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Heavy Summer Travel on Panama Pacific Line Capacity sailings and long waiting lists for the summer sailings of the PENNSYLVANIA, VIRGINIA, and CALIFOR: NIA of the Panama Pacific line would seem to indicate that economic con- ditions are greatly improved. Not since 1931 has intercoastal travel on this line reached such proportions. First class bookings show an increase of 60 per cent. Advance bookings for the summer months are about 400 per cent better than for the same period in 1938. On June 30 the CALIFORNIA sailed with a full list of passengers in both first and tourist classes, and there was a waiting list of 400 to absorb any last minute cancellations. By June 15 all westbound sailings were practically sold out through July and part of August, and all eastbound sailings between July 3 and Septem- ber were booked full. A wide choice of itineraries is of- fered for the land portion of the tour and the rates, including all necessary expenses, begin at $299 for the 24-day tour. Diesel Tankers Completed The Barge canal and Great Lakes fleets of the Standard-Vacuum Trans- portation Co. were recently augmented by the addition of two new self-pro- pelled tankers of the canal type, when the motorship NEw HAven Socony and the motorship PLATTSBURGH Socony were launched, June 1 and June 29, respectively, at the Staten Island plant of the builder, the United Dry- docks Ine. These two tankers, identical in de- sign and of standard framed and rivet- ed construction, are the first two of three barges of like size, ordered from United Drydocks last November, and to cost approximately $350,000 each. They are builder’s Hurt Nos. 822 and 823, and in cargo capacity and general characteristics are similar to the SCHENECTADY SocoNny and AMSTERDAM Socony, built several years ago. Ap- proximately four months was required from laying of the keel to launching. It is planned to launch the Povuen- KEEPSIE Socony, third of the series, about the middle of August. This ves- sel has already attracted marked at- tention among the marine fraternity at the port of New York, since it is the largest all-welded merchant vessel ever laid down in this country. The fram- ing is of ‘‘flat bar’ type, designed by the owners, and the methods of con- struction have involved some very in- teresting developments in ground welding of large assembled members, such as the main trunks, bulkheads and the like. Owing to the similarity, it will suf- 24 fice to describe the motorship Nrw Haven Socony, a 1200-gross ton twin- screw diesel driven canal tanker of 13,500 barrel cargo capacity. This ves- sel is 260 feet long overall (252 feet between perpendiculars) ; 40 feet mold- ed beam, and 14 feet molded depth. The vessels are classed by the Ameri- can Bureau of Shipping. Main pro- pelling engines for each vessel are two McIntosh-Seymour 6-cylinder, direct reversible air injection diesels of 375 brake horsepower each. Auxiliaries are operated by two gen- erator sets, consisting of 60 kilowatts, 120-volt, direct current, Diehl Mfg. Co. generators, driven by McIntosh, solid injection, three-cylinder diesel engines of 95 brake horsepower each at 450 revolutions per minute. Of the deck machinery, the wind- lasses and warping capstans were manufactured by the American Engi- neering Co., as was also the steering equipment. Pumps throughout are the product of the Northern Pump Co. and all are driven by motors made by the Diehl Mfg. Co. which, in fact, supplied all electrical equipment on the vessels. There are two cargo pumps (Northern series “Z’), capable of handling 1000 barrels per hour against a 200-foot head; these have built-in herringbone reduction gears, with flexible couplings on extension shafts. The main air compressor is of Worthington manufacture, a 3-stage, 875 revolutions per minute, with ca- pacity of 50 cubic feet at 1000 pounds discharge; driven by a 30 horsepower Diehl motor. A service compressor is provided of the 2-stage type, 51% cubic foot capacity, 150 pounds air pressure. A Lux fire fighting system, supplied by the Walter Kidde Co., is installed; the engine telegraph is by Cory and the compasses by Negus. Miss Ewing, sponsor, and J. W. Powell, president, United Dry Docks LEGS. SAT launching of New Haven Socony at Staten Island, N. Y. MARINE REvIEw—August, 1934 Welded Construction for New Naval Vessels An article in the June-July issue of the Shipyard Bulletin, published by the Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co., calls attention to the in- creased welding applications for naval vessels in order to secure lighter hulls with greater strength, and that this development has made it necessary for the shipyard to make major addit ons to welding equipment and to augment its force of trained welding operators. This has been found necessary in or- der to carry out the extensive weld- ing required on the airplane carriers YORKTOWN and ENTERPRISE, both of which are now under construction at the yard. Development of the application of welding in ship construction at the Newport News yard includes increased training, extensive research, new welding procedure planning, installa- tion of new welding machines, build- ing large plate slabs, increased safe: ty provisions on galvanized steel, and altered erection procedure. Research on welding also includes new base and filler metal and thicker material, extensive investigation of stainless steel welding and fabrication for ship shape gasoline stowage tanks of large size. Monel and aluminum arc weld ing has been done successfully. Full Size Experiments Experimental full sized sections of floors, longitudinals, and bulkheads have been made to solve the problem of shrinkage and sequence of welding. The instructions covering welding procedure operations form a large book which is issued part by part to supervisors as the work progresses. Heavy plate joints have been de- veloped to reduce the amount of weld filler metal deposited and to facilitate welding. High tensile alloy steel has been experimentally welded, for which a special technique was created. Electrodes of all kinds are tested regularly in order to solve unusual problems, in addition to routine check- ing of commercially covered electrodes purchased for general welding of mild steel parts. This item is of particular importance as up to the time of writ- ing a total of 710,000 pounds of elec- trodes have been ordered for this new construction. Current for welding is supplied by two sub-stations with four new and two old 1500-ampere multiple operated generators and three 10,000 volts al- ternating current transformers, neces- sitating unusually large electrical cables at the shipways. Twenty single operator welding machines supply current for particular purposes. Certification of 130 welding oper- ators and 85 track welders has re- cently been accepted by the superin- tending constructor of the navy, sta- tioned at the yard.