In converting the ship from a passenger to a troop ship, we naturally became familiar with every detail of her construction. With this knowledge of her construction and due consideration being given to the location of the heavy weights, etc., it was decided to place the main bed under the third intercostal, this bed running from frames 220 to 101, or a distance of 358 feet amidships. The spacing of these blocks was 6 feet, or every other frame space. The center of these blocks was 25½ feet from the center line of the ship.
In addition to the center line bed, which is placed underneath the keel, and the two main beds, one port and one starboard, which is placed under the third intercostal, an outer bed, consisting of four sets of five blocks each, space 6 feet centers, was placed under the fore and aft coal bunker bulkhead, at the intersection of the thwartship bulkheads.
The fore and aft center of these blocks came at frame 199, 174, 151 and 126. Blocks of the outer bed were staggered with those of the inner bed. This outer bed was 35 feet from the center of the ship. At the fore and aft ends of the ship where the dead-rise is considerable, an inner bed a few inches from the center of the ship for a distance of 60 feet was prepared, 12 feet 6 inches forward, and 13 feet 9 inches aft.
After deciding the location of these beds, the next step was to get some idea of how to prepare them, so that they would conform to the shape of the ship. Preparing the center line bed was of course easier, as it was known that the keel of the ship was a straight line.
The forward end of the center line bed consisted of a solid line of blocks for a distance of 104 feet, and the after end of a solid line of blocks for 144 feet, where exceptionally heavy weights would be carried. The balance of the blocks was spaced every 15 inch centers, except in the way of water-tight bulkheads. Under these bulkheads the blocks were filled in solid for 7 blocks. On each side of these, two spaces were omitted and then filled in solid for 5 blocks. Reference to the docking plans will show the spacing of these blocks.
Blocks and Beds
An idea of the blocks used in building the beds can be had by referring to the photograph. They consisted of 3 cast steel wedges, which, when placed upon each other, were about 3 feet high, 15 inches wide at the bottom, and 3 feet 6 inches long. On top of these steel wedges was placed a hardwood block 12 inches square and 4 feet long, and on top of the hardwood blocks was placed a soft wood cap 12 inches wide by 4 inches thick by 4 feet long.
To prepare the main, inner and outer beds, it was necessary to have some idea of the form of the ship. By opening up the water-tight doors in the fireroom we were able to get a base line 300 feet long. Every other double bottom tank was pumped out and offsets taken at the fore and aft ends of these tanks, in way of the main, inner and outer beds. The taking of these offsets was greatly facilitated by the fact that the double bottom was found to be flat in both the fore and aft thwartships direction. Buttocks were run through these offsets. While these buttocks faired up very well, it was realized that the measurements would not be accurate enough for the actual preparation of the beds; therefore they were prepared to within 4 inches of these measurements.
Several hundred wedges of varying thicknesses were made ready in advance, and after the ship was placed on the center line blocks, the space between the main and outer beds and the ship’s bottom was packed with the wedges by divers.
The Gladstone Dock was prepared according to the above description, carefully checked and measured, and then flooded to about 10 feet, so that no one could tamper with it. After the dock was prepared, we had to wait several days for a spring tide, and also to dredge out a shifting shoal at the entrance of the channel leading to the dock.