Hammond Times, Volume 11, Number 153, Hammond, Lake County, 15 December 1916 — Page 8

THE TH1E3

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Congress Has Just Appropriated More Than 139 Millions of Dollars for a Larger Navy It Requires Three Years To Build a Battleship -The Work in Detail. Cupj-rfgM, 1316, by Tb International Syndics u.

, Y authority of the Karal Appro

priations Bill, passed by Congress and signed by the President a few months ago, work

on sixty-six new ships for the Navy was ordered begun almost Immediately, and an appropriation of $139,345,J87 a sum so v large that It Is not easy to comprehend was made for this purpose. The Items In this, perhaps our greatest naval bill, afford a startling insight Into the tremendous cost of maintaining' a Navy able to hold a real place In the race of nations for naval supremacy. While 6 ships are to be built "as soon as practicable," according to the provisions of the bill, the astounding total of ships to be built within the course of the next few years Is one hundred and fifty-seven! Many 'Millions Appropriated. Here is a list of certain provisions of the Bill: Ten flrst-class battleships, with as heavy armor an3 as powerful arma-

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ment as any vessels of their class, and with highest practicable speed and greatest desirable radius of action; appropriation Is made for four such ships to be begun as soon as practicable, at a cost, exclusive of armor and armament, not to exceed 111,500,000 each. Six battle cruisers; four of them to be begun as soon as practicable, at a cost, excluaive of armor and armament, not to exceed $16,600,00 each. Fifty torpedo - boat destroyers; twenty to be built without delay and to cost, exclusive of armor and armament, not to exceed $1,200,000 each. Ten scout cruisers; four to be built at a cost of $5,000,000 each, exclusive of armor and armament. Nine fleet submarines. Fifty-eight coast submarines; three of them, each with, a displacement of 8 00 tons, to, be constructed at a cost not exceeding $1,200,000 each; and 27 of them, small submarines, not to exceed In eost $700,000 each. One submarine, with Neft system of submarine propulsion, not to cost over $260,000, exclusive of armor and armament, and not to be paid for unless satisfactory to the Government

after proper tests. Three fuel ships at $1,500,000 each. One repair ship. One transport. One hospital ship, at $2,350,000. Two destroyer tenders. One fleet submarine tender. Two ammunition ships; work on one of them to be started "as soon aa practicable," and to cost, exclusive of armor and armament, not over $2,350.009. Two gunboats; one to be constructed now and to cost, exclusive of armor and armament, not to exceed $860,000. TTncle Sam Digs Dtfp. Further, the following appropriations are specified In the Bill: On account of hulls and outfits of vessels and machinery "of vessels heretofore and herein authorized." available until expended, $59,000,194. On account of submarine torpedo boats, as authorize!, the sum of $5,282,593. On account of armor and armament, for ships authorized, ' $47,110,000. On account of ammunition. $19,-

435.500. All of which shows, as Is quite evident at a glance, that the Old Gentleman with the striped trousers and the star-spangled coat is digging deep into his pockets to Increase the size and power of his Navy. But this is just the beginning. Th money is provided, but the ships must be built and that means time. - On can't buy a respectable Navy readymade. Buildin? A Battleship. Take the case of the battleship, the most Important type of sea-fighter, of which ten new ones have been ordered; four of them to b built right away at a cost of not over eleven-and-one-half millions each, and the remaining six later. The millions are ready, but the ship won't be until nearly three years have elapsed; for it takes that long to build a first-class battleship. And the construction of such a vessel is a gigantic task. In brief, the following main divisions of the work may be cited: Thousands and thousands of tons of crude steel must be converted into plates, beams, frames, keel, bulkheads, angle and magazines. Bolts to the number of three millions must be riveted; miles of piping and of electric wiring

must be placed; and heating, lighting and ventilating systems installed. The keel must be laid with a stern and a stern-post at opposite ends; cross frames set across the keel; transverse bulkheads put in place: plating fastened over the outside of the frams and another band of it over the Inside of them; deck beams erected; the rudder hung; tons of defensive armor, turrets and barbettes put. In position; boilers and engines installed; quarters provided for several thousand men; and guns, munitions, stores, torpedoes, projectiles and gears put In then It will be a battleship.

Because of improvements and developments right along, new plans are nearly always made for each new class of battleship; sketches of these plans are made by the naval constructors and submitted to the general board of the Navy, which recommends certain ones for formal selection and adoption by the Secretary. Then the naval designers work out the plans in detail, and models of the ship are made and tested In a huge tank built for that purpose in Washington. All of this has consumed about eight months from the time of the appropriation by Congress. Then the builders are asked to submit their bids. Builders And Contracts. At least a month must be allowed the builders to prepare their bids, for they themselves must in turn obtain tentative bids for the materials, engines, boilers. labor, etc. Not always is the contract awarded to the lowest bidder, for the chief desideratum Is to secure the best ship under the conditions prevailing. Rarely is it possible to award the contract In less than from six to fourteen months from the date of authorization. The builder must contract with the steel plants for plates, angles, shapes and steel bars out of which the hull is to be fashioned. And here, often, unavoidable delay is encountered." Patterns for the parts of a battleship, according to the accepted plans, are made in what is known as a mold loft in ship-building yards. It is a very large room with a floor smoothly planed; on this the designs of the parts are marked off, full-size. Then, from these lines, patterns in wood, called templates, are made, la

ter to be made In steel.

In the ship-fitting room later, the I for the storing of oil, fuel and for

shaped with hug shears which follow the outlines of the template as easily a the dressmaker's shears follow her pattern. On The "Ways." The "ways" in a shipyard are formed by big wooden beams placed in rows from the water's edge to the extreme length of the proposed ship; and along the center line a row of accurately adjusted stocks is adjusted. On these the plate are set, when riveted together, which form the keel. It takes, as a rule, about four months after the awarding of the contract to lay the keel. When the angles and plates are riveted together, powerful traveling cranes pick them up and convey thetn to their proper places on the ship's body. Next, the frames from the ship-fltting rooms are bolted aerose the keel, about four feet apart, all ready to be riveted. Plates for the aides and bottom, cut out with shears, are rolled into shapes necessary to Ct the curve of the ship. This la accomplished by a system of rollers and pressure. Battleships Have Double Bottoms. The frames having been riveted in place, these plate are set in their proper positions, in rows called strakes. and riveted tight so that they are actually built into the boat. It should be remembered that every battleship built has two bottoms; the outer Is at least several feet from the inner shell, and while this latter remains undamaged the veesel cannot sink even though the outer one be punctured. But what fills the space between these two bottoms? That Is a question which, at least so far as the layman ie concerned, is rather much of a mystery; for builders of battleships will not tell. It Is known, however, that sometimes a part of it is utilized

frames are built to fit the templates.

Angle Irons are brought to a white heat and then bent by pressure to fit;

ibutthe platef o rthf rames .are

special devices intended to protect the

hull from torpedoes. With the keel made and the frames In place, the bulkheads are then as

sembled and riveted Into position These bulkhead divide the vessel intf ' compartraenta Next come tbe fire rooms, the huge boilers and tbeir fire boxes; and then what is known as the barbette and the diagonal armor. A barbette is a hollow cylinder fashioned of armor steel, runnire from the protect deck at the ve; of the water-lie to a little abov7. upper deck; a balanced turret V5volves within a barbette which protects their gearing, the ammunition room being at the base of the fc&rbett Armor which extends towards the center line of the ship from the extremes of the side armor belt i known as diagonal armor. Thus the very vitals of the ship is protected. In general, it take about fourteen month to get a battleship this near completion. Ijauncbed And ConxnrisKiotied. Then come the launching1 when the leviathan f the deep, properly christened. Ude down the ways -the water. Tbe engines are installed, the deck are laid, and the ventilating, piping and wiring system put in. Armor plates aom weighing as much aa eighty thousand pounds are placed. Th Navy Department then Installs th guns and torpedo tubee. Finally, when all but completed, thnew battleship is sent on her trl?" trip to prove that she can fulfil specifications. All during the bulldir ? of the vessel, of course, everythiEg i subjected to the closest scrutiny at1. Investigation for Uncle. Sam maks certain ke Is getting what he has con traeted to pay for. The trial trip being satisfactory payment is made but nearly three years have elapsed . since the money for this purpose was appropriated by Congress. Then, fully manned and o.Hcere'! the new battleship, with due ceremony, is put into commission anl we have another sea-fighter to protect our coasts and our country from the possible Invader.

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ammond, Indiana