MSCarolinian
For the first all-welded ship assembled with tack and service bolts, see M/SFullagar.
 M/SCarolinianprior to launch, Charleston Dry Dock & Machine Co.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
| United States | |
| Name | Carolinian |
| Namesake | Demonym of "Carolina" |
| Owner | M. L. Clark |
| Operator | The Texas Company (Texaco) |
| Route | Elizabeth City, N.C. and adjacent ports. |
| Builder | Charleston Dry Dock & Machine Company |
| Laid down | Around July, 1929 |
| Launched | February 14, 1930 |
| Completed | March 9, 1930 |
| Maiden voyage | From Charleston, April, 1930 |
| Homeport | Elizabeth City, North Carolina |
| Notes | Designed by R. F. Smith, naval architect. |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Coastal Tanker |
| Tonnage | 226 tons |
| Displacement | 440 tons (loaded) |
| Length | 120 ft. |
| Beam | 23 ft. |
| Draft | 8.5 ft. (loaded) |
| Depth | 10 ft. |
| Installed power | (1x) Fairbanks-Morse 6 cyl. marine diesel engine, 10-inch cylinder dia., 12.5-inch stroke. 180 shp at 400 rpm. |
| Propulsion | Single Screw |
| Speed | 11.5 knots |
| Boats & landing craft carried | 1(?) |
| Capacity | 125,000 U.S. gallons |
| Crew | 4(?) |
| Notes | Coastwise Trade, R.F. Smith-patented Lock Notch Welded System |
TheM/SCarolinianwas the first entirely-weldedmotor shipbuilt in the United States, and the world's first welded vessel constructed without perforating the watertight members for assembly. She was completed in March of 1930 inCharleston, South Carolina.[1]Built byCharleston Dry Dock & Machine Company,she was a 226-ton tanker[2]designed for coastal shipping. Miles L. Clark is a known owner, withTexacoas the operator (notice the insignia on her stack prior to launch). The ship took about nine months to complete from the time her keel was laid.[3]As denoted by theprefixM/S,the vessel also had aninternal combustionmain engine.[4]Welded construction and internal combustion engines are staples in modern shipbuilding, allowing theCarolinianto be one of the first truly modern merchant ships.[5]
Richard F. Smith, the designer, devised the lock notch welded system for which Charleston Dry Dock & Machine was the sole licensee.[6]The design consisted of steel plates with notches that allowed easy fit-up and welding. Only nine workmen were required to assemble the hull. This design saved one-quarter of the cost, and 85,000-lbs of rivets. The welding required a mere 8,000-lbs of welding wire by comparison.[7]
During theshakedown cruiseon March 8, she made 11.5knotsheading out to sea, beyondFort Sumter.[3]The success of theCarolinian's maiden voyage the following month, and two flawless subsequent dry-dock inspections spurred an "estimate" for six orders of similar ships in 1931.[8][9]
On March 9, 1934, theCarolinianrescued four fishermen from asquallnearElizabeth City, North Carolina,the homeport of this vessel.[10]She was under the command of Captain E. R. Outlaw.[11]
The vessel was later purchased by Pine State By-Products ofSouth Portland, Maine.It was converted into a barge later in its career, and remained inthe Registerinto the early-1980s.[12]
References
[edit]- ^"A History of Welding".WeldingHistory.org.Retrieved11 November2015.
- ^Colton, Tim."Charleston Shipbuilding, Charleston, SC".ShipBuildingHistory.com.Archived fromthe originalon 18 October 2015.Retrieved11 November2015.
- ^abSmith, Alexander Rogers (1930-01-01).The Port of New York, and Ship News.Port of New York publicity Company.
- ^Marine Review.Penton Publishing Company. 1931-01-01.
- ^"Science: Welded Steamer".TIME.Time Magazine.Retrieved11 November2015.
- ^Marine Review.Penton Publishing Company. 1931.
- ^Popular Science.Bonnier Corporation. June 1930.
- ^Technology Review.Association of Alumni and Alumnae of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1931-01-01.
- ^"Joseph Gideon Meekins (1892–1997) – Find A Grave Memorial".www.findagrave.com.Retrieved2015-11-12.
- ^Simpson, Bland (2007-09-06).The Inner Islands: A Carolinian's Sound Country Chronicle.Chapel Hill, NC: Univ of North Carolina Press. pp. 2–3.ISBN9780807876749.
- ^"The Spartanburg Herald".Newspaper.March 10, 1934.Retrieved11 November2015– via Google News.
- ^Guard, United States Coast (1976).Merchant Vessels of the United States...: (including Yachts).U.S. Government Printing Office.