Since the first of the year I'll
ships have been delivered, repre-
senting a tonnage OF 7,142, 2,122-al-
most as much as the 100000 tons
Of shipping built last year. Cur
rent construction, Admiral Wick
cry said, is better than an annual
TdLe OF ZU,OOU,UOU IONS.
This followed a report by War
Mobilization Director James F.
Byrnes that building is four times
greater than sinkings.
Presenting an encouraging report
on the battle of the Atlantic, Ad-
miral Vickery said that since last
August the output of cargo ships
by the United Nations has exceeded
enemy sinkings and that the dry
cargo fleet of the United Nations is
now larger than when the United
States entered the war
Construction Gains.
Although tanker construction Is
gaining on losses. the tanker fleet
of the United Nations, he said, is not
as large as that in existence at the
time OF our entrance into the war.
May deliveries of Liberty ships to-
tailed 100, the largest number ever
delivered in q single month. The
Liberty ships added to our cargo
fleet In May required on the av-
erage 56.7 days from the laying Of
the keel to delivery-less than half
the average construction time of
the 43 Liberty ships delivered in
May, 1912.
In addition to the 120 Liberty
ships, May deliveries included Is
large tankers. IL C-type cargo YES
sells. II coastal cargo ships, costal
tanker. 6 special type vessels, 4 sea-
going tugs, l concrete barge and 4
ore carriers.
Admiral Vickery disclosed that
the first concrete barge built under
the Maritime Commission program
has already reached the South Pa
ciflc and that other vessels of this
type would soon be in service. Con-
struction OF tankers, he said, will
reach their peak in August or Sep
tember.
Once shaping up as almost an in
surmountable problem. the con-
struction OF dry cargo vessels has
proceeded SO rapidly that more at
tention now can be paid to turning
out tankers, Admiral Vickery indi-
Gated. In recent months construc-
ton Of tankers also has exceeded
losses. To step up the supply even
further the commission announced
that 100 Liberty ships will be con-
verted into oil-carrying vessels by
the Delta Shipbuild:ng Corp, New
Orleans, and the California Ship
building Corp, Wilmington, Calf.
The first Of the new Victory ships
will be completed next March, Ad-
miral Vickery said, and by the end
OF the year between 400 and 500
vessels OF this type will be in service.
The cargo-carrying capacity Of Vic
tory ships will be approximately
lo,500 tons, slightly less than that
OF the Liberty ship, but they will be
considerably faster, with an average
speed Of is to II knots, as COM
pared with the l1-knot speed Of the
Liberty ships.
Production OF plate steel is now
running about 100000 tons a
month, Admiral Vickery said. The
cargo ship program, he added, re-
quires about $4,000 tons of plate
steel month.
The first Of the auxiliary air
craft carriers under construction at
the Kaiser shlpyards. he said, will
go on its trial run sometime this
month
Woman Welders Attend.
Present at Admiral Vickery's press
conference were the two champion
woman shipyard welders who arrived
yesterday IN Washington. They are
Miss Vera Anderson, 10, the title
holder, Of the ingalls, Shipbuilding
Corp. at Pascagoula, Miss, and Mrs.
Hern1ina Strmiska, IS, the runner
up, an employe of the Oregon Ship.
building Corp, Portland, subsid-
iary of the Henry Kaiser Corp.
The welding championship con-
test was decided In the yards OF
the Ingalls, Corp. on May %, with
inspectors Of the Maritime Commits
sion, the Navy Department and the
American Bureau Of Shipping serv-
ing as inspectors.
L am sure it is an inspiration to
see what women can do" Admiral
VIckery said, adding that he ex-
pected that the percentage OF woman
workers In shipyards will eventually
reach IS per cent.
The companies with the highest
proportion Of woman workers at
present are the Kaiser firm, with
nearly 18 per cent, and the ingalls,
Corp, with 8 per cent.