Newspapers / The North Carolina Shipbuilder … / May 1, 1943, edition 1 / Page 1
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;Yn A We V- EJs?GCq mm May 1, 1943 PUBLISHED FOR THE EMPLOYEES OF THE NORTH CAROLINA SHIPBUILDING C0B1PANJT Vol. 1, No. 9 YARD COMPLETES FUST THREE CONTRACTS i - mo Delivers 96 Vessels And Turns To New, Larger Assignment SETS NEW MARK rv t''Aw C NU Lin nn LAUN C H IH O :T 6 Dn L i 1 VESScLsipEuvcnED TDunnio' t . iuic i ii uuiULlHA . f , ; 7,5 I RICHMOND H0.2 RICHMOND HO. iT ill. 3 12.0 I. J t. H HOUSTON D ET1 1 LEI i EI I-FAl n FI ELD CALIFORNIA SOUTH PORTLAND l(AlSER-VAi:COVER D ELTA CAYS SI 5.6 - -, 1;.. ' ' - . ... "..A I r .ur 20701 V-cavs DAYS DAYS CAYS 1 20.6 DAYS -4 , 1 - FIRST This picture is familiar to practically everyone in the yard. But to others we explain that it shows our outfitting department leads the nation's principal Liberty shipyards in the minimum ume requirea w complete a vessel ai ter -iauucuui. we guinea me tup pusibum March. Let's stay there! N. C. Yard Receives Contract For 27 Moro C-2 Typo Freighters Word that the yard has received contract from the U. S. Maritime commission for 27 more C-2 type ves sels was received recently, bringing the total number of ships of this type that we will build to 87. S.S. Joseph A. Brown First Vessel On New Contracts CAPTAIN'S LETTER SHOWS SPIRIT OF MEN ABOARD SHIPS Mrs. Washburn, Spon sor Of Vec3eL Hears From Master N. G. Yard One Of Two Most Efficient Producers Of Liberty Freighters In Nation SIX BONDS GIVEN FOR SUGGESTIONS Awards For Ideas Total $272 During Past Month Hero The total amount of awards in War bonds and stamps to win ners in ; the Suggestion contest system since its establishment in the yard on February 1, 1943, was increased to $607.50, pur chase price, last month as . 28 more were presented to employ ees for valuable suggestions. Six $25 bonds were awarded during April and total prizes for the month amounted to $272.50, purchase price. Winners of $25 bonds were H. M. Porter and R. D. Parker, Shipwrights; L. M. Berry, Fit ters; J. A. Bracey, Ship Car penters; L. H. Waters, Erect ors, and D. E. Jennings, Trans portation. Porter and Parker, clock num bers 68136 and 68002, respective ly, were awarded a bond each for their proposal for a slide way roller for pulling in launch ing ways. Berry, 64062, suggest ed an adjustable mold for fitting triangular shell plates; Bracey, 93093, proposed an improvement in assembling compass ' plat form; Waters, 69265, submitted an idea on an improved lifting pad, and Jennings, 47302, sug gested an improved procedure for assembling boilers. Bracey also won another award, of $5 in War stamps, on his sugges tion, No. 3970, calling for the re ( Continued on page, 5) Ranks First In Low Cost, Second In Man-Hours The North Carolina Shipbuild ing company has been named one of the two most efficient build ers of Liberty ships in the na tion by th Truman Investigat ing, committee of the Senate. The other yard is Henry J. Kaiser's Oregon Shipbuilding company. According to the extensive re port released in Washington several days ago, our . yard is the lowest in the country in dol lar cost and second in man hours per ship. The report pointed out that we delivered Time Liberty ships in January at an average cost of $607,827 a ship, exclusive of (Continued on page 4) 4HI-MATE' REVUE SLATED MAY 11-12 Will Bo Presented In High School Auditor ium At 815 o'Clock With all the favorites of the past two editions of "Hi-Mate," plus many new entertainers, scheduled to be on hand when the curtain rises, the spring presentation of the employees' revue on May 11 and 12 is ex pected to be the best ever of fered. Rehearsals are now underway at the Brigade Boys' club under the direction of Larry Dnnard. Plenty of new talent has been discovered in the yard in recent (Continued on page 6) The fine spirit of the men who sail the ships we build here is reflected in the following letter from the captain of the S. S. Jonathan Worth to Mrs. B. M. Washburn, sponsor of the ves sel: Dear Mrs. Washburn: This is to thank you" for the two nice volumes of "The Lor respondence of Jonathan Worth" which you sent. I'm sorry have hot been able to write sooner but in a new ship there are ; a lot of things to be done. When the ship went off in Wil mmsrton on the mn, l was on the bridge. If instead, I had been ; on the grandstand we might have met but your brother was also on board so we know each other. It was the first time for both of us to go down the ways on a new ship. It took just one minute then in another minute she was swung , around and at 4:30 p. m. the ship was at the dock, all made fast. Next day and up until the 19th, a lot of work was done and. we had the trial trip at 6 :30 p. m. and the ship was delivered. Next day we sailed and it took quite some time to get here although the distance is not so much bu (Continued on page 6) Production Communique No. 11 To the Workers of the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company: Your own Liberty ship, the S. S. Virginia Dare, carrying a War cargo, met and repelled a series of air and submarine attacks and brought down seven enemy bombers. For eight blaz ing days she fought off high and low flying bombers, dive bombers and other planes making low frontal attacks in suicidal fury. The first bomber to feel the effects of the Virginia Dare's guns was set afire and had to jettison its torpedoes harmlessly before it crashed into the water. A few minutes later a Junkers 88, already afire, turned to crash dive into the bow of your ship. The men on the forward gun waited. They calmly held their fire until the plane was at the point blank range of 60 yards. The gun barked. A split second later the German bomber was blown to pieces. Later three more planes swooped low., across the bow of the Virginia Dare. All were hit. Two catapulated immediately into watery graves. As a result of the gun crew's marksmanship and your sturdy workmanship, your vessel was able to deliver her cargo of vital War goods to one of the United Nations. Long a fond name in our history, Virginia Dare should now be a name of special pride to all of you at the North Carolina Shipbuilding company. Keep up your good work. - . , g g land Chairman, U. S. Maritime Commission. With the delivery of the S. S. Walter Hines Page during the first week of May, the yard passed an other milestone in its young career by completing its first three contracts, call ing for 90 Liberty ships, with the U. S. Maritime commission. The first contract was filled when the 25th vessel built here, the S. S. Thomas Pmckney was turned over to the commission on Sep tember 7, 1942. -The second was completed with the S. S. Benjamin Smith on October 7. 1942. . So, having fulfilled the first major assignment well, we turn to another one the construction of 36 more Liberty freighters and then 87 C-2 type. The first Liberty ship on the new contracts will be the Joseph A. Brown, named for the late Erominent Chadbourn, N. C, usinessman, and was launched 24 days after keel laying for a new yard record. It has been designated hull No. 151. For some months now we have been preparing to take up the new and more extensive 10b given us by the commission in the great program of building the "bridge of ships" and pro duction of the C-2 ships should start early this summer. This vessel has a speed in excess of 14 knots and is considerablv larger than the Liberty type. Lets review briefly the his tory of our yard, formerly noth ing more than a barren stretch of cypress swamps and flats along the eastern bank of the Cape Fear ; river but today the state's largest single industrial enterprise. It began on February 4, 1941, when the ground was broken by a merged group of contractors, V. P. Loftis company, of Char lotte, and Orrell s and Under wood, of Wilmington for a six way $5,140,010 project. That date marked the return of shipbuilding to Wilmington after an absence dating back to the close of World War I. It was during the days of that con flict that Homer L. Ferguson, now president of the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock company and chairman of the North Carolina company, toured the Atlantic and Gulf coasts in behalf of the United States Shipping board in search for shipyard sites. ; ; After this trip, he reported to the board 'in my judsment it is the best place on the South (Continued on pe 4)
The North Carolina Shipbuilder (Wilmington, N.C.)
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May 1, 1943, edition 1
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