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Diesel Conversion Moves On Main Engines Are in Process of Building—Awards Expected Soon for Aux-: iliary Engines—Selection Has Been Made of 14 Vessels for Conversion NDER the authority of congress the shipping board is allowed to expend a sum not to exceed $25,- 000,000 for the dieselization of existing government merchant steam vessels. It was roughly estimated that this sum would be sufficient to convert 50 vessels. In the judgment of the members of the shipping board it was not thought advis- able to proceed at once with so large a program. The Emergency Fleet Corp., was therefore finally instructed to pro- ceed with the conversion of 14 vessels; this number it was thought being suff- cient to give a try out to a_ broad variety of American built diesel en- gines. So, early in the fall of 1924, Capt. R. D. Gatewood, manager of the de- partment of maintenance and repair of the Fleet corporation proceeded to exe- cute this order using his own methods, within the limits of his authority. The plan followed in general called for the preparation by the Fleet corporation engineers of specifications covering the various main items of work involved. For instance, instead of picking out the specific ships that were to be converted and asking all the qualified ship yards of the country to make a complete bid on the entire conversion job it was con- sidered advisable in order to give all qualified engine builders a chance to offer bids on their own engines, and for more definite control on the part of the Fleet corporation over specifications and struction of 18 diesel engines were finally placed in December, 1924. A very thor- ough analysis of the proposals made by the various engine builders will be found in the Martine Review for December, 1924. Following the plan being carried out by Captain Gatewood, bids according to specifications were requested on the aux- types selected, for the Fleet corporation to prepare and issue specifications and request bids on each main feature. Now the first main feature in a diesel con- version job is of course the main diesel Vessels Selected for Diesel Conversion Location at Norfolk Builder Oscar Daniels Shipbuilding Co. Oscar Daniels Shipbuilding Co. Oscar Daniels Shipbuilding Co. Oscar Daniels Shipbuilding Co. Oscar Daniels Shipbuilding Co. Oscar Daniels Shipbuilding Co. Oscar Daniels Shipbuilding Co. Oscar Daniels Shipbuilding Co. Los Angeles Shipbuilding Co. Los Angeles Shipbuilding Co. Los Angeles Shipbuilding Cc. Columbia River Shipbuilding ‘Name Yomachichi WIPICOI Oe a aie City of Rayville.......... City of Dalhart Crown City West Honaker West Cusseta West Harts West Hartland Company Columbia River Shipbuilding ompan Los pe Shipbuilding Co. Seattle West Grama New York iliary engines in sets of three and two for each ship. (These bids were opened in New York, March 6, 1925. Ten en- gine builders submitted many separate proposals so that even a simple resume of the bids made is very lengthy, cumber- some and complicated. The accompany- ing table is an abbreviated resume of engine. Elaborate specifications, -instruc- tions, and requests for bids were there- fore issued for the main engines, last year. Many and varied bids were received from about all the engine builders in the United States. After the bids had been thoroughly digested and after numerous conferences the awards for the con- Summary of Auxiliary Engine Proposals Combined in Sets of Three Engines Per Vessel In Sets of Two Engines Per Vessel Bethlehem Busch-sulzer C. & G. NewLondon Pacific Worthington Wm. Cramp_ Fulton Lombard Pacific BIDDERS NAME S. B. Bros. Diesel Cooper S.& E Diesel P. & M. & Sons S. & Iron Wks. Governor Diesel Eng. Corp. Eng. Co. Co. Co. Eng. Co Corp: E. B. Co. Co. Co, Co. Proposal numbers.........-.-+: 2&5 2&5 2.8 5 2&5 2 85 2C & 5C 3 3 3 3 Wile eke iden Spence.’ 2 Cycle 4 Cycle ycle 4 Cycle 4 Cycle 2 Cycle 4 Cycle 4 Cycle 4 Cycle 4 Cycle Injection......++.sseeeeeeere ee olid Air olid Solid Air Solid Air IME ym ie Revolutions per minute......... 50 275 250 250 280 275 300 245 240 250 Cylinder diameter—Inches. . 11% 1134 11% 12 1123 104 1233 14 14 13% Stroke—Inches...........-+--+- 18 1634 17 18 154; 5 1334 19% 20 19 Number of cylinders...........- 3 3 3 a 3 3 2 3 2 4 Fuel consp.-lbs. per B.H.P. per hr. .50 0455 43 43 .46 475 ‘AS 48 438 46 Total displacement—cu. ft....... 3.246 3155 3.066 534 2.883 2255 2.052 3.474 3.563 3149 Overall length of engine......... 165 OU 16° 1" 13’ 10%” y epee ea ee 142" ror 16’ 44%" 13’ 11” Overall height of engine. OF Be 10! 2:0? 9 734" 8’ 10’ a or iv 6” Ii ogee Baa Total weight—lbs. ca vessel..... 111,080 149,000 112,850 142,150 119,100 78,000 218,000 108,000 85,350 Weight per B.H.P.—lbs........, 247 432 289 439 345 390 948 450 395 Delivery—lst vessel............ 30 weeks 10 months 270 days 7 months 4months 7%months 10 months 16 weeks 7months 4 months Delivery—succeeding vessels. . 6 weeks 1 month days last set 20 days 4 weeks weeks 3 weeks-2nd 30 days 1 month later each later each later each during later each latereach later each 2 wk.- 3rd. later each later each’ vesse vessel vessel eighth vessel vessel vessel vessel vessel month \ Total price without spares or tools T vessel. cs. pee eee renee eae $43,025 $58,320 $56,350 $42,966 $39,625 $38,110 $45,000 $40,650 $41,430 $19,975 Total price without spares or tools 2 vessels.......-.-+-seeereees $86,050 $116,640. $112,700 $85,932 $78,700 $76,220 $90,000 $81,300 $79,510 $39,675 Total price without spares or tools Sivessels. 6. eee ee eee ee $129,075 $174,960 $169,050 $128,898 $117,375 $114,330 $135,000 $121,950 $117,590 $59,375 Total price without spares or tools REET CTS CIA ACS Oe oe te erie eren eran $172,100 $233,280 $225,400 $171,864 $156,850 $152,440 re Pe ee ee Price for spares as per A.B. of S. DEV VesGhleis ess nau tes oe $275 $800 $1500 $955 $850 $450 $1400 $862 $850 Price for additional spares per $070 eae $3400 as Hees ae Above prices VOBRAGL hii xin avnse dca a acai n ase eo Wince > 113 include 2150 Price for tools per vessel. ....... $50 $200 $150 $200 $75 $50 Spares & Tools $210 gle gets Price of services for engineer per day De Sia arse eh rae iri BaLt Ia pr et OY Wee ae Ok RT $15 $15 $15 $15 $15 $15 $15 $16 $15 $15