Shipyards are facilities for the construction and repair of ships. They are located
near major ports with good rail access to steel works and other
industrial facilities necessary to support their activities. The
shipyards of the 1940s had extensive foundries and machine shops to
construct ship components, but their distinctive feature was the
building slipways ("ways" for short) at the water's edge where ships
were assembled. These huge concrete ramps were equipped with massive
cranes and their own rail system for moving the steel assemblies that
went into the construction of the ships.
Ship hulls were assembled on wooden (traditionally oak) cradles in the ways. When the hull was complete, the cradles were greased and the hull was allowed to slip down the way into the water, an occasion traditionally marked with much ceremony. Installation of engines and superstructure (the fitting out of the ship) generally took place after she was launched. Hence, ship histories usually record both a launch date and a completion date, often months apart.
The construction capacity of a shipyard can be characterized in several ways. The most important of these are:
Floor space. This is the
area of the manufacturing plant associated with the shipyard, measured
in thousands of square feet.
Building way length. This is the total length of all building slipways, measured in feet.
Merchant Ship Tonnage. This is the average monthly gross tonnage of merchant ships produced in the yard during the war.
Naval Ship Tonnage. This is
the average monthly displacement tonnage of warships produced in the
yard during the war.
References
The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia (c) 2007 by Kent G. Budge. Index
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