Shipyard`s Speculative Success

SHIPYARD’S SPECULATIVE SUCCESS
When Buying Old Ships Instead of
Building New Ones Paid Off at NNS
BACKGROUND: The years immediately following the end of World War II were
almost as difficult for Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) as the period of time right after
World War I. Numerous contacts which the Company held with the Navy were abruptly
cancelled in 1945. Several warships under construction were scrapped on the ways.
One exception was the heavy cruiser NEWPORT NEWS (CA-148). But when she was
christened and floated out of her building dock in March of 1947, there was not a single
vessel, either naval or commercial, being built on the shipways of NNS.
Severe belt-tightening and improvising followed. Employment dropped from a war time
high in 1943 of 50,000 men and women to less than 12,000 employees just five years
later. As it had in the 1920’s, Newport News Shipbuilding pursued whatever work it
could find during the first few years after World War II hostilities had ceased.
Ship conversion and repair work dominated activities on the Company’s waterfront in the
late 1940’s. An example of how small a job NNS was willing to accept is represented by
the firm’s conversion of a 72-foot wooden patrol boat to become a private yacht.
Industrial products…primarily hydraulic turbine and paper dryer manufacturing, and
smaller projects provided some employment. Harking back to the lean years after World
War I, the shipyard even took on the task to repair over 1,200 railroad cars in 1948/1949.
In a letter to all NNS employees dated
February 25, 1948, shipyard president John B.
Woodward endorsed NNS’ long-standing
motto by stating: “It is our policy to get work
for our plant and personnel even if we have to
take it at low profits or losses.”
By then, his dedication to retaining a skilled
workforce at any cost had already
commenced. In a bold and unprecedented
move, NNS had purchased several war-weary
vessels from the government at what
constituted ‘give away’ prices in late
1946/early 1947. Some were procured with
the idea of modifying them for profitable
resale; others for their scrap value…and to
keep
workers
employed
until
new
construction contract opportunities resumed.
AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH PAYS OFF: Between December of 1946 and mid1947, over a dozen ships were purchased by Newport News Shipbuilding. Five of them
were former American-built escort aircraft carriers (CVE’s) that had been transferred to
the Royal Navy during World War II. When they were returned to the US Navy in 1945,
they were in poor condition and decidedly surplus.
America had over a hundred similar vessels at the end of the war. A few remained in
commission. Others were mothballed, sold or given outright to other Allied nations to
help rebuild their war-shattered fleets. Those that came home from Great Britain were not
considered suitable for further military service, and were offered for sale. One condition
of all such sales was that the vessels had to be modified for commercial use, or scrapped.
HMS SMITER (D.55) and HMS
ARBITER (D.31) were acquired by
NNS in December of 1946 and towed
to the shipyard the following month.
This photograph shows how they
appeared shortly after being docked at
Newport News.
Two more, HMS SPEAKER (D.40) and HMS TRACKER (BAVG-6) were purchased
shortly thereafter. The fifth ex-British escort carrier procured by NNS was HMS SHAW
(D.21), which arrived in Newport News several months later.
All of these vessels had been built with C-3 type merchant ship hulls. One of them,
TRACKER had been started as a merchant ship, but had completed as an escort carrier in
1942. The other four had been laid down as American escort carriers, and given other
names and US Navy CVE numerical designations. After completion in 1943, they were
taken over and renamed by the Royal Navy, along with several others.
Spaces originally intended as cargo holds had been subdivided and outfitted for naval
crews’ living, working and storage needs. Hangar and flight decks, and small islands
surmounted their hulls. Before acquiring them, NNS engineers had ascertained that their
hulls were sound, and they could be reconverted to merchant ship use fairly
economically.
NNS Hull Numbers were assigned to each of these vessels. Work quickly commenced
with stripping them of all wartime equipment. Their superstructures were removed and
the alternations that had been made to their cargo holds were gutted. Their C-3 type hull
structure below their main decks and their steam propulsion plant machinery were not
altered. But one unexpected complication was discovered early-on.
2
Each of the vessels had hundreds of tons of poured concrete in their lower deck areas.
This mass of material had been added during conversion for escort carrier duty to help
stabilize them and compensate for the extra weight of their hangar and flight decks.
However, with the help of demolition experts, it was determined that carefully controlled
use of dynamite could safely loosen the concrete without damage to the hulls’ structures.
On average, it only took nine working days to strip each ship of their wartime additions.
In parallel with this physical effort, the NNS officials were hard at work, aggressively
negotiating with potential buyers for these vessels. Conceptual plans for their further
modification to cargo ships were developed. After months of negotiation, a contract was
executed with the Dodero Navigation Company of Argentina for three of the vessels.
This artist’s conception, created
by shipyard artist-in-residence
Thomas C. Skinner, reflects the
design agreed to by buyer and
seller. Each vessel featured an
entirely new superstructure, a
streamlined smokestack and cargo
handling gear suitable for loading
and unloading break-bulk cargo.
These ships were each 492 feet long with a beam of 69.5 feet and a displacement of
18.223 tons. Following overhaul, their twin oil-fired boilers and a single set of geared
turbines produced 8,500 shaft horsepower for a top speed of 16.5 knots.
The first of these vessels to be completed was the SS ARTILLERO (NNS Hull 462).
Delivered in December, 1947, she was followed in January of the next year by the SS
CORACERO (NNS Hull 463) and in February by the SS LANCERO (NNS Hull 364).
Each of these converted cargo carriers were fitted with comfortable accommodations for
twelve passengers. Each ship’s dining salon, lounge and smoking room was decorated
with colorful and modernistic oil paintings created by Thomas Skinner.
When the ARTILLERO arrived in
Buenos Aires, she was hailed as
the largest cargo vessel in
Argentina’s merchant marine. All
three of these ships served Dodero
for a number of years before being
sold to a Philippine shipping
company in 1958.
After going through several name changes, they were eventually scrapped. ARTILLERO
ran aground in 1967 in the English Channel and was damaged beyond repair. She was
broken up in Germany scrapped in 1968. The remaining two cargo vessels/ex-CVE’s
remained in useful service until 1973, when they were both scrapped.
3
MORE SPECULATIONS; MORE SUCCESSES: Newport News Shipbuilding’s
initial speculative venture into buying old ships and modifying them for presumably
profitable sale was declared a success by Company management. Financial details
associated with the three vessels acquired by Dodero were not made public, but NNS was
profitable in the years these ships were delivered to their new owner.
With little or no prospects for new ship construction contracts, the Company continued to
pursue the acquisition of old ships. Five worn-out tankers, a destroyer escort and an
ocean-going tug were purchased for the sole purpose of dismantling them for their scrap
value...and to help keep the NNS workforce busy. One of the tankers thus acquired was
the 516 foot-long WM. G. WARDEN, constructed at Newport News as NNS Hull 196.
Built for the Standard Oil Company, she had given NNS craftsmen headaches when her
launching operation had proved difficult in December of 1916. Christened on the 16th,
severe weather forced a delay in her slide to the sea. But when the launch was attempted
two days later, she did not move...at first. Grease between the sliding and standing ways
had congealed, and hydraulic jacks had to be used to move the reluctant tanker.
Thirty years later, following a successful, but fortunately uneventful career that included
service in two world wars, she returned to her birthplace after a brief sojourn in the James
River Idle Fleet. The WM. G. WARDEN was dry docked, cut in half, and her bow and
stern sections hauled onto the outboard ends of inclined and idle Shipways #8 and #9.
There her remains were rapidly reduced to rail cars full of segregated scrap metal. But her
builders’ plate was presented to the Mariners’ Museum, where it remains of display.
Several of the other ships purchased for their scrap
value received similar treatment. However, at least
one of the smaller vessels, a coastal tanker, was
moved intact onto the outboard end of Shipway #8
for dismantlement.
Once again, no details of profitability associated
with these vessels’ scrapping operations were made
public. But numerous articles in local newspapers
lauded the Company’s innovative efforts to provide
continued employment.
Two additional tankers of the T-2 class were
purchased by the shipyard from the Maritime
Commission and rebuilt for The Texas Company.
Both of these vessels had been badly damaged. The
SS DIAMOND ISLAND had a huge hole in her
port side that had been caused by a gas explosion.
The SS BRIAR CREEK had grounded off Maine’s
rocky coast, resulting in her bottom being ripped
open in several places.
4
Even though these vessels were unusable, the Maritime Commission placed stipulations
on their sale. They could not be scrapped by the highest bidder, and each vessel had to
receive at least one million dollars of work during their reconditioning or remodeling.
With those restrictions in mind, but also with a tentative commitment from The Texas
Company, the shipyard submitted winning offers for each vessel. A sign of the times, it
was a ‘handshake’ deal between The Texas Company and NNS before the ships were
obtained from the government. The risk was considered small by Mr. Woodward.
That was because the Texas Company had been extremely pleased with a recent and
major repair job accomplished by NNS. A badly damaged tanker had been essentially
rebuilt. In addition, the shipping arm of TEXACO had previously had two tankers built at
Newport News, plus numerous others repaired there.
Renamed SS NORTH CAROLINA (ex-BRIAR CREEK) and SS SOUTH CAROLINA
(ex-DIAMOND ISLAND), they both required extensive structural repair work. The gas
explosion suffered by the DIAMOND ISLAND had not only created a gaping hole in her
side, but the bottom of the vessel was distorted that required cutting her completely apart
to correct. Most of the BRIAR CREEK’s bottom plating had to be replaced.
Additional work on both
tankers made it easy to satisfy
the government’s restrictions.
Both ships were delivered to
their new owner in 1948. In
1960, both ships had the prefix
TEXACO added to their
names. TEXACO NORTH
CAROLINA was sold to another firm in 1973 and renamed. Following a collision at sea
in 1977, she was so badly damaged that her owners elected to have the vessel scrapped.
The SOUTH CAROLINA was
sold in 1968 and renamed
TEXAS
TRADER.
The
following year, she returned to
Newport News and was rebuilt
again. Her forebody was
replaced, adding 90 feet to her
overall length and increasing
her displacement by 50%.
Extensive modifications were
made to her superstructures,
resulting in this ‘new look’
when she returned to service
in 1969. Eventually, she was
scrapped in 1986.
5
LST SCRAPPINGS…AND A REPRIEVE: In the spring of 1948, five former
warships, classified as Landing Ship Tanks (LST’s) that had been declared surplus by the
US Navy were also acquired by NNS for their scrap value. Although eighteen of these
flat-bottomed amphibious craft had been mass-produced in Newport News during World
War II, none of the five were built by NNS.
Four of the LST’s were placed, two by two, on the outboard ends of Shipways #8 and #9
in early May of 1948. Only a few years old and still in relatively good shape, much of
their machinery was salvaged for resale. By July of that same year, their hulls had been
reduced to scrap metal and hauled away.
The fifth LST, although acquired for scrapping, ended up receiving an extensive overhaul
for a new owner. Long before the Chesapeake Bridge-Tunnel was conceived and
constructed; the Virginia Ferry Corporation (VFC) operated several combination
vehicular and passenger ferries that ran between Little Creek and the Eastern Shore. As
post-war traffic increased, they began to experience periodic traffic jams.
Aware that the VFC
was looking for an
economical addition
to their fleet, NNS
officials
proposed
modifying one of the
LST’s to meet their
need. The basic LST
design included a
Vehicle Deck.
After seeing conceptual plans for converting a LST to become a ferry, the Virginia Ferry
Corporation contracted with the shipyard for a ‘roll on/roll off’ vessel suitable for
carrying 300 passengers and up to 40 cars and trucks. Placed in Dry Dock #2 in August
1948, former LST #63 was modified extensively.
The vessel’s bow and stern were rebuilt to accommodate vehicle ramps and watertight
doors. Wing tanks were removed to provide for up to four lanes for vehicles. The LST’s
wartime equipment was removed, and her small superstructure was replaced by a much
larger one that included lounges and lunch rooms for passengers, and crew quarters. Her
original diesel engines were retained, and their exhausts were redirected to a large stack
which also provided enough space for a fan room and an emergency diesel generator.
When completed, she was renamed NORTHAMPTON, in honor of the Eastern Shore
county. Her conversion took less than 120 days. Her sea trials were a bit unusual.
Conducted in the Chesapeake Bay, they included docking at the Little Creek and Cape
Charles ferry landings to demonstrate the revitalized vessel’s suitability for that service.
She was delivered on November 3, 1948. The Thomas Skinner painting reproduced on
the next page graced the cover of the September/October issue of the Shipyard Bulletin.
6
The NORTHAMPTON made innumerable crossings at the mouth of Hampton Roads
between 1948 and 1964. When the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel was completed, she
and several other VFC vessels were sold. Acquired by a Mexican shipping firm, Naviera
del Pacifico, the NORTHAMPTON was renamed SALVTIERRA.
Repositioned to the west coast of Mexico, she provided ferry service between the Baja
California peninsula and the mainland until June 19, 1976. That evening, she hit a
submerged rock near La Paz, Mexico. Her bottom was ripped open and she quickly rolled
over and sank in sixty feet of water. Thankfully, no lives were lost. Due to her shallow
resting place in clear water, SALVTIERRA has become a popular diving site.
MORE SHIPS FOR ARGENTINA: Two of the former escort aircraft carriers acquired
by the shipyard sat idle at Newport News until arrangements were made with Rio De La
Plata, a subsidiary of the Dodero Navigation Company to convert them. The Argentine
firm wanted to use them to help transport thousands of Europeans who desired to relocate
to South America from their war-torn nations.
The former HMS TRACKER was renamed
CORRIENTES (NNS Hull 465). The HMS
SHAW became the SALTA (NNS Hull 472).
Both vessels retained their basic C-3 hull
forms, and original machinery. Internally, all
but one cargo hold were extensively modified
to provide living spaces for passengers and
crew. The passenger accommodations were
spartan; typically six bunks and one sink in a
‘stateroom’, as depicted here.
7
Externally, an extremely long deckhouse was added to each ship, topped by a singular,
squat and streamlined smoke stack. To accommodate each vessel’s total capacity of
1,350, a multiplicity of lifeboats dominated, port and starboard, at two levels.
CORRIENTIES was delivered in
January of 1949, and presented a
classic small passenger liner
image while underway. For the
next fifteen years, she made
multiple
trips,
transporting
immigrants from primarily Spain
and Italy to Argentina. She was
sold for scrapping in 1964.
Her sister ship, SALTA, left Newport News in April of 1949. Her subsequent service life
was quite similar to that of CORRIENTIES, with one notable exception. In 1964, along
with numerous other vessels at sea went to the rescue of the Greek cruise ship
LAKONIA, fully engulfed by fire and helplessly adrift in the Atlantic Ocean.
The first to arrive on the scene, the SALTA moved in close. Her crew utilized her
numerous lifeboats to save the lives of 472 survivors of that maritime disaster. Two years
later, SALTA, the much acclaimed hero of the LAKONIA incident, was determined to be
considered too old to remain in service. Sold in 1966, she was scrapped that same year.
POSTSCRIPT: By the end of the 1940’s,
numerous opportunities to build naval and
commercial vessels eliminated any further
need for Newport News Shipbuilding to
buy old ships on speculation. Ship repair
work no longer dominated the waterfront
scene, but hundreds of ship repair projects
profitably augmented the Company’s
resurgence of new construction work.
Tough times, even when lightened by this
bit of humor found in an old copy of the
Shipyard Bulletin, had gone away.
Employment rose once again and
‘Shipyard Virginia’ was back to
normal…at least until the next reversal in
the periodic and seemingly inevitable ups
and downs of American shipbuilding
revisited the Virginia Peninsula…
Bill Lee
November 2013
8