Question for Navy guys

[Petrol & Powder]

In my efforts to educate myself, I've read some history and toured a few museum ships. The larger ships often had a compartment dedicated to machine tools. (lathes, mills, shapers, etc.). In fact, some of big ships had compartments with huge machine tools.
Obviously as the ship classes get smaller, less room can be dedicated to machine tools. I assume that at some point there is no room for machine tools.
Do the smaller ships such as patrol ships and destroyers have machine tools on board or do they rely on the larger ships to fabricate or repair equipment they cannot repair themselves?

 

[Rockydoc]

I doubt that destroyers have much in that regard. I served on a destroyer tender which was a 500 foot Liberty ship with full capability in machining as well as a foundry for casting brass and other parts materials. It also had an electronics department, etc. It could fix whatever was broken on a destroyer. I have a photo of my ship the USS Shenandoah with 7 destroyers tied up alongside in steppingstone fashion, receiving whatever services they needed, including dental services, my contribution.

I also served on the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid. It was almost 1000 feet long and I am sure it had full capability to fix aircraft repair and replacement needs.

 

[popper]

Most large repairs are ship yard only. Enough equipment on board to repair battle damage. Most have pipe fitters and equip. Small welding and cutting stuff, wood for the older decked ships and lots of shoring material.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

Thanks Rockydoc.

I've been on the Intrepid, but it was a museum ship in the Hudson River off of Manhattan at the time.

When I toured the USS Wisconsin (Norfolk, VA) I noted that it had a huge machine shop on board.

 

[jsizemore]

The smallest ship I was on that had a lathe was a GEARING class destroyer. Went to a mothball anchorage in eastern SF bay to collect parts to improve the lathe in A gang shop. Knox class escort didn't have one. Had an extensive machine shop on a repurposed LST to repair river craft. Dixie class tender and Kitty had some good stuff.

 

[Joshua]

I helped put the Kitty out to pasture.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

So let's say you're at sea on one of the smaller ships and something non-critical breaks, can you get one of the larger ships to make a part for you?

 

[RicinYakima]

My father was a Merchant Marine Officer in WW2. He told me Liberty ships had a machine shop because they were steam piston driven and constantly needed parts made. Included were steam driven arc welding generator sets because the welds broke regularly in the North Atlantic and the welders were in constant use. He said the black gang was "watch on watch" on the first trip to ETO or Russia just trying to keep the ship afloat and going.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

Yep, I've read the Liberty ships used triple expansion steam engines - not because they were good but because they were plentiful and proven. Lots of sailors knew how to run the the piston powered steam engines (they were not cutting edge engines by 1940) and we couldn't afford to waste turbine engines on ships that might not even make the first crossing.

On the plus side, the triple expansion engines were mature technology, cheaper to produce and known to be reliable (but not terribly fast).

I've seen a few on-board machine shops on museum ships and seen pictures of a lot more. Their capabilities were very impressive.
There must have been a lot of skill packed in those compartments.

 

[popper]

Liberty ships needed welder as wrong steel was used that fractured in cold water. Machinist mate kept machines running, and planes patched. Shipboard shop can make small repair parts, replacement parts from fleet supply ships. Ship parts are big, shop can only do small stuff.

 

[RicinYakima]

I've seen a few on-board machine shops on museum ships and seen pictures of a lot more. Their capabilities were very impressive.
There must have been a lot of skill packed in those compartments.

My Father graduated from Hobart welding school, Troy, OH, in 1936. Welding was a really skilled trade at that time. He said he made $.45 an hour, the same as a tool and die maker, when machinists made $.30 and assembly line workers made $.25 on the NRA rate. He had no problem going from Chrysler Air-Temp to OCS on Hoffman Island, NY.

 

[RicinYakima]

Liberty ships needed welder as wrong steel was used that fractured in cold water. Machinist mate kept machines running, and planes patched. Shipboard shop can make small repair parts, replacement parts from fleet supply ships. Ship parts are big, shop can only do small stuff.

Father said one broke apart going unladen from Brooklyn to Halifax, but they were the ship behind and stopped and rescued everyone.

 

[jsizemore]

We was heading north off the coast of Oregon going to our home port in Tacoma. Strong winds from the north wiped up a large swell. During a sounding and security watch it was discovered that the deck of the forecastle had pulled loose from the hull on the port side. Up and down action caused parts to come together going into a wave and came open as it hit the trough. The forward landing force locker got swamped. No space in Bremerton to get put back together so the ship headed to San Diego for repairs. It took about 2.5-3 months to get it right. That was on the 1945 Gearing class destroyer. Water tight bulkhead did it's job.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

I have zero desire to be a mariner but I have great respect for those that do.

 

[RicinYakima]

Way more water than will fit in my whiskey glass.

 

[dannyd]

All the ship's I was on had some kind of machine shop. The size depended on the size of the ship. On the small ship's it was the general work shop and always had a lathe. Did over 4 years underway day for day and rode 7 classes of ships. It was fun.

 

[Rockydoc]

Liberty ships were created at a time when the German subs were sinking ships in the Atlantic at a high rate. Liberty liberty ships were built at the most economical cost and at a high rate of production because it was assumed many of them we’re going to be lost.
Auxillary ships which didn’t spend much time at sea were a good use for the many Liberty ships that remained when the war ended. Most were cut up for scrap.

Tenders like the Shenandoah spent most of their time in port and the destroyers or submarines, etc. would come to them. So we didn’t spend a lot of time underway. We crossed the Atlantic, docked at Naples and stayed 4 months. We spent 2 months in San Juan, PR.

Tenders were floating machine shops.

 

[popper]

Liberty ships are interesting. Modular fab allowed rapid deployment, steam engines worked well and cheap. 300 lost out of 24710. Believed to be the origination of Kilroy was here - chalked onto a bulkhead by Kilroy, welding inspector. The 'peanuts' type figure seems to have been an Aussie addition.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

I think you've got an extra digit in there.

2710 Liberty ships were constructed. Not 24710.

 

[dannyd]

Liberty ships were created at a time when the German subs were sinking ships in the Atlantic at a high rate. Liberty liberty ships were built at the most economical cost and at a high rate of production because it was assumed many of them we’re going to be lost.
Auxillary ships which didn’t spend much time at sea were a good use for the many Liberty ships that remained when the war ended. Most were cut up for scrap.

Tenders like the Shenandoah spent most of their time in port and the destroyers or submarines, etc. would come to them. So we didn’t spend a lot of time underway. We crossed the Atlantic, docked at Naples and stayed 4 months. We spent 2 months in San Juan, PR.

Tenders were floating machine shops.

Yes sir; Shenandoah worked on one of my ships over in the Mediterranean.