Engineering Wonders of the World
Volume I

THE EQUIPMENT OF A MODERN SHIPYARD. 7.5 boy, and sometimes a “ catcher ” boy. The duty of the holder-up is to support firmly, by means of a large hammer, the rivet-head while the two riveters hammer down the end of the rivet on the other side of the plate or other object being riveted. The heater boy is re- sponsible for supplying the squad with rivets heated to the proper temperature, while the work of the catcher is to pass on the rivets from the heater to the spot where the riveters are employed if the distance be considerable, as often happens. An idea of the magnitude of the work performed by the riveters may be gathered from the fact that in the building of the Lusitania and Mauretania over 4,000,000 rivets, weighing nearly 800 tons, were worked into each ship. Following closely on the riveters come the caulkers, whose work it is to make all seams and joints of the shell, “ weather ” decks, double bottom, and most of Caulking and bulkheads water-tight. Painting. & While the hull has thus been taking shape, the woodwork and other internal fittings have been passed through the initial stages; and the deck machinery—winches, windlass, steering gear, etc.—is fitted as soon as the iron or steel work is in a sufficiently forward state. Finally, the work of cleaning and painting the hull is taken in hand ; and then the important task of transferring the vessel from the building berth to her native element must receive consideration. THE LAUNCHING OF A SHIP. The launching of a ship is always an oper- ation of interest to the uninitiated as well as to those who have been engaged on her construction. The spectacle of a huge vessel gliding down the ways at an ever- increasing speed, and gradually coming to rest after she enters the water, is one which appeals powerfully to the imagination; and although the shipbuilder is able to make arrangements which should ensure success, he feels great relief when he sees the vessel safely afloat. The foundations of the berth, the de- clivity, length, and camber of the ways, the strength, of the launching cradles, the depth of water over the way-ends, the drag-weights to pull the vessel up when she is afloat—all these and many other points are anxiously con- sidered, and form the subject of careful calcu- lation. Where the river into which the new vessel has to be placed is very narrow, the ship is occasionally launched sideways ; but the great majority of vessels are launched stern foremost, and we propose therefore to describe the latter arrangement. Fig. 17.—SECTIONS THROUGH LAUNCHING CRADLES AMIDSHIPS AND IN WAYS OF CRADLE. The solid black portions are the ground-ways. Observe the wedges for raising vessel off keel blocks. Preparations for the launch are commenced some weeks before the actual date fixed for putting the vessel into the water. In the case of a large ship, a small army of shipwrights is employed in Ground- constructing the inclined plane, ways. or “ways,” upon which she slides down to the water, and the “ cradles ” by which, she is supported during the operation. The ways con- sist of the “ ground ” or “ standing ways,” and the “ sliding-ways.” The two parallel ground- ways, one on each side of the keel, are laid