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Reconstruction Proposed for Eight Vessels _ The Lykes Bros. Steamship Co. has under consideration an elaborate re- -construction program for eight ves- sels. This is the beginning of the pro- gram of new construction and recon- ditioning called for in the sale of 52 shipping board vessels to the Lykes Bros. Ripley Steamship Co., New Or- leans. Reference was made in the April issue of MARINE Review to the pur- chase of these vessels and the an- nouncement by the post office depart- ment on Feb. 28, of the award of con- tract to this company for carrying United States mail. This contract pro- vides for the payment of $2,500,000 the first years with increased compen- sation as building requirements are met by the company. The contract runs for ten years and calls for a total expenditure for new ships and the re- conditioning of others during this period of around $23,000,000. Award Oil Contracts Several contracts for supplying fuel oils to the navy were recently award- ed. The contracts call for a total of 8,179,750 barrels of oil at a cost of - $5,524,469. ~The Gulf Refining Co. obtained the -largest of the: East coast contracts amounting to 506,000 barrels of grade _A bunker fuel oil at $503,100 and 623,- 600 barrels of grade C bunker oil at $446,980. The Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey received a contract to supply 236,000 _barrels of grade C oil at a cost: of $180,000. The Cities Service Refining Co. was awarded a contract at $205,000 to supply 180,000 barrels of grade A bunker oil for the East coast. Word has been received that the Maryland Dry Dock Co., Baltimore, has been awarded a contract for con- verting the steamers PRESIDENT WAR- FIELD and STATE OF MARYLAND, from coal burners into oil burners. These two vessels operate in the service of the Baltimore Steam Packet Co. be- tween Baltimore, Old Point Comfort and Norfolk, Va. Install Cooling System The Merchants and Miners liner DorcHESTER is trying out a new cool- ing system for the transportation of perishable food products. Should the system prove satisfactory it is under- stood that other vessels of the line are to be similarly equipped, so that they can more efficiently carry perishable products from Florida to North At- lantic ports. The significance of this development 26 lies in the effort being made to im- prove the service. The conditions existing have long been known, but up to the present time only the usual ventilating systems for carrying such products have been used. The ventil- ating system has not been completely satisfactory during the hot weather. United States Engineers Award of contract for furnishing 12 sets of radio telegraphic apparatus for the seagoing hopper dredges of the United States engineer department will be made to the Radiomarine Corp. of America at a low bid of $18,674.60. Bids from the successful company and five others were received at the office of the chief of engineers, Washington, on June 7. Bids were opened June 12 at the United States engineer office, San Francisco, for furnishing one 26-inch self-adjusting drag head for the United States engineers dredge W. L. Mar- SHALL. On June 2 the United States Engi- neer office at St. Louis opened bids for building and delivery afloat of two steel derrick boats. This is the item referred to in the June Marine Rr- virw, the date of opening having been advanced from May 17 to June 2. First Class Sloops On May 24 at the Hebburn Ship- building yard, of the R. & W. Haw- thorn, Leslie & Co, Ltd., Hebburn-on- Tyne, England, keels were laid for the first class sloops Aronso D’ AL- BUQUERQUE and BarroLtomMEeu DrAs for the Portuguese government. The dimensions of the vessels are length overall, 338 feet, 6 inches; beam extreme, 43 feet; depth to upper deck, 20 feet, 3 inches. The armament will consist of four 4.7-inch guns, two 3-inch high altitude guns and four 2 pounder pom-poms. Two fire control systems will be fitted. The ves- sel will also have mine laying ar- rangements for carrying 40 mines, two deck charge throwers and protec- tive paravanes. The machinery will consist of two sets of single reduction turbines with watertube boilers, designed to give the vessel a speed of 21 knots. The machinery is to be constructed at the St. Peters Engine works of the ship- yard. Accommodations for officers and crew are specially designed for tropic- al conditions. The VULCANIA of the Italian line sailed from New York June 21 for Mediterranean and Adriatic ports with 1203 passengers including 241 in first class. She made a stop at Boston on June 22. MARINE REVIEW—July, 1933 Launch Lighthouse Tender at Wilmington The new lighthouse tender LiLac, under construction by The Pusey & Jones Corp., Wilmington, Del., for lighthouse and buoy work in the fourth lighthouse district, was launch- ed on May 26. The Lizac is a twin screw, steam propelled vessel, 171 feet in length. Including equipment, the cost complet- ed will be approximately $225,000. The propelling machinery consists of “two triple expansion steam engines each of 500 indicated horsepower at 160 revolutions per minute. It is ex- pected that she will be completed to- ward the end of July. Her service will include the maintenance of buoys and lighthouses in Delaware bay and river. Launch All-Welded Barge The Staten Island, N. Y., plant of the United Dry Docks Inc, on June 12 launched an all-welded oil and gaso- ‘line barge constructed on the patent- ed truss-weld system for F. D. Koehler Co., Staten Island, N. Y. The new barge christened the F. D. Korner Co. No. 6 was designed by W. S. MacDonald, naval architect, 90 West street, New York. It is 100 feet in length, 33 feet in beam, 9 feet deep, and is non-propelled. Fully loaded it will carry 168,000 gallons in 16 tanks, eight port and eight starboard, divid- ed by an oil tight centerline bulk- head. The cargo pumping system consists of two 5-inch diameter and two 3- inch diameter rotary pumps, mounted on a common frame and driven by a 50 horsepower gasoline engine. A sep- arate 5-inch pump. is provided to handle the heavy oil from No. 6 tank only. Exhaust Steam Turbines The Ellerman line, one of the larg- est British steamship companies, re- cently awarded contract to Workman, Clark, Belfast, for reconditioning four vessels. Word has now been received that two additional vessels are to be similarly reconditioned at the same yard. Included in this work will be the fitting of a turbo-electric exhaust steam systems in combination with the existing reciprocating engines. The propelling power of the vessels will thus be materially increased re- sulting in a step-up in speed or a lower consumption for the same speed. The L’ ATLANTIQUE, wrecked by fire is to be towed to St. Nazaire, A dock at this port to receive the vessel wa$ to be ready around June 20.