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Berkley, Diesel Drive Ferry, All-welded Steel Hull quirements, the all-welded, double-ended, diesel ferryboat BERKLEY was recently completed by the Norfolk Shipbuilding & Drydock Corp., Norfolk, Va., for the Norfolk County Ferries. Aside from other operations, this ferry, which is not large, makes the run from Portsmouth, Va., to Berk- ley, Va., and replaces an obsolete side- wheel vessel. This line, which is op- erated on a non-pro‘it basis, covers a very irregular course and must carry passengers, both white and colored, separately in cabins on the main deck. Also heavy trucks must be carried and landings must be made at the docks used for the larger boats. The sched- ule calls for three round trips each hour over a three-quarter-mile run Economy of operation was a primary consideration and the new vessel op- erates with a crew of four men—pilot, engineer and two deckhands. Opera- tion began on June 4 and the first month’s operation indicates that the fuel cost is only 11.6 cents per hour, or less than 2 cents per trip, one Way. The cost of fuel, water and oil for op- erating the small steam ferry was $1.03 per hour and it was necessary to carry five men all told in the crew. DL) ‘isiremen to meet specific re- Pilot House Control The BeRKLEY was designed by Eads Johnson, naval architect, New York, and represents the latest refinements and most modern practice for vessels of her type. A distinctive feature is the pilot house control which makes for more efficient operation and easier landings. The principal dimensions are: Length overall, 80 feet; beam molded, 34 feet; depth molded, 11 feet; and draft, approximately 6 feet. The steel hull is divided into five compartments by four watertight transverse bulk- heads. Two longitudinal trusses of diagonal framing and channel uprights run the full length of the vessel, 10 feet, 6 inches off each side of the cen- terline. These irusses absorb the stresses on the main deck when loaded with heavy trucks and cars. Electric welding was used through- out in the hull construction. The frames, beams and stiffeners were toe- welded to the plating, thus increasing the efficiency of the section with no additional weight. All plate laps and butts were welded continously inside and out. The main deck plating in the teamway is of pattern plate type throughout which gives good traction for vehicles, and also greater safety for passengers. This deck is flat with no sheer or camber. Port and starboard of the teamway 22 MARINE REVIEW—September, are steam heated, ventilated and well lighted cabins for white and colored passengers. The seats in the cabins have built-in lockers, providing storage space for life preservers. The floors are covered with linoleum. Wheel guards run the entire length of the teamway for added safety to passen- gers. Two ladders provide access to the boat deck on which is fitted one 16- foot metallic lifeboat. On this deck are also located ventilators to the en- gine room and exhaust stacks from the engine and steam boiler. Ladders from this deck give access to the upper deck which is raised about four feet above the boat deck and accomodates a 10 x 8- foot pilot. house of wood construction, With windows sliding in Jead pockets on brass pipes, giving an unobstructed view. The pilot house is equipped with two sets of hand steering wheels (one for each end), engine controls, speak- ing tubes, electric bells, engine speed indicator, two compasses and rudder locking devices. Main Propelling Machinery The main propelling machinery con- sists of one, direct reversible, mechan- ical injection, six-cylinder, Fairbanks- Morse marine diesel engine, i0 x 12% inches, developing 210 horsepower at 360 revolutions per minute. This en- gine is of the new back flow, scaven- ging type giving a fuel consumption 0.38 pound per horsepower per hour. Thrust bearings of ball type are fitted fore and aft of the main engine with a flexible coupling at one end. This coupling is designed to take care of shaft expansion rather than a mis- alignment. A three-bladed, 4 feet, 6 inches di- ameter, cast bronze propeller of special design is fitted to each end of the pro- peller shaft. These propellers were made by F. Ferguson & Son, Hoboken, N. J. At full power the speed of the ferry is 10 miles per hour. Both stern tubes are fitted with Goodrich cutless rubber bearings. Auxiliary power is supplied by one 10 horsepower, single cylinder diesel engine, direct connected to an electric generator for emergency lighting, one air compressor and one rotary fire and bilge pump, all of which are mounted on a common bedplate. When the aux- iliary set is shut down lights are fur- nished by a bank of 110-volt, 213 am- pere hours capacity, Exide storage bat- teries. Included among the other equipment installed are: A single panel Listenwal- ter switchboard, mounted on the en- gine room bulkhead, Zenith superdu- plex strainers for the fuel and Weston 1935 electric tachometers and direction in- dicators, mounted in the engine room and in the pilot house. Boiler for Heating One Ideal steam boiler supplies heat to the cabins and the pilot house. There are four starting air tanks, nec- essitated by the short duration of the run which is approximately 6 minutes. To carry the fuel oil there are two tanks each of 1000 gallons capacity in- stalled in compartments on opposite sides adjoining the engine room. These tanks are connected by equalizing pipes. Two 25 gallons capacity lubricating oil tanks are installed in the engine room. There is also a 1000 gallon fresh water tank for boiler feed and a 100 gallon fuel oil day tank connected to the boiler burners with a hand pump: and piped to the main fuel oil tank. The engines are cooled with sea wa- ter, suction valves on heavy cast steel nozzles being provided. A water washed 10-inch, Yankee exhaust silen- cer is fitted vertically with 10-inch ex- haust stack carried well up above pilot house. A ladder and closed companion way, on each side, lead up from the engine room to the main deck with steel doors in the teamway bulkheads. An engine rcom hatch is fitted in the main deck directly above the engine. This vessel was built to the require- ments of the Ainerican Bureau of Ship- ping and the United States steamboat inspection service. The capacity fully loaded is 6 automobiles and 200 passen- gers. Mooney Elected Chairman Franklin D. Mooney has been elected chairman of the Atlantic, Gulf & West Indies Steamship lines succeeding H. H. Raymond, recently resigned. Mr. Mooney has been president of this com- pany for the past 14 years, and Vincent K. Hull was elected to succeed him in that capacity. The Atlantic, Gulf & West Indies Steamship lines and its subsidiaries include the Clyde-Mallory line, the New York and Porto Rico line, the New York & Cuban Mail Steamship lines and the Southern Steamship Co. Mr. Mooney’s shipping career cov- ers more than 40 years, since he first entered the Porto Rico line. He has long been an outstanding figure in ship- ping circles and has always fought for a strong American merchant marine. He has been active in the affairs of the American Steamship Owners’ as- sociation; and is a member of the board of managers of tho American Bureau of Shipping, and of the Ameri- can committee of Lloyd’s Register. Mr. Hull first joined the Porto Rico line in 1906 and was placed in charge of the line’s freight traffic depart- ment in 1909. During the war he was a member of the shipping and control committee of the United States ship- ping board. He was elected vice presi-