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December, 19 1 8 with which build- THE MARINE REVIEW 559 ers of concrete ship.s have to contend is the re- moval of the out- er mold in which the vessel: is poured. In the early days of the concrete ship in- dustry it was common practice to build the ves- sel upside down, in which case the mold was read- iy removed. Launching vessels in this position, ae however, is not L Ao always _ practica- nae ble. Another a"x6" Oe method is_ to Dogs launch the vessel with the outer mold still in piace. In this case the mold is removed and re- covered = after launching. The engineers of the Liberty company have developed a plan that offers le°X 12". Alternate { 34/3. Block Su, Ground orted, res hays =e {8 KK" 1 ' t2"x12"x 12" Way Block ° £ 'Bo/t ' \ Wedges _, OXE'X 3" Ui ae [A Xe Ci ap I I | Piles ! : " o, FIALF CROSS SECTION Alternate { fg ey x6"Dog i ng over again, with minor_ repairs, thus effecting a large saving in the material used in their construc- tion. The plans at first call for the use of these molds three times, Even though used but three times there will be consider- able saving of la- bor and material. This is of consid- erable importance as shipbuilders in have been' work- = that the building Ce 2'X6" of the molds and vy on, gulVedge their cost are se important items. ees The Liberty com- "Under tax 12" pany estimates te OA, that it takes two Lani Bore months to build such a barge, al- though with more experience it is probable that this time will be -fur- great possibilities. The vessels are built in an up- right position and launched endwise. The outer forms are made in three sections which comprise two sides run- ning to a point just under the curve of the bilges and three bottom sections. Each of these sections, in turn, is com- posed of units approximately 6 feet square. After the vessel is poured and dried, side forms are moved back 4 feet and left standing. .The. part of the bottom forms directly above the launching ways are also removed and a launching cradle built up from the ways. The remainder of the bottom forms are then removed. The entire hull can be inspected as the float is standing on the ways ready for launch- ing. By this plan the sections that com- pose the molds can be used over and VIEW SHOWING METHOD OF LAUNCHING The Men Behind The story of the Liberty Shipbuilding plant would be incomplete without mention of the men who are in active charge of the work. All of the negotiations with the government of- ficials have been carried on by W. T. Duggan, sales manager of the Cleveland Builders' Supply Co., who is contract manager of the new com- pany. The designing was in charge of Frank L. Gorman, while the actual construction is super- vised by H. J. Sprackling, general superintendent, 'ably assisted by C. D. C. Wilson, assistant su- perintendent. All of these men are associated with the Watson Engineering Co. of Cleveland. ther limited. Plans call for carfloats, : barges and sim- ilar small craft being turned out rap- idly. The preliminary estimates based upon the experience gained in con- structing the first of these floats for the American army, led the promoters to figure that these concrete floats will cost approximately 25 per cent less than a wooden float of the same capacity. The efficiency of this type of craft has been proved. The use of small reinforced concrete boats in European waters has already shown this. It is said that the Italian military forces have made use of such craft. Similar floats built of cement were used by the Italians in their offensive around Venice. They were mounted with big guns and moved up against the Aus- trians. The Liberty Shipbuilding & Trans- portation Co. has been capitalized at PLACING THE STEEL REINFORCEMENT PRIOR TO POURING THE CONCRETE BUILDING THE WOODEN MOLD DIRECTLY ON THE LAUNCHING WAYS this country who ing in cement find --