The Yard: Building a Destroyer at the Bath Iron Works

by Michael S. Sanders

For a century, the Bath Iron Works has been building some of the finest, deadliest ships in the U.S. Navy. But now the Maine shipyard is facing mounting competition and a pressing need to modernize, especially in the way it launches ships. No more will the great gray leviathans roar down the "ways"—the traditional inclined ramp—into the Kennebec River; this ancient technology will give way to the modern dry dock.

The Yard captures this moment of change and the end of an era, as old ways give way to new, through the eyes of the workers as they build and launch a U.S. Navy destroyer. From the first cutting of steel to the destroyer's triumphant commisioning, Michael Sanders chronicles the complex evolution of a ship coming into being—and the incredible world in which it happens. It is a world rich in danger, humor, and lore, one filled with uncertainty, hope, and not a little fear of change as this venerable company fights against steep odds to find its place in a new world.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Military History, Naval History

Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Eric_W · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are few shipbuilding firms left in the United States, and Navy contracts are sometimes the only way they can stay in business. Even so, the Navy has refined its procurement procedures to transfer most of the risk to the shipbuilder. The Navy will supply the basic specifications, but the “yard” is left to design it all as one package, and there can be significant penalties for overweight ($250,000 per 10-ton increments) and for overshooting center-of-gravity (CG) height ($1.25 million per 10th of a foot over the limit). CG is critical to a ship’s stability both when loaded and when empty. The CG of a ship always remains the same, the idea being to return a ship to the upright position. The center of buoyancy, on the other hand, changes constantly, and a lower CG counteracts the negative effects of buoyancy.

Ships vary in buoyancy depending on how weight is distributed, and this contributes to bending which stresses the hull. All these factors have to be taken into account, and the addition of a flight deck to the design of a DDG (frigate) at the Navy’s request can result in thousands of additional manhours to perform the necessary calculations. Ship design is made even more complicated because of the curving nature of the hull. Each piece must be designed to mate to a non-uniform, uniquely curved piece of steel, so each piece has to be individually designed for where it is to go. Everything has to be drawn in three dimensions. Each welder gets an order from the Molding Loft
(where in full-size tracings used to be made of parts now drawn on computer) that describes each piece -- thickness, size, material. The Molding Loft also provides a welding plan that guides the “order of welds, directs the type of welding machine and flux to be used, shows how to bevel the edges of unequal thickness and how they should be oriented. It also includes a drawing of the final product as well as a record of where the part has been, where it’s going and every process that has been inflicted to it along the way. . . .”
The major portions of the ship are all prefabricated in huge buildings, and they are built upside down. Since most of the wires, pipes and fittings are installed in the ceiling, it’s easier on the workers to weld down rather than over their heads, so the construction proceeds much faster. But it’s disconcerting to walk through doors that are upside down. Then enormous cranes are required to lift the sections onto the keel, where they must fit together precisely and are welded in place. Extraordinary.

The launch, sliding down the ways, is an intricately choreographed ballet of men performing all sorts of difficult and dangerous activities. Failure of any one of the individual parts might cause disaster. Weather can also be a factor, causing the tallow and wax to be harder and not slippery enough, or the wind might be too strong, blowing the ship around in the water— it is, after all, a helpless hull presenting a huge surface to the wind. Usually, when things do go wrong, it’s rarely because of one major failure; it’s the accumulation of effects from several smaller mishaps that together spell disaster. Each launch becomes a tricky birthing with nail-biting anticipation and thrills. There is no reversal. Once the ship begins to slide, there is no way to stop and a failure would spell the end of the shipyard. Sanders describes the launch of the Main, the largest ship ever floated on the Kennebec River, which very nearly capsized off the ways. One critical point is when the stern enters the water and becomes buoyant. This forces the bow down into a special device built specifically to gradually take the additional
pressure by collapsing. If it were not there, the strain would break the ship in the middle. In the case of the Main, special saddles had been built to help relieve this strain, but one exploded causing two others to break, and for several moments there was nothing to prevent the ship from falling over. It was a very tense moment.

[Ben E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked this book! As someone who (might) be getting orders to a PRECOM being built in Bath, this was quite an interesting read. The stories about the people were much more interesting than the details of the actual building, which were at times interesting, and then at other times, a bit too detailed to hold the interest of a layperson (even a career Sailor who has done a full tour on a Burke DDG) as regards industrial shipyard work. What came through and was transmitted by the author to me, the reader, was a see appreciation for the effort and struggle required to bring these modern marvels of naval warfare to life.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed it. Great survey of all aspects of destroyer planning, design, construction, launching and shakedown. Interesting focus on personnel at all levels. The book is almost 20 years old, so a bit outdated on BIW's shipbuilding and launch methods. Having said that, the book has great details on what it took to launch a 6000 ton warship down the old inclined ways.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although somewhat dated now, this book is great narrative non fiction. It gives insight into the work and especially the workers who design, build, and ultimately crew Navy destroyers

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating look at what it takes to build a modern warship and the people who make it happen. It's a primer on how to build a ship, a history of a shipyard fast approaching a crossroads where some time honored traditions will fade into memory and new methods and technology will revolutionize American shipbuilding, and a look at the last vestiges of a once-powerful industry.

Michael Sanders makes some very tricky concepts a lot easier to understand and introduces the reader to some people with interesting backgrounds and stories. I wish he'd spent a little time talking about how things will be changing at Bath Iron Works and in American shipbuilding, and had talked a little more about how American shipbuilding got to the point of decline where it now stands, but then that's not really the focus of this book - it's intended to be the story of the shipyard, the builders, and the ships they build more than an overview of the industry. I can see how Sanders could be so drawn into the world of teh workers,and he does a good job of drawing readers into that world, too. Highly recommended!

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

To me, having worked at Bath Iron Works and since I have friends and family members who are still there, this was a quite fascinating book. Since I only worked there for two summers during college, I didn't know all of the background of the Yard, nor did I know what happens in other areas. I only knew the electrical shop, which was my department. It is an interesting look into the world of Naval Ship Building-a good read all around.

[Techgurl · Rating 2 out of 5]

I jumped into this book looking for the local history since just about everyone I grew up with has worked at 'The Yard'. What i walked away with was a deep understanding of ship building and all of the technical aspects of building on such a grand scale. I reveled in the personal stories of the workers, local legends and launches. I got lost in the detailed technical descriptions of each process required to build the ships.

[Matt Caris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A somewhat dry but important look at warship building at BIW. Good breakdown of what the process, the yard, the ship, and the shipbuilders are like. Lots of small errors, but nothing that truly detracts from the story. At times a little too flag-waving, but the story is told from BIW's perspective, so understandable.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story of Bath Iron works, one of America's most famous shipyards.

[Alaine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Every so often I will ask someone "What's the one book you think everyone should read?" and then I'll give it a try. And every so often I will think afterwards, "REALLY?!" This is that book.