Seatrain Using Unique Shipbuilding Technique

Seatrain Shipbuilding Corp., Brooklyn, N.Y., a wholly owned subsidiary of Seatrain Lines, Inc., is employing a unique concept in its shipbuilding operations.

By using what the company calls a "wonder building," an igloo-shaped hut-like construction, the company has been able to cut down on its labor costs and time required to complete work in tank sections of the supertankers it builds.

The two 100-foot by 50-foot braceless buildings are made of galvanized steel and designed by the Unisport Leisure Products Co., New York City.

Originally designed to be used as paint facilities for subassemblies at the Brooklyn Yard, they are now being used as work areas in ship construction.

According to Grangin Vought, planning manager at the company, the buildings are hoisted to the deck of a ship and positioned at the midbody section of the vessel, where work on each of the midbody tanks, which measure 100 feet by 50 feet, is undertaken.

Seatrain has outfitted the hollow interiors of the two buildings with lights, used to illuminate work areas, welding systems and staging equipment.

What all this means to the company is a reduction in the time needed to set up a tank area for work. It eliminates the timeconsuming task of having to set up temporary systems in these areas.

"With the existing equipment all hooked up and ready to go inside the wonder building, all we really need is a crane to hoist the building to another tank area," Mr.

Vought said.

"An added plus of course is that the buildings shelter the welders and other workmen from inclement weather," he noted. "Through the use of these buildings and the way in which they are used at our yard, we can get the necessary work done without worrying about whether it rains or snows." The company is currently using the wonder buildings in the construction of two 225,000- dwt supertankers, the Stuyvesant and the Bay Ridge.

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