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U.S. Coast Guard Shipbuilding Totals $17,706,601 allocated by the public works ad- ministration, the United States coast guard initiated a large program of new ship construction. In its vari- ous phases this program has been re- ported in Marine Review from time to time since then. It would appear, however, that there might be some con- fusion with respect to the scope of this program, types of vessels, and where this work is to be carried out. For this reason a summary is given as follows: [La fall, with the aid of funds First Group of Five Vessels The first group, for which contracts were awarded Oct. 26, 1933, consisted of five cutters of the ESCANABA type. Three of these, named the ALGONQUIN, COMANCHE and MOHAWK were award- ed to The Pusey & Jones Corp., Wilm- ington, Del., at a bid of $499,800 each. Two, named the ONONDAGA and Ta- HOMA, were awarded to the Defoe Boat & Motor Works, Bay City, Mich., on a bid of $563,800 each. These five vessels are similar to the cutter ESCANABA, completed in Novem- ber, 1932, by the Defoe Boat & Motor Works and described in the January, 1933 MARINE Review. There is, how- ever, one important difference, the three building at The Pusey & Jones Corp., are to be fitted with Westing- house Electric & Mfg. Co. geared steam turbines and Foster Wheeler boilers; while the two building at the Defoe Boat & Motor Works are to have De Laval geared steam turbines and Bab- cock & Wilcox boilers. Briefly, the general characteristics of these cutters are: displacement, 1000 tons; turbine geared drive of 1500 horsepower; single screw; length over all, 165 feet; length between perpendic- ulars, 150 feet; beam molded, 36 feet; depth molded, 21 feet; fuel, oil; serv- ice, coastwise or Great Lakes. Second Group of Nine Vessels The next group for which contracts were placed consisted of nine twin screw, diesel, patrol boats similar to the ARGO and GALATEA class completed early in 1933 by the John H. Mathis Co; Camden: N. J. On Noy. 10, 1933 contract for three of these vessels, named the DIoNr, ELEcTRA, and PANDORA, was awarded to the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Corp., Manitowoc, Wis., at a bid of $242,800 for each vessel. A contract for three of these vessels, named the ATALANTA, ARIADNE and CYANE, was awarded to the Lake Union Dry Dock & Machine Works on Nov. 15, 1933 at a bid of $236,253 for each vessel. On Novy. 17, 1933 contract for three of this class, 8 named the Triron, Nike, and NrMe- SIS, was awarded to the Marietta Mfg. Co., Point Pleasant, W. Va. at a bid of $248,210 for each vessel. These patrol boats have the follow- ing characteristics: Hull of steel con- struction; length over all, 165 feet; beam molded, 25 feet, 3 inches; depth molded amidships, 13 feet, 2 inches; draft, maximum, 8 feet, 6 inches; dis- placement loaded, 334 tons; propelling machinery, twin screw Winton diesel engines, direct connected, of 1340 total shaft horsepower. Third Group of Four Vessels In the third group the four, single screw diesel electric, harbor cutters have been named CALUMET, HUDSON, NAVESINK and TuckAHor. Contract for these new vessels was awarded on Dec. 8, 1933 to the navy department on its estimate of $235,953 as the cost for each boat. Construction of the CaLu- MET, NAVESINK and TUCKAHOE is now under way at the navy yard, Charles- ton, S. C.; while construction of the Hupson is under way at the navy yard, Portsmouth, N. H. These harbor cutters will be 110 feet, 6 inches in length over all; 24 feet in molded beam; 12 feet, 7 inches in molded depth amidships; maximum draft, about 10 feet, 6 inches; and dis- placement, fully loaded, about 290 tons. The machinery for each vessel wil be two McIntosh & Seymour, 6 cylinders, 12%-inch bore by 18-inch stroke, diesel engines, each developing 530 brake horsepower, and each con- nected to an electric generator. The brake horsepower of the electric motor direct connected to the propeller will be 800. Each vessel will also have an auxiliary generator set driven by a 2- cylinder McIntosh & Seymour engine of 26 horsepower. Fourth Group of Seven Vessels The fourth and most important group includes seven 327-foot, 2000- ton ocean cruising cutters of the gun- boat type. These vessels are to be named after secretaries of the trea- sury. Originally the public works ad- ministration authorized the construc- tion of nine of these vessels, but esti- mates received proved too high to per- mit the construction of all nine and, therefore, the construction of seven has been authorized in order to keep within the total allotment of $13,500,- 000. On Jan. 26, 1934, the secretary of the treasury in a letter to the secretary of the navy accepted the estimates submitted by the navy department for the construction of these seven 327- MARINE REvVIEw—April, 1934 foot cruising cutters for the coast | guard. The estimates submitted were as follows. New York navy yard for the construction of two vessels at an estimated cost of $1,607,200 for each vessel; Philadelphia navy yard for the construction of five vessels at an esti- mated cost of $1,636,000 for each ves- sel, and $125,000 for co-ordination. In addition to the amount of $11,520,000 transferred from the treasury depart- ment ts the navy department to cover the construction of these vessels, a sum of $294,000 has been set aside to cover a possible increase of 5 per cent in navy yard pay scale to take effect next July 1; and $140,000 has also been set aside for possible contract changes, involving increased cost, which may be approved during the progress of the work. Therefore, a total amount of $11,- 954,000 is available. In allocating the work the navy de- partment has ordered four of these vessels to be constructed at the navy yard, Philadelphia; two at the navy yard, New York; and one at the navy yard, Charleston, S. C. Briefly the general characteristics of the ocean cutters are: Length over- all, 327 feet; length between perpen- diculars, 308 feet; beam molded, 42 feet; depth molded, amidships, 23 feet 6 inches; and displacement, 2000 tons. The propelling machinery, in twin serews, is to be double reduction geared steam turbines of a total estimated shaft horsepower of 7000, or some- what over. Oil-fired watertube marine boilers will furnish steam. The speed is to be 20 knots and each vessel will have a cruising radius of 8000 miles. These vessels are to have a specially constructed hangar for one airplane to be used in assisting in searching at sea for vessels in distress, derelicts, and in law enforcement duty. Each vessel will also carry two 6-inch guns, and two antiaircraft guns, with provi- sion made for two more 6-inch guns. Labor Is Widely Distributed From the above, it will be noted that this large new shipbuilding program ef the United States coast guard calls for a total expenditure of $17,706,601, and that this work has been placed in live private shipyards and in four United States navy yards. Two of the private shipyards taking part in this building program are located on the Great Lakes, one on the Ohio river in West Virginia, one at Wilmington, Del., and one at Seattle, Wash. The four navy yards taking part in this building program are well spread out on the Atlantic seaboard from Ports- mouth, N. H., to Charleston, S. C. It would be difficult to picture any publie works program more justified in the usefulness and value to the country of the units under construc- tion, nor one where the employment of labor is so well distributed in an essen- tial industry particularly hard hit by the depression.