Newspapers / The North Carolina Shipbuilder … / Aug. 1, 1943, edition 1 / Page 1
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V CPS 0 August 1, 1943 PUBLISHED FOR THE EMPLOYEES OF THE NORTH CAROLINA SHIPBUILDING COMPANY Vol. 1, No. 12 CONSTRUCTION OF C-2 VESSELS UNDER WAY no Rents Cut At Trailer Camp Here Problem Of Severe Ice Shortage Is Solved The substantial reduction in rents on trailers in the ship yard trailer camp recently ef fected is being received with appreciation by a large number of the yard's employees. The reduction ranges from $1 to $3 a month. Heretofore all single-room trailers have rented at $29 a month and the expansible units have rented at $33. Effective August 1, the rents on the smaller units are $26, $27 and $28 for the slightly different sizes and $31 for the expan sibles. Always working in close co operation with the Housing Au thority of the City of Wilming ton, the company is gratified to see this step taken, in the inter est of the welfare of the em ployees. Numerous improve ments, often proposed or advo cated by the yard, have been ef fected since the trailer camp was taken over by the Housing Authority, through a lease with the federal government on Jan uary 1. The advancement of the general housing program in the vicinity of the yard by the Hous ing Authority has been a matter of major concern to the com pany. As another example of the promotion of the general wel fare program here, the Housing Authority and the Office of Price Administration early last month worked out a means of temporary relief from the ice shortage for hundreds of the residents of the trailer camp and Maffitt village. Under the arrangement, ice is imported to Wilmington and dis tributed in the housing areas by the Independent Ice company, which acts as an agent for the Housing Authority. The state OPA office, through Theodore S. Johnson, director, gave authorization" to sell the ice to shipworker families living in the projects for $14 a ton or 70 cents a hundredweight to help defray the cost of imoort ing the ice. The ice, brought in from LeaksviIIe and other up state centers, costs the Author ity about $15.50 a ton. The loss is being underwritten by funds from the Authority's budget. The reduction in trailer camp rents and solution of the ice shortage problem may be con sidered two good examples of the benefits denved by the yard a employees through its policy of close cooperation and assistance to the Housing Authority as it goes about making the lives of the men and women working here as comfortable as possible. Once in a while a ship appears to be i self -launching, starting down the ways before the cere monies are completed. Release of the ship is sometimes neces sary before the ceremony is end ed it's not self -launching at all. Til ' - V UfK , i i tit Near Close Of Liberty Contracts Yard Makes 22-Day Record On The S. S. Hobson FIRST OF. 87 This scene at the keel laying of our first C-2 ship doesn't look like a momen tous occasion but it is because it marks the beginning of production of this faster, larger and more expensive type of vessel in the ways here. The keel was laid on July 20 and construction is now well under way. Diet Important Safety Factor Improper Food Often Reduces Our Usual Mental Alertness By CORDELIA B. FOSTER Been working hard? Tired? Hot? Had an accident lately? Did you know that one eating correctly could avoid accidents, fatigue, keep cool when the tem peratures are soaring? Yes, it's true. If you have a minute, let's chat about this very thing. It is generally recognized that the reason for more accidents in summer is the effect of hot weather on us, loss of sleep, too much cold food and too many cold drinks all contribute to pull (Continued on page 6) MORE FUN! Lieut. Henry D. Cromar tie, of Garland, formerly employed in the yard, is now with the Air Force in North Africa. A recent news story from his headquarters quotes him as saying that while he once helped to build ships, now he admits that it is more fun to sink them. A few months ago, a convoy of approximately 40 ships sailed from an East Coast port laden with materials for the battle fronts. To fill these ships, it took nearly 300 miles of freight cars. The materials delivered to the loading port originated from 20 different points in the United States. Training Setup Aids Thousands Four Basic Divisions Cover Broad Field Of Shipbuilding Recognizing that shipyards would build ships faster and bet ter if their rapidly expanding working forces were trained more effectively, the United States Maritime commission and the War Manpower commission evolved a program to be observ ed in establishing production training in shipyards. The training and upgrading program is composed of four basic types: A. Pre-employment and Pre production Training. (Continued on page 5) PRODUCTION COMMUNIQUE No. 18 To the Workers of the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company: Your Liberty ship, the S. S. Matt W. Ransom, was approaching an African port with a valuable cargo of Army supplies when she struck an enemy mine. The violent explosion ripped into her bow. The ship shuddered under the im pact. Greyish-black water was thrown 100 feet in the air. Then a second ex plosion followed, the ship began to settle, and finally the Abandon Ship order was given. When all hands were safe in the lifeboats, Captain Metsall noted that the vessel had ceased to settle. With a volunteer crew of six men he climbed to the slanting deck of the vessel, whose bow, was almost buried in the sea. Two men refired the boilers and finally the logy vessel got under way as the screws began to turn again. Manned by this skeleton crew of four men above deck and two below, she proceeded without further incident to port and dis charged her cargo. Said Captain Metsall "I give credit to all hands for their coolness, and special credit to Liberty ships, which can stand an explosion of this magnitude and still be able to come in under their own power." This magnificent job by the men who built and sailed the Matt W. Ransom has again honored our American Merchant Marine. E. S. LAND, Chairman, United States Maritime Commission. With the laying of the keel of the first C-2 type ship on July 20, the yard moves into a broader pro gram of building better, larger and faster cargo carriers that will offer a real test of our mettle as shipbuilders. Our new assignment, for which we have been mak ing preparations for many months, calls for the con struction of 87 of these ves sels. Our good record on fast production and quality of the Liberty ships delivered to the Victory fleet was an im portant factor in the selection of the yard by the u. s. Man time commission for this im portant task. The latter part of this montn will see completion of the con- tracts lor the lao uiDercy freighters. New Record Starting with the launching of the first on December 6, 1941, we worked our way to the top of the list of the nation's effi cient builders of this class of shiD. As the curtain falls on this phase of construction, the yard chalks up another record with the launching of the Rich mond P. Hobson, hull No. 116, on July 17, just 22 days after keel laying. The yard s record for keel lay ing to delivery is 29 days and was established on the Hannis Taylor. Its keel was laid on May 8 and it was delivered on June 6. The Liberty ship, designed for fast construction at the time the United Nations were in the greatest need of cargo carriers, is doing outstanding service throughout the world. We are glad that we have been able to build so many of them. The demands of war, however, are calling for a better ship, one that will be able) to do more than hold its own among the world's merchant fleets when peace comes. The C-2 is the answer. Fast Ship Designed and built before the United States entered the pres ent conflict with the aim of gain ing a greater place in interna tional trade, the C-2 is also highly adaptable to service in war. Propelled by steam tur bines, its speed of more than 15 knots is one of the answers to the submarine problem. Greater cruising range is also a factor in favoring it over the liberty ship. And when the present con flict is over, they will be better able to compete with the freighters of other countries. The C-2's overall length in 459 feet and three inches and the length between perpendiculars is 435 feet. The beam is moulded (Continued on page 2) :
The North Carolina Shipbuilder (Wilmington, N.C.)
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Aug. 1, 1943, edition 1
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