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November, 1918 nly been launched by, Amer- lad Paiavards, but had actually been ed and delivered to the Emerg- Be elect corporation complete. in pity detail. Taken alone this is a i record. But the story would be poomplete were no mention made of Dc vessels which were '"approach- ae completion. 'There were 264 och vessels, of a total 1,223,566 dead- baght tons on Sept. 14. The engines, boilers and other machinery neces- ary for many of them had, naturally, & built and shipped to the fitting- ott docks, but this number of vessels 'approaching completion" was large mainly because the Emergency Fleet corporation has not yet been able to fevelop the engine-building industry of the country to that quantity pro- (uction that has been accomplished in the shipbuilding industry. _ Because the engine-building industry js not yet up to the shipbuilding in- dustry, is one of the reasons assigned for not extending existing plants for the making of ship plates beyond the requirements of the shipways' now in operation. No matter what a magni- ficent record the American shipyards fave made to date, that "which might have been" will afford the basis of 'titicism, even though the criticism is undeserved. It is this tonnage "ap- poaching" completion that must be aplained, and that is the tonnage which is today the: measure of the engine obstacles confronting the Emergency Fleet corporation. Wooden Ships Held Up Of this tonnage "approaching" com- pletion on Sept. 14, 42 vessels _of 281,116 deadweight tons were requisi- tioned steel, 69 vessels of 432,650 tons were contract steel, and 153 vessels of 0800: tons were contract wood. From this it is shown that the wooden ship is giving the greatest trouble. Of the 42 requisitioned steel 1917 AUG. SEPT. OCcT. TONS MONTHLY MONTHLY DEADWEIGHT Q 2 q Y ) 0 = E . HUNDRED AMERICA'S 12-MONTH RECORD IN THE MARINE REVIEW vessels launched but not completed, 23 ships of 159,216 tons were on the Atlantic coast, 12 ships of 95,400 tons were on the Pacific coast and 7 ships of 26,500 tons were on the Great Lakes... Of the 60. goateec: steel vessels "approaching" completion, 20 ships of 142,600 deadweight tons were on the Atlantic coast, 24 ships. of 202,000 tons were on the Pacific coast, and 25 ships of 88,050 tons were on the Great Lakes. Of the 153 contract wood vessels not yet completed, 26 ships of 91,000 deadweight tons were on the Atlantic coast, 28 ships of 102,800 tons were on the Gulf coast, 98 ships of 313,500 tons were on the Pacific coast and one ship of 2500 tons was on the Great Lakes. Undoubtedly the wooden ship pro- ram is giving the greatest trouble. nability to obtain the proper pro- pelling machinery for this particular type of craft can be but the logical 483 but also for the voyage back. Should a quantity of coal be loaded into one of these wooden ships sufficient for the going and the return voyage, there would be little space left for cargo. Late Changes in Design The wooden ship is, therefore, im- practical as an Atlantic carrier dur- ing the, war, but it is expected to place these vessels in service over here. Because the wooden ship is not to be used directly in the war service IS °not i _the only answer for the delay In equipping those which have already been launched. This wooden ship has been: an experiment ever since the program of construction was inaugurated - by Mr. Denman. After work had been started on the vessels, changes were made in their design. So, after con- tracts had been let for engines and equipment machinery for these ves- excuse for the large number of sels, changes were made in these wooden ships which have been designs. Admiral Bowles of the launched but not delivered. This Emergency Fleet corporation was re- situation brings to the front once more the memorable dispute between William Denman, the first chairman of the shipping board, and General Goethals, the first general manager of the Emergency Fleet corporation, over. the relative merits. of wooden and of steel ships. Mr. Denman was the father of the idea of building a bridge of wooden ships to reach from America to Europe. Experience has demonstrated the futility of such a plan. It would be impracticable to operate a wooden ship in the Atlantic trade. This is true not because the wooden ship is no good as an ocean carrier, but because of the peculiar emergency situation caused by war. Fuel for ships is so scarce in Europe that a vessel departing from the United States for a European port is compelled to take with her enough fuel. not only for the.-voyage over - MAR. TOTAL MONTHLY LAUNCHINCS TOTAL MONTHLY DELIVERIES LAUNCHING S--e--e--6--_©0--_o--__16--_6 DELIVERIES - . - eee ee APR. sponsible for the change in the de- sign of the engines and modifications. in the boilers. Explaining these changes jin design to the senate commerce committee last December, Admiral Bowles said: "The plans of the engines and boilers were nearly ready to go to the contractors and the contracts had been placed, and I. made from a month's to two months' delay in the completion of these things, because it seemed to me to be absolutely neces- sary that if we were going to build 400 vessels and 400 engines and some 800 boilers that they should be credit- able as an American design in every way, and the changes were made for that purpose. : : "The design of the reciprocating engine that was going into those ves- sels was inferior, and its principal 1918 AUG. 6 MAY JUNE JULY 28 SHIP LAUNCHINGS AND SHIP DELIVERIES.