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Activities of American Shipyards Dismantle Big Plant at Seattle --Destroyer on Trial Trip Sets New Speed Record -- Plans Big Dock ' ORK.~ of , dismanthng: ; ihe W great steel shipbuilding plant of. the. Skinner <2. iddy Corp., Seattle, has begun and within a short time this famous yard will pass into history. The firm has de- cided to retire from _ shipbuilding. No definite announcement has been made as to the disposition of the site. The shipbuilding equipment and ma- chinery have been sold to the Barde Industrial Corp., New York and Portiand, Oreg. It is.expeécted tat the site will be used as a great ship- ping terminal as it has ,decided ad- vantages for that purpose. The yard is equipped with a permanent 790- foot pier with deep water berthage on both sides as well as with an 870- foot quay. These terminals are well served by railroad trackage and it is expected that they will be used as the nucleus of a great steamship terminal, The land is among the most valuable parcels in Seattle's industrial center. The price paid by the wreckers is re- ported to be about $1,500,000. Completing its program of com- mercial shipbuilding for the govern- ment, the Todd Shipbuilding & Dry. Dock Co, Tacoma, Wash... en June 17 launched the 7500-ton steel steamer RorariAN, the last shipping board hull building in the Pacific northwest. The event was a gala occasion and was attended by a large gathering of offi- cials and guests. The vessel was named in honor of the Rotary clubs' of Amer- ica The Rotarians presented the ship with a handsome bronze name plate. The same company is completing the 7500-ton steel steamer Pansa_ which has been assigned by the shipping board to Williams, Dimond & Co. to load lumber and general cargo for Calcutta and other ports in India. The 8800-ton steel. steamer Inpus, hull No. 16 of the John Coughlin yards, Vancouver, B. C., has been launched and will shortly be completed. This vessel was originally laid down on builder's account but she and a sister vessel, have been sold to Swedish own- ers. Fourth product of the Anderson ship- yards on Lake Washington, Seattle, the Wooden motorship MurreL was launched June 26. This yard took contracts for four wooden vessels.. The first two Were sold by the owners to French in- terests. Later the plant encountered financial troubles andthe last 'two hulls were completed and launched under a reorganization. The third hull, the Donna Lane, is~ now being fitted and will shortly be ready for service. The 9600-ton steel steamer ANTINOUS was. Jaunched, at; the GM. Sidi. Shipbuilding Co.'s__ yards, Vancouver, Wash., on June 22. This vessel is the fourth built by this company for the Green Star line, the first two now being enroute from Seattle to Oriental ports under management of Struthers & Dixon. The buildings and miscellaneous equipment of the Wright shipyards, Tacoma, Wash. have been sold to wreckers, thus marking the passing of another wood shipyard. The ways and buildings will be razed. This plant turned out several Ferris-type steam- ers for the government during the war emergency. The Northwest Bridge & Iron Co., Portland, Oreg., announces that it has contracts for building seven 12,000-ton tankers for the Swiftsure. Oil. Trans- port Co. These will be the largest vessels ever constructed on the Willam- ette river. The keel of the first ves- sel was laid early in July. Legal steps have been taken to dis- solve the Ballard Shipbuilding Co., Seattle, which built the wooden steamer H. B. Loveyoy and several smaller craft. The same owners are operating a ma- rine ways. but intend to retire from _ shipbuilding. | Suit to recover $420,000 alleged due as commissions has been started by Smith & Paschall, brokers, against the Seattle-North Pacific Shipbuilding Co., Seattle, and C. J. Erickson, its founder. The plaintiffs allege that in June, 1917, they were retained to obtain contracts for steel vessels and claim. they as- sisted .in negotiating for 10 ships through the Clinchfield Navigation Co., New York..: The contracts were for the shipping board and the plaintiffs base their commission on the contract price of $16,800,000.. On the ground that the federal court has no jurisdiction and that the Emer- gency Fleet corporation has machinery for settling claims of shipbuilders, gov- ernment attorneys are seeking a dis- missal of the suit against the Fleet corporation of the Sloan Shipyards Co. The Sloan interests are asking damages amounting to $3,220,000, repre- sented as profits had the government not seized the company's yards at Olympia and Anacortes, Wash., where 443 wooden steamers were being built. Conducted properly, the plaintiffs claim, the construction of "the 16 wooden ves- sels for which contracts were held, would have returned profits of $1,200,- 000. Following a decision to retire from steel shipbuilding, officials of the Seat- tle-North Pacific Shipbuilding Co., which built ten, 9600-ton steel steam-_ ers for the Emergency Fleet corpora- tion, are selling the machinery and equipment of the plant. After the shipways have been razed, some of the smaller buildings and all shipbuilding machinery removed, it is planned to use the site for industrial purposes.. While the plans of the owners have not been disclosed it is believed that Twohy Bros., who recently acquired the entire holdings of the company, will engage in the manufacture of railroad cars and equipment. Twohy Bros. have long been identified with railroad construction and the site offers splendid advantages for building railroad rolling stock. The plant lies on the Duwamish river, Seattle. Deliver Passenger Ships in 1921 First deliveries of the passenger liners being built for the shipping board are scheduled for January, 1921. This new fleet of passenger ships numbers 26 ves- sels, 19 being 535 feet long, 18 knots speed and 13,000 tons deadweight. Seven smaller ships are 520 feet long, 14% knots speed and 13,000 tons deadweight. All of the smaller vessels and nine of the larger are being built by the New York Shipbuilding Corp., Camden, N. J. The Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co., Newport News, Va., is building two and the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp., Sparrows Point, Md., eight of the larger ¥essels. Delay in delivery of these vessels is laid to numerous changes in design. The ships were first ordered as transports, altered to serve as hospital ships, finally being converted into passenger and freight vessels. The New York company has launched four of the 18-knot steam- ers, WENATCHEE, SEAGIRT, AMERICAN Lecion, and Keystone State. The same yard has launched three of the 14% knot ships, PANHANDLE STATE, OLpb Nort STATE and Creore State. The five other fast steamers have been named Lone Star STATE, Empire STATE,