OUTSIDE TRADES, OFFICE WORK, AND MISCELLANEOUS OCCUPATIONS
In addition to the regular shop trades there are a number of trades carried on in the yards and on ships in the open air and other employments in navy yard supply departments and offices. These employments have to do mainly with the construction of ships, repair work on hulls, maintenance of the plant, distribution of supplies, and other miscellaneous services.
Following is a brief description of the more important of these occupations.
PLAN No. 1043. SHAPING, BENDING, AND CUTTING STEEL FRAMES AND PLATES
This includes the work of shaping and bending steel beams (frames), cutting plates to proper sizes, bending them, and punching them for the rivet holes. The work is generally carried on in shops that are roofed over, but sometimes open on all sides. It is hard and requires standing practically all the time. Heavy machines, furnaces, and hammers are used. Among the men employed are angle-smiths, furnace men, frame benders, punchers, shearers, drillers, countersinkers, and sometimes acetylene operators.
PLAN No. 1044. RIVETING, CHIPPING AND CALKING, DRILLING, AND REAMING
On construction and repair work these occupations are all carried on in the open air. Riveting is usually carried on by gangs, consisting of a riveter, a holder-on, a heater, and sometimes a fourth man called a passer. The steel plates of a ship overlap and are held together by rivets which are passed through holes in both plates and headed up while hot. Riveting is usually done with pneumatic riveters or “guns” operated by compressed air. The riveter operates the gun on one side while the rivet is held in the hole by the holder-on, who has various tools that he uses for this purpose. The heater tends a small portable furnace in which the rivets are heated, picks them out as needed and sticks them in the holes or gives them to the passer. Sometimes he tosses the hot rivet directly to the holder-on. This work must be carried on out of doors in all weathers. The work of the riveter is hard, as he must handle the gun with from 100 to 150 pounds of air pressure in it and must work in all sorts of positions. The holder-on works under about the same conditions. Both jobs require men of strong physique. The heater has a somewhat easier job and boys are often employed for this work. Before the plates and other parts can be riveted or drilled and reamed they must be held fast in place. This is done by the use of bolts and nuts set up hard with a wrench. This work is also hard, and the working conditions are the same as in riveting and drilling and reaming.
Sometimes holes have not been punched where they are required, and they must be drilled. Holes as punched are often not exactly in line and must be reamed out before the rivets can be driven. This work is commonly done with machines driven by compressed air or electricity, handled by one man and a helper. It takes considerable strength to control the machine, and the general working conditions are about the same as in riveting.
There are many parts of a ship where joints must be made tight—that is, they must be calked. It is also often necessary to cut plates and other steel parts. This work is done with an air machine very similar to the air gun used by the riveter and is known as chipping and calking.
PLAN No. 1045. SHIP FITTING
The ship fitter gets out all sorts of wooden patterns (templates) for steel plates and other parts. Sometimes he makes his pattern directly from measurements taken on the ship, especially in repair work. A fitter may lay out the work directly from the drawing (blue print). The work is carried on mainly out of doors, calls for much walking and climbing, especially in repair work on ships. Ship fitters of different ratings and helpers are employed.
Among other navy-yard occupations are those of outside machinists, who install and adjust machinery on the ships; painters, who paint the woodwork and the steel; ship carpenters, who do all the work around the ways on which ships are built and launched; crane operators, who handle the steel and carry it from place to place; and locomotive firemen and engineers, who operate the small locomotives used for hauling material inside of the yard.
PLAN No. 1046. SUPPLY DEPARTMENT SERVICE
In order that ships and shops may be supplied, a navy yard operates what amounts to a huge department store—the supply department. Every conceivable article that goes to the general equipment of a ship, from drinking glasses to launch engines, is kept in stock and given out on order. For the shops great quantities of all sorts of stock, pipe, fittings, copper, lead, bronze, steel and so on, are carried, ready for distribution. In one yard alone the stock is valued at $50,000,000.
Since the supply department buys, fills orders, and delivers, it offers opportunity for employment in practically the same occupations as any large department store.
For each class of stock storekeepers are employed. A storekeeper must know every article by sight, stock marks, and the location of the bin or shelf where it is stored. He must keep track of the stock on hand and see that it is kept up. A storekeeper may be promoted to assistant manager and possibly to manager of a division.
The supply department offers employment also in such clerical occupations as checking, billing, and accounting, and, as in any large department store, truck drivers, packers, box makers, and other workers are employed in the delivery department.
PLAN No. 1047. OFFICE WORK
In addition to the trades and occupations carried on in the construction, repair, and maintenance work of the navy yard, there are a number of office and clerical occupations. In general, these occupations are carried on in the same manner as in the office of any business concern. The special forms and methods of doing the office work that are followed in the navy yard must, of course, be learned. These occupations include stenography, typewriting, filing, bookkeeping, cataloguing, general clerical work, library work, messenger work, telegraph and telephone operating, and various lines of special work.
Miscellaneous Occupations
The navy-yard list of occupations includes, also, a considerable number of miscellaneous occupations not mentioned among the regular mechanical “shop” and “yard” trades. Among these are glassworkers, glass molders, lens grinders, and instrument makers. In connection with work in the yard and on the buildings, a certain number of brick and stonemasons, pavers, house carpenters, dock builders, cranemen, house plumbers, stonecutters, and gardeners are employed.
PLAN No. 1048. CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT IN NAVY YARDS
If you are interested in the possibility of working in a navy yard you will want to know something about the demand for men in each line of work done in the different yards, the wages paid to each class of workers, and other conditions of employment.
Demand for Labor
Navy yards and naval stations vary greatly in the amount and kind of work done and so vary in the number of men employed and in the different occupations carried on. The yards at Boston (Charleston), Mass.; Brooklyn, N. Y.; Norfolk, Va.; League Island, Philadelphia; Bremerton, Wash.; and Mare Island, Cal.; do all sorts of construction and repair work, and employ the largest working force in the greatest variety of occupations. The Washington Navy Yard, or Naval Gun Factory, does no shipbuilding and not much repair work. Its equipment and labor are practically entirely employed in making naval guns and all sorts of ordnance supplies so that it employs no men in shipbuilding and but few on repair occupations. The naval torpedo station at Newport, R. I., is almost wholly confined to the manufacture and assembly of torpedoes and torpedo appliances. Most of the other yards generally carry on only repair work and refitting, and employ men in most of the ordinary trades and occupations. At present there is little or no demand for regular navy-yard occupations at Pensacola, Fla. Of course, in all yards the working force is increased or decreased according to the amount of work that is going on in the yard. Naval stations employ fewer men and offer chances in fewer trades than do the navy yards proper.
In general, navy yards employ in the shops more men in the metal trades than in the woodworking trades. In the shops more machinists are likely to be employed than any other class of workers. Relatively few persons are employed in the offices in clerical work. The Norfolk, Boston, and Philadelphia Navy Yards offer more opportunity in these lines than any of the other yards.
In the yard trades the number of men employed depends largely on the amount of shipbuilding going on. Where shipbuilding is going on the greatest demand is for riveters, bolters up, chippers, and calkers, and drillers and reamers. Compared with the number of men employed in these trades relatively few men are employed in the mold loft, and in such occupations as crane operators, locomotive crane operators, firemen, and locomotive engineers.
As already stated, in addition to men employed in the regular yard, shop, and office trades, navy yards employ men in a number of other trades, such as those of stone and brick masons, house plumbers, stone cutters, switchmen, pavers, and upholsterers. Under ordinary conditions the demand for men in such occupations is small. Glassworkers, lens grinders, instrument makers, and other special classes of workers would only be called for in a yard where instruments were made and repaired, such as the Washington Navy Yard or the naval torpedo station at Newport, R. I.
PLAN No. 1049. INSIDE AND OUTSIDE WORK
If you are interested in securing employment in a navy yard or in taking training for a navy-yard trade, you may want to consider the condition under which you would work. You may feel that you would wish to work entirely under cover, or you may prefer to work more or less in the open air. Different navy-yard occupations vary greatly as to whether they are carried on entirely in shops, partly in shops and partly in the open air, or entirely in the open air. In some trades and occupations a man’s work is located at one definite place, and in others it may be anywhere in the yard. The following statement will give you an idea as to ordinary working conditions in a number of the more important navy-yard trades:
Inside, under the best conditions.—Such occupations as all sorts of office work, stenography, typewriting, bookkeeping, clerical work, work in the drafting room.
Inside, under good conditions.—Such occupations as machine shop, pattern shop, jointer shop, rigging loft, mold loft, power plant work, and inside jointing and finishing.
Inside, under some protection.—Such occupations as blacksmith shop, foundry work, plate-shop work, galvanizing, and frame bending.
Occupations requiring both inside and outside work.—Such occupations as boiler shop, general outside painting, outside machinist, carpenter shop, electrical work, outside rigger, pipe shop, sheet-metal shop, copper shop, and ship fitting.
Occupations carried on entirely outside.—Such operations as reaming, riveting, bolting up, chipping, and calking, ship carpentry, stone masonry, and bricklaying.
Tools and Machines Used
In the regular trades such as jointer work, sheet-metal work, coppersmithing, boiler making, pattern making, etc., the tools and machines used are practically the same as would be used in these trades anywhere. A man who had earned these trades in any good shop would have no particular trouble in working in a navy yard shop so far as tools and machines go.
In the machine shop the tools and machines are about the same as in any large shop, but since a navy yard machine shop often has to handle large parts, there are usually a number of very heavy machines included in the equipment. Much of the work must be got out with great accuracy. In a general way it may be said that a navy yard machine shop does more work in brass, bronze, aluminum, etc., than is common in the ordinary run of machine shops.
In the trades carried on outside the shop, especially those connected with hull construction and repair, a number of special tools are used. These tools are in general easily moved about. Many are operated by compressed air, but some of them are sometimes operated by electricity. For this purpose most yards have a compressed-air system through that part of the yard where work of this kind is carried on, so arranged that the different machines can be readily connected up by hose lines. A few examples of the sort of tools used in these trades may be given:
Riveting gangs use compressed-air tools for heading up the rivet (air guns), and often for holding it while it is driven (air jambs).
Reaming and drilling machines are usually operated by compressed air, chipping and calking tools work in the same way. In all these machines the operators hold the machine so as to guide the tool, but the compressed air furnishes the actual power.
For such jobs as acetylene welding and cutting, a special outfit is required.
In mold loft work and ship fitting, only the simplest woodworking tools are used, such as hammers, saws, prick punches, and light air or electrically driven drills.
In punching, shearing, and bending plates, special heavy power-driven machines are used which the operators control.
In office work the equipment does not vary from that of any office. According to the sort of work called for, there are typewriters, adding machines, filing cabinets, etc.
PLAN No. 1050. CLASSES OF WORKERS EMPLOYED IN NAVY YARD
The work of a navy yard is carried on by a civilian force under the general direction of naval officers. Excluding office and clerical occupations, this force is graded into the following classes: Foremen, quartermen, leading men, artisans of different grades, helpers, apprentices, laborers. A brief description of each of these classes follows:
Foreman.—A foreman is usually the head of a division or of a shop. He usually has under his jurisdiction groups of men generally working in different occupations.
Quarterman.—A quarterman usually has under his supervision more than one group in the same occupation. He is in line for promotion to foreman.
Leading man.—A leading man usually has under his supervision only a few men in the same occupation. He is in line for promotion to quarterman.
Artisans.—These are skilled workmen in the various trades. They are graded according to their knowledge and skill in several classes, such as first, second, and third class.
Helpers.—Men who work with artisans to assist them in their work are classed as helpers. Their work is such as may give some training in the trade with which they are associated.
Apprentices.—Young persons are employed as apprentices to learn trades. After sufficient training they may become artisans.
Laborers.—This class of workers are not supposed to possess any special skill or trade knowledge, and except under certain special conditions they are not eligible for promotion.
Wages for Different Grades
On the whole, higher wages are paid on the west coast than elsewhere. Foremen are paid according to the character and amount of work that they supervise. According to the present regulations a quarterman draws $2.88 per day more than the maximum pay of his occupation or trade. A leading man draws $1.44 per day extra pay over the highest pay of his trade. The wages of a man in the artisan group will vary according to his class and his particular trade or occupation. One of the highest paid trades is heavy forging at $11.84 per day. One of the lowest paid trades is that of glass workers, who receive $3.04 per day. On an average, a first-class artisan’s pay will run from $5 to $7 per day.
Helpers get from $4.32 to $5.12 per day. Apprentices in trade from $2.88 to $4.32, according to their class. Mechanics detailed for certain special work, such as inspecting or planning, get certain additional allowances.
In the unskilled occupations (laborers, stevedores, janitors, etc.), wages range from about $3 to $5.50 per day.
Pay on Entrance and Afterwards
When a man starts in the head of his department causes such tests to be made as he deems necessary to determine his status in his trade or occupation, and rates him provisionally as to pay. The final rating as to pay is made within two weeks from the date of appointment. All mechanics who are rated as first-class are carried at the maximum rate of pay.
The following list gives the more important trades and occupations for which men are employed in navy yards (except office occupations), and also gives the maximum rates of pay according to the latest information:
Daily Wage Schedules
Schedules of daily wages for navy yards and naval stations effective first pay period practicable after receipt.
| East coast. | West coast. | |
|---|---|---|
| GROUP I. | ||
| Attendants, battery | $4.64 | ... |
| Attendants, powder factory | 5.36 | ... |
| Hodcarriers | ... | $4.40 |
| North Atlantic and Great Lakes | 3.92 | ... |
| Charleston, Pensacola, Key West and New Orleans | 3.12 | ... |
| Janitors | ... | 4.16 |
| North Atlantic and Great Lakes | 3.68 | ... |
| Charleston, Pensacola, Key West and New Orleans | 2.88 | ... |
| Laborers, common | ... | 4.16 |
| North Atlantic and Great Lakes | 3.68 | ... |
| Charleston, Pensacola, Key West and New Orleans | 2.88 | ... |
| Stable keepers | ... | 4.16 |
| North Atlantic and Great Lakes | 3.68 | ... |
| Charleston, Pensacola, Key West and New Orleans | 2.88 | ... |
| Stevedores | 4.32 | 4.64 |
| GROUP II. | ||
| Apprentices: | ||
| First class | 4.32 | 4.32 |
| Second class | 3.84 | 3.84 |
| Third class | 3.36 | 3.36 |
| Fourth class | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Sewers, first class | 2.40 | 2.40 |
| Sewers, second class | 2.08 | 2.08 |
| Sewers, third class | 1.76 | 1.76 |
| Sewers, fourth class | 1.44 | 1.44 |
| Boys or girls | 2.32 | 2.32 |
| Hammer runners: | ||
| Heavy | 5.12 | 5.12 |
| Others | 4.64 | 4.64 |
| Helpers: | ||
| Blacksmiths’, heavy fires | 5.12 | 5.12 |
| Blacksmiths’, other fires | 4.32 | 4.64 |
| Boilermakers’ | 4.32 | 4.64 |
| Coppersmiths’ | 4.32 | 4.64 |
| Electricians’ | 4.32 | 4.64 |
| Flange turners’ | 5.12 | 5.12 |
| Forgers’, heavy | 5.12 | 5.12 |
| General | 4.32 | 4.64 |
| Laboratory | 4.32 | 4.64 |
| Machinists’ | 4.32 | 4.64 |
| Molders’ | 4.32 | 4.64 |
| Ordnance | 4.32 | 4.64 |
| Painters’ | 4.32 | 4.64 |
| Pipefitters’ | 4.32 | 4.64 |
| Riggers’ | 4.32 | 4.64 |
| Ropemakers’ | 4.32 | ... |
| Sheet-metal workers’ | 4.32 | 4.64 |
| Shipfitters’ | 4.32 | 4.64 |
| Shipsmiths’, heavy fires | 5.12 | 5.12 |
| Shipsmiths’, other fires | 4.32 | 4.64 |
| Woodworkers’ | 4.32 | 4.64 |
| Holders on | 4.80 | 5.12 |
| Oilers | 4.64 | 4.96 |
| Primer workers | 3.68 | ... |
| Rivet heaters | 4.00 | 4.48 |
| GROUP III. | ||
| Angle smiths: | ||
| Heavy fires | 7.68 | 7.68 |
| Other fires | 6.40 | 6.40 |
| Armature winders | 6.40 | 6.40 |
| Blacksmiths: | ||
| Heavy fires | 7.68 | 7.68 |
| Other fires | 6.40 | 6.40 |
| Boatbuilders | 6.40 | 6.88 |
| Boilermakers | 6.40 | 6.40 |
| Bolters | 4.64 | 4.64 |
| Boxmakers | 4.80 | 4.80 |
| Brakemen | 4.96 | 5.28 |
| Butchers | 4.48 | 4.48 |
| Cable splicers | 6.40 | 6.40 |
| Calkers, wood | 6.40 | 7.52 |
| Calkers and chippers, iron | 6.40 | 6.40 |
| Canvas workers | 6.08 | 6.08 |
| Carpenters, house | 6.40 | 6.88 |
| Casting cleaners | 4.64 | 4.64 |
| Cementers | 4.80 | 4.80 |
| Chainmakers | 7.04 | ... |
| Chauffeurs | 4.40 | 4.40 |
| Coopers | 5.60 | 5.60 |
| Coppersmiths | 6.88 | 6.88 |
| Cranemen, electric | 6.40 | 6.40 |
| Cupola tenders | 6.40 | 6.40 |
| Die sinkers | 7.04 | 7.04 |
| Divers | 12.00 | 12.00 |
| Drillers, pneumatic | 5.44 | 5.44 |
| Drillers, Press | 5.12 | 5.12 |
| Electricians | 6.40 | 6.40 |
| Chronograph | 6.72 | ... |
| Radio | 7.44 | 7.44 |
| Storage battery | 6.88 | 6.88 |
| Engineers | 6.40 | 6.40 |
| Locomotive | 5.76 | 5.76 |
| Nonhoisting donkeys and winches | 5.60 | 5.60 |
| Farriers | 5.44 | 5.44 |
| Firemen | 4.64 | 4.64 |
| Locomotives | 4.00 | 4.16 |
| Flange turners | 6.88 | 6.88 |
| Forgers: | ||
| Drop | 6.40 | 6.40 |
| Heavy | 11.84 | 11.84 |
| Foundry chippers | 4.64 | 4.64 |
| Frame benders | 7.20 | 7.20 |
| Furnacemen: | ||
| Angle work | 5.12 | 5.44 |
| Foundry | 5.12 | 5.44 |
| Heaters | 5.12 | 5.44 |
| Heavy forge | 6.08 | 6.08 |
| Other forge | 5.12 | 6.08 |
| Open hearth | 5.12 | 5.44 |
| Galvanizers | 5.04 | 5.04 |
| Gardeners | 4.16 | 4.16 |
| Glass molders, optical | 4.80 | ... |
| Glass workers, optical: | ||
| Fine | 4.32 | ... |
| Rough | 3.04 | ... |
| Handymen | 4.96 | ... |
| Instrument makers | 6.88 | 6.88 |
| Joiners | 6.40 | 6.88 |
| Ship | 6.40 | 6.88 |
| Ladlemen, foundry | 5.12 | 5.44 |
| Leather workers | 5.52 | 5.52 |
| Lens grinders, telescope | 6.40 | ... |
| Letterers and grainers | 6.16 | 6.16 |
| Levelers | 4.64 | 4.64 |
| Loftsmen | 7.20 | 7.20 |
| Machine operators | 4.96 | 4.96 |
| Machinists | 6.40 | 6.40 |
| All around | 6.40 | 6.40 |
| Electrical | 6.40 | 6.40 |
| Floor or vise hand | 6.40 | 6.40 |
| Masons: | ||
| Brick | 6.88 | 6.88 |
| Stone | 6.88 | 6.88 |
| Mattress makers | 4.88 | 4.88 |
| Melters | 5.52 | 5.52 |
| Electric | 8.56 | 8.56 |
| Open hearth | 8.56 | 8.56 |
| Metallic cartridge case makers | 5.76 | ... |
| Millmen | 6.40 | 6.88 |
| Modelmakers, wood | 6.40 | 6.40 |
| Model testers | 5.44 | 5.44 |
| Molders | 6.40 | 6.40 |
| Steel casting | 6.40 | 6.40 |
| Oakum spinners | 3.76 | 3.76 |
| Operators, gas torch | 6.08 | 6.08 |
| Ordnancemen | 5.60 | 5.60 |
| Painters | 5.92 | 5.92 |
| Applying bitumastic compositions | 6.40 | 6.88 |
| Patternmakers | 6.88 | 7.52 |
| Pavers | 5.76 | 5.76 |
| Pile drivers | 6.40 | 6.40 |
| Pipe coverers | 6.40 | 6.40 |
| Pipe fitters | 6.40 | 6.40 |
| Plasterers | 6.88 | 6.88 |
| Plumbers: | ||
| House | 6.40 | 6.40 |
| Ship | 6.40 | 6.40 |
| Polisher, buffers, and platers | 6.40 | 6.40 |
| Pressmen, armor plate | 8.56 | ... |
| Punchers and shearers | 5.12 | 5.44 |
| Railroad conductors | 5.12 | 5.44 |
| Riggers | 5.92 | 5.92 |
| Riveters | 6.40 | 6.40 |
| Rodmen | 4.40 | 4.40 |
| Ropemakers | 5.12 | ... |
| Sailmakers | 6.08 | 6.08 |
| Sandblasters | 4.96 | 4.96 |
| Saw filers | 6.40 | 6.40 |
| Sheet-metal workers | 6.40 | 6.88 |
| Shipfitters | 6.40 | 6.40 |
| Shipsmiths: | ||
| Heavy fires | 7.68 | 7.68 |
| Other fires | 6.40 | 6.40 |
| Shipwrights | 6.40 | 6.88 |
| Steelworkers | 6.40 | ... |
| Stonecutters | 5.76 | 5.76 |
| Switchmen | 4.96 | 5.28 |
| Tank testers | 6.88 | 6.88 |
| Toolmakers | 6.88 | 6.88 |
| Trackmen | 4.56 | 4.56 |
| Upholsterers | 5.44 | 5.44 |
| Water tenders | 4.64 | 4.96 |
| Welders: | ||
| Electric | 6.56 | 6.56 |
| Gas | 6.40 | 6.40 |
| Wharf builders | 5.76 | 5.76 |
| Wheelwrights | 5.28 | 5.28 |
| Wire workers | 5.04 | 5.04 |
Where Navy Yards and Naval Stations are Located
Navy yards are located as follows: The Portsmouth Navy Yard, at Portsmouth, N. H.; the Brooklyn Navy Yard, at Brooklyn, N. Y.; the Boston Navy Yard, at Charlestown (a part of the city of Boston, Mass.); the League Island Navy Yard, at Philadelphia, Pa.; the Washington Navy Yard or Naval Gun Factory, at Washington, D. C.; the Portsmouth Navy Yard, at Portsmouth, Va. (close to Norfolk); the Mare Island Navy Yard, at Vallejo, Cal. (on San Francisco Bay); the Charleston Navy Yard, at Charleston, S. C.; the Bremerton Navy Yard, on Puget Sound, Wash. (near Seattle), and the Pensacola Navy Yard, Pensacola, Fla. (aeronautic station at present).
Naval stations are located at Newport, R. I.; Key West, Fla.; and New Orleans, La.
Other naval establishments are: Naval proving grounds, at Indian Head, Md.; naval training station, at North Chicago, Ill.; the Naval Academy, at Annapolis, Md.; the naval magazines at Iona Island, N. Y., and Lake Denmark, N. Y.; and the depot of supplies, United States Marine Corps, Philadelphia, Pa.
Naval stations are also maintained at the Philippine Islands, Cuba, Guam, and Samoa, but no attempt has been made to give any information about them in this monograph.