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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 received bids for a new 10,000 ton, 8-inch gun cruiser. The lowest bid, $8,196,000, was submit- ed by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp. This bid was $1,329,000 un- der the next lowest bidder, and took the other bidders somewhat by sur- prise. Bethlehem’s bid was $2,263,- 000 less than the contract for the sister cruiser TUSCALOOSA, awarded last year to the New York Shipbuild- ing Co., Camden, N. J. The United Dry Docks Inc., Staten Island, N. Y., submitted a bid of $9,- 525,000; New York Shipbuilding Co., Camden, N. J., $9,616,000; and the Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co., Newport News, Va., $9,- 650,000. The bids will be studied by a navy board and it is likely that the award of contract will be made by Jan. 1. Te navy department on Dec. 14 Te department of commerce re- ports that the construction of the drydock for San Juan, Puerto Rico is under consideration. The exact lo- cation of the proposed dock is not de- termined. Ships up to 600 feet in length are to be accommodated in the proposed plans for a graving dock. Bids Received for Tender On Novy. 29 bids were submitted by seven shipbuilding companies for building the new lighthouse tender Hemuock. Of these bidders four are located on the Pacific coast and three on the Atlantic coast. The Hrmrnock will be a twin screw, steam propelled vessel, with steel hull, 173 feet long, and engines of 1000 horsepower. She is to be used on the coast of Alaska to replace the tender Frrn. As specifications called for a de- livered price at San Francisco and Seattle, and as two different types of boilers were offered, more than one bid was submitted by several of the bidders. The following bids were received: Berg Shipbuilding Co., Seattle, $228,- 480; Pusey and Jones Co., of Wil- mington, Del., $234,950, delivered at builders yard; Lake Washington Shipyards, Seattle, $283,000, deliv- ery at Seattle; General Engineering & Dry Dock Co., Oakland, Calif., $319,664, delivered at San Francis- co; Moore Dry Dock Co., Oakland, Calif., lowest bid, $269,998; Bath Iron Works, Bath, Me., lowest. bid, 26 $252,000, delivered at Bath; New York Shipbuilding Co., Camden, N. J., lowest bid, $285,000, delivered at Camden, N: J; As this: is written, no information has been received as to award of contract. Low Bid on Towboat The Bath Iron Works Corp. Bath, Me., was low bidder on the construc- tion of a new diesel towboat, 93 feet long, designed for the B. Turecam9 Contracting Co., Brooklyn, N. Y. The bid was $98,500, delivery to be made in eight months and the vessel to be powered with one 750 horsepower Ingersoll-Rand diesel en- gine. Offer Ships for Scrapping On Dec. 14, the shipping board authorized advertisement for bids for the purchase of 40 vessels to be dismantled and scrapped. Proposals were sent out with form of contract to be executed in case of award; bids to be received by noon Dec. 28. Names of the vessels, respective dead- weight tons and location is giyen. These vessels are in addition to the 124 ships which were recently soid for scrapping. The contract for the 40 additional ships will provide among _ other things, that the first vessel shall be delivered and scrapping commenced on or before Jan. 15, 1933, and that the entire group of 40 vessels shall be serapped within 13 months from that date, not less than three ves- sels or the equivalent thereof to be scrapped in each and every month. The vessels selected are not suitable for sale to private interests for op- eration, and owing to their age, the equipment and excessive cost of re- pairs, would not be placed in opera- tion by the board. Board Sells Oriole Lines The shipping board on Dec. 14 ac- cepted an offer, subject to the award of mail contract, made by the South- gate-Nelson Corp. for the purchase of the Oriole line at $5.90 per dead- weight ton. At the present time the Southgate-Nelson Corp., is operating for the shipping board, the Amer- ican Hampton Roads line, the Ori- ole lines, and the former Yankee MARINE REvinw—January, 1933 line, as a consolidated service. The price of $5.90 per deadweight ton ‘‘as is, where is,’ subject to the purchaser entering into a written contract to be approved by the board in form similar to agreements cover- ing the previous sales of trade routes. Five of the ships selected are now operating in the service namely; steamships ARTIGAS, COELLEDA, COLD HARBOR, CLAIRTON and WINONA COUNTY. The remaining one to three ships will be selected at a later date. The Oriole Service is operating from North Atlantic ports to ports on the West coast of the United Kingdom and to Irish ports. The balance of the serv- ice takes care of East coast, United Kingdom ports, and Hamburg and Bremen, with certain exceptions from the North Atlantic ports. It is reported that the Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey recently re- ceived a contract from the United States navy department for 235,000 barrels of bunker fuel oil for $194.- 820, and the Sinclair Refining Co. has received a contract for 40,009 barrels of bunker fuel oil for $38,- 100. These contracts are additional to those recently announced by the department and are for use of the service on the East coast from Jan. 1 tov June 30; 2933. Bids on Chain and Anchors The McKay Co., McKees Rocks, Pa., has been recommended for the contract for 319 tons wrought iron open link, buoy chains, % to 1%- inch iron for the lighthouse bureau, Staten Island, N. Y., on a bid of $21,- 126.62 delivered. Bids were opened Noy. 29. The following contracts have also been recommended to Washington: Woodhouse Chain Works, Trenton, oN. WVJ.,° 18 tons wrought iron, stud link chain, 114 to 1%-inch iron, $2654.83; Baldt Anchor & Chain Co., Chester, Pa., 63 tons, wrought steel buoy shackles, $6027.22; Penn Steel Castings Co., Chester, Pa., seven 5000-pound and three 7000-pound cast steel mush- room anchors, $2261. It is reported that three new diesel feighters, the VorLgoLess, DvINoLESsS and Komitess, for lumber transport, were launched at Leningrad toward the end of last year. Bach freighter has a tonnage of 5500.