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Latest Data on New Marine Work Information on New Ships Ordered—Building and Repair Con- tracts Let—Shipping Board Loans Made, Authorized or Pending tion in American yards reached a new low level on Jan. 1, ac- cording to the bimonthly report re- leased Jan. 11 by the American Bureau of Shipping. Only 266,866 gross tons were under construction at the close of the year as compared with 345,780 gross tons being built a year ago and 303,445 tons as of Nov. 1, 1931, the date of the previous report. Only two major orders were placed recently in shipyards and they were the 8600-ton coastal car ferries to be constructed by the Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. for the Seatrain Lines Inc. The Matson liner Mariposa and the United Fruit Co.’s TALAMANCA were delivered to their owners to re- move those vessels from the tonnage formerly listed as under construction. The greatest tonnage is being built by the New York Shipbuilding Co., followed in order by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp.’s Fore River plant, Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. and the Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. S HIPPING tonnage under construc- Board Authorizes Loan The shipping board Dec. 22 approved the application of the Waterman Steamship Corp. for loans from the construction loan fund, to be used in the remodeling, improving and equip- ping the steamers AFOUNDRIA, MAIDEN Creek, West HikA and Tora Topa, a separate loan to be made on each ves- sel not to exceed three-fourths of the cost and not to exceed $58,545.75 each on the AFOUNDRIA and MAIDEN CREEK, and $54,544.25 each on the Wrest HIKA and Topa TOPs. These vessels on which the remodel- ing and improving is proposed are part of the fleet which operates as the Mobile Oceanic line, which was sold by the shipping board to the Water- man Steamship Corp. under sales agreement dated Sept. 14, 1931. The vessels will be required to remain documented under the laws of the United States for a period of 20 years after completion of reconditioning, and must continue in the service of the Mobile Oceanic line. Contract to Remodel Contract to remodel and refurnish the steel steamer CHIPPEWA, built at Toledo, O., in 1900, has been awarded to the Lake Washington Shipyards, 36 Seattle, by the Puget Sound Naviga- tion Co. This work is in prepara- tion for the installation of a 2200 horsepower Busch-Sulzer diesel en- gine, 210 revolutions per minute or- dered some time ago. The CHIPPEWA is being adapted for fast passenger and automobile ferry service between Seattle and the Puget Sound navy yard. The new power will develop a speed of 16% knots. Receive Bids on Spray Boat United States engineer office, first New Orleans district, Poland and Dauphine streets, New Orleans, will receive sealed bids, in duplicate, until 3 p.m., Feb. 10, 1932, and then pub- licly open them for furnishing all la- bor and materials and performing all work for constructing and delivering one steel, nonpropelled, spray boat. Submit Low Bids Low bids for building a double end diesel ferry for Multnomah county of- ficials were submitted early this month by Erickson & Klepp, Rainier, Ore., and the Atlas Imperial Diesel Engine Co. The figures were $6610 and $3896 respectively. Contracts were awarded to these two firms. Plan Duplicate Motorship The Harkins Transportation Co., which for years has been an active factor on the Willamette and Colum- bia rivers, is planning to build a du- plicate this year of the steel motor: ship, L. P. Hosrorp, built and placed in service 1931 between Portland and Astoria. Several months ago the com- pany lost the steamer BrAvrER, sunk in collision, and the proposed motorship is to replace the Braver. The com- pany has recently been reorganized with Fred H. Marvin, of Tacoma, Wash., as manager. Awarded Contract The interior department has award- ed the contract for construction of a 55-foot ranger motorboat for the Alaska road commission to J. M. Mar- tinac & Co., 1404 East D street, Ta- coma, on a low bid of approximately $12,000, several types of diesel engines being quoted. It was finally decided MARINE REVIEw—February, 1932 to install an 80-horsepower Atlas-Im- perial diesel engine. Contract is pending for award by the same department of a sternwheel passenger steamboat, shallow draft, for service on the Yukon river. Seat- tle and Tacoma builders submitted bids for a new vessel, ranging from $173,176 to $224,608. American Yukon Navigation Co. offered to sell its steam- boat KLonpIkKE, built in 1928, for $140,- 000. The Kionpikr is 210 feet by 42 feet by 6 feet draft, has a 525-horse- power engine and 20 double berth staterooms. Bids for Reconditioning Bids for reconditioning the passen- ger and freight steamship ALAMEDA, damaged by fire at Seattle, were $90,- 000 in excess of the insurance carried. Consequently the vessel was declared a constructive total loss and will be junked. The lowest tender for re- building was submitted by Todd Dry Docks Inec., Seattle, at $590,000. In- surance carried was $500,000, both in American and foreign companies. The hull was purchased by the owners, the Alaska Steamship Co., and what remains undamaged will be salvaged. The ALAMEDA was built at Philadel- phia in 1883 and for many years op- erated out of San Francisco to Aus- tralia. Twenty years ago she was pur- chased by the Alaska Steamship Co. and has since operated successfully on Alaska routes always having been con- sidered lucky, escaping mishap in the treacherous channels of the North. The fire started from an unknown cause while the vessel was lying along: side in her Seattle berth. Awards by the lighthouse bureau include Baltimore, boilers and fuel oil burning equipment, Mary- land Dry Dock Co., $31,997; Chelsea, repairs to tender ANEMONE, Bethle- hem Shipbuilding Corp., $7675; Chel- sea, repairs to tender SHRUB, Brewer Dry Dock Co., $40,000. Winton Engine Co., Cleveland, Dec. 29, was awarded contract for two diesel engines, one 15 kilowatt gen- erating set and auxiliary equipment ie the army dredge Taytor, at $14, 0. Noank Shipyard Inc., Noank, Conn., was awarded the contract for repairs to the steamer ORDNANCE, quartermas- ter, Governors island, at $9563.70.