Part II

The first period, covering principally the construction of experimental new designs:

• Fisher – PT 3 & 4, SC 453
• Defoe – PC 451, PC 452

This work was under the supervision of Lieut. William H. Leahy, (CC), USN, 61218, of the then Bureau of Construction and Repair, Patrol Craft Section. He had temporary additional duty orders as “Superintending Constructor,” at the Defoe Boat & Motor Works, Bay City and at the Fisher Boat Works, Detroit, among numerous other small craft yards extending from New England to Texas.

Bay City Office

Lt. Leahy was present on 20 June 1939 when an inspection of the Defoe plant was made by Captain Allen J. Chantry, (CC), USN, and Comdr. R. B. Carrey, USN, of the Navy Department; also on 13 July 1939 when a conference was held at the Defoe plant with Comdr. W. D. Leggett, Jr., of the Bureau of Engineering and Comdr. T. G. Reamy, Inspector of Machinery, Cleveland, General Motors Winton Plant in regard to the machinery arrangements on PC 451.

Lt. Leahy visited the Defoe plant generally for part of two days about every two weeks. Later on Captain A. Loring Swasey, CC V(S), USNR frequently visited the Defoe yard with Lt. Leahy. Lt. J. J. Crane of the Patrol Craft Section of the Bureau of Engineering visited the yard on 5 September 1939 for a conference on engineering matters, and on a few occasions subsequently. This office does not know whether he had additional duty orders as “Inspector of Machinery.”

The organization charts for 1 January 1940, 1 April 1940 and 1 January 1941, do not show Lt. Crane in the organization, although the Joint Bureau letter of 15 December 1939 stated that “Lt. J. J. Crane, USN, and Lt. W. H. Leahy, (CC), USN, will continue as the Bureau’s representatives.”

A modest organization was started at Bay City on 20 June 1939. One civilian resident inspector, Mr. William M. Keevey, was transferred from Quincy, Massachusetts to the Defoe yard, as Senior Inspector of Ship Construction, CAF-7. In September 1939 a Mechanical Engineer, P-3, Birgen Olsen was added for machinery inspection, and a CAF-5 Shipbuilding Inspector was added in October, giving a total civilian force of three (3). At this time the contractor (Defoe) employed a force of about 80.

The first resident officer assistant to Lt. Leahy at Bay City was Lt. (jg) Julian B. Cown, CC-V(S), USNR, 79424, who reported for duty at Bay City on 7 September 1939.

Note: Lt. Cown remained on duty at Bay City until 2 August 1943. He was for a long time the only resident officer at Bay City and furnished the main continuity for the first four years of the office covering the first, second and part of the third periods herein described.

The first resident machinery inspection officer, representing the then Bureau of Engineering, was Lieut. Paul R. Fox, USN (Ret.), 5229, who reported for duty 5 December 1939 as Inspector of Machinery, primarily for duty in connection with PC 452, which was being built for an experimental high pressure steam boiler and turbine propulsion design.

In December 1939 the Navy Force at Bay City, consisting of two officers and three civilians, originally under the office title of Assistant Superintending Constructor and Inspector of Machinery respectively, was consolidated as one office under Lt. William H. Leahy, (CC), USN, of the Bureau of Construction and Repair, who was designated as:

“The Inspector of Naval Shipbuilding, USN, Defoe Boat and Motor Works, Bay City, Michigan,”

with Lt. (jg) Cown as his hull assistant and Lt. Fox as his machinery assistant, in accordance with a Joint Letter of the Bureau of Construction and Repair and the Bureau of Engineering dated 15 December 1939.

The title of this newly consolidated inspection organization was changed early in February 1940 to “Supervisor of Shipbuilding, USN,” in accordance with the instructions of Joint Bureau C&R and Bureau Eng. letter of 5 February 1940. This is the present title of the Navy activity and will be used or abbreviated as “SupShip,” generally in this history as covering all periods and will be understood as including the original inspection organizations and the first consolidation.

In February 1940, the organization was enlarged by the addition of an Inspector of Engineering Material, CAF-7, a (male) Clerk Stenographer, CAF-3 and an Engineer P-3 to handle the steam engineering design work. During the remainder of 1940 there were no additions to this force, but there were reductions, so that by 1 January 1941 the force at Bay City consisted of one officer, Lt. (jg) Cown, and four civilians.

With the addition of new contracts for four large minesweepers AM58–61, and 12 PC’s late in 1940, efforts were made to increase the Supervisor’s force in all branches, technical, inspection and clerical. By the time, 17 March 1941, that Lt. Comdr. Charles Sherman Hoyt, CC V(S), USNR, 12019, relieved Lt. William H. Leahy, USN, as Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Bay City, the force consisted of one officer, (Lt. (jg) Cown), and 12 civilians.

Because of the great difficulty in obtaining experienced shipbuilding inspectors, a program had been promulgated to enroll young college boys for training as inspectors. Through this campaign at least eight men were obtained, including a naval architect and an inspector who became a marine engineer. Some of these men made very good inspectors, one of them working up to a CAF-10 position.

Detroit Office

During this first period of experimental construction there is no full record of the Detroit office. It is, however, a matter of record that Lt. Comdr. Charles Sherman Hoyt, CC V(S), USNR, 12019 reported for duty as Supervisor of Shipbuilding at “Defoe Boat and Motor Works” at Bay City, Michigan, as relief of Lt. William H. Leahy, USN, with additional duty as Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Fisher Boat Works, Detroit, Michigan. He relieved Lt. Comdr. Robert Velz, USN, of his additional duty there on 19 March 1941. On 31 March 1941 he reported by letter to ComMINE, as Naval Inspector of Ordnance at Bay City, Michigan. In April 1941 he received orders as Supervisor of Shipbuilding at the Robinson Marine Construction Company, Benton Harbor, Michigan, and at American Cruiser Corporation, Wyandotte (Trenton), Michigan.

Increase in work load. It was during this period that the work load increased at both the Defoe and Fisher yards, and additional contractors were taken on at Trenton, Benton Harbor, Algonac, Cadillac, Holland and Marysville, building up a total work load faster than the inspection organization could be built up.

Civil Service rules were still in effect and it took considerable time and a lot of paperwork to get persons employed. Authorization of new positions from the Navy Department took considerable time. As an example, the clerk whom it was desired to employ in the Benton Harbor office applied for the job on 9 July 1941, but it was not until 13 October 1941 that the transfer papers came through permitting her transfer from the I.N.M. office Detroit to the office of the Assistant Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Benton Harbor.

Start of Detroit Office

The first civilian employee at the SupShip, Detroit office was a Clerk Stenographer (Ruby B. Moore) who was employed on 4 April 1941. The first inspector assigned to this Detroit office (Leonard C. Humes) was employed 19 May 1941. He was later transferred (8 August 1941) to Benton Harbor. The first inspector employed at Chris-Craft (Gerald E. Mallon) was employed at Algonac 16 January 1942.

Other Branch Offices

The first resident officers at other offices than Bay City, were as follows:

Several of the earlier officers attached to the office of Supervisor of Shipbuilding, USN, Bay City, Mich., had orders for additional duty at the office of Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Detroit, and other yards as necessary in Michigan. Officers of the Supervisors offices and C.F.O. officers were used as available to form Sub-boards of Inspection and Survey to perform trials not covered by Bd-Ins from Washington.

The Supervisor did the best he could, making periodic personal inspections at his navy yards scattered about Michigan. It is reported that he averaged 3600 miles per month on official visits. He used his own car and his private driver, and read his official mail riding between stations.

As an example of a typical week of duty for the Supervisor, the following is quoted from a letter of the Supervisor to his assistant at Benton Harbor, dated 6 April 1942:

"5. For your information my schedule for this week is Monday, Bay City contract trials PC479, Tuesday Detroit, office in morning, afternoon Navy 'E' award National Stamping Company, Wednesday, Bay City, launch first BAT(#7), Thursday, Marysville and Algonac, Michigan, final acceptance trials of first Eureka type and first Ramp type Landing Boats, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday if necessary, Benton Harbor for trials of PC540. The above subject to any change incident to acceptance and commissioning of PC479 and PC480 at the earliest feasible moment which will require my presence in Bay City irrespective of other circumstances. Please notify Bay City office by telephone as soon as you are informed by Sub Board of Inspection and Survey as to date when they can conduct trials of PC540."

To give those unfamiliar with Michigan geography and distances some idea of the extensive distances involved, the following table gives the routes commonly used in inspection duties between ship and boat yards in this area:

(1) NYC routing Chicago to Bay City via Cleveland – 631 miles; direct route Chicago to Bay City – 307 miles.

As a result of this strenuous duty, carried out with undermanned inspection offices, the load was telling on Lt. Comdr. Hoyt. While at Benton Harbor in connection with the trials and delivery of PC540, on the morning of 17 April 1942 he suffered a physical collapse. He was driven by automobile to the Naval Hospital at Great Lakes where he remained hospitalized for approximately six weeks.

During Lt. Comdr. Hoyt’s hospitalization, Captain Charles D. Swain, USN, 8760, reported for duty at Bay City on 21 May 1942 as his relief. At that time the force at the Supervisor of Shipbuilding offices in Bay City and Detroit had grown to the following complement:

Upon Lt. Comdr. Hoyt’s return to active duty from the Naval Hospital he was detached from duty as Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Defoe Shipbuilding Company, Bay City, Michigan, and ordered to report to the Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Fisher Boat Works, Detroit, for duty (despatch of 12 June 1942, confirmed by letter of 23 June 1942). Shortly thereafter, by despatch of 13 July 1942, he was directed to report for physical examination and subsequently to proceed home, whereupon he was released from all active duty.

Other Developments During Second Period

Other outstanding developments during this second period, under the office of the Supervisor of Shipbuilding at Bay City, were as follows:

• (a) The subcontracting by Defoe, starting in June 1941, of the construction of various sub-assemblies of P.C. hulls, and various items of equipment for the P.C. vessels, to accelerate production on a "production line" basis.
• (b) The first subcontract, dated 13 June 1941, with the Valley Welding & Boiler Company of Bay City for P.C. rudders. Other principal subcontractors are listed in Section A-1, paragraph 5.
• (c) At the commencement of these subcontracts in Bay City and Saginaw, inspection was conducted by periodic visits via station wagon from the main inspection office at the Defoe Shipbuilding Company, Bay City. Later, a resident representative for SupShip, Bay City, was established in Saginaw.
• (d) Near the close of this period the first contract NXss 2338 was awarded on 6 April 1942 to the Foster Boat Company of Charlevoix, Michigan, and assigned to SupShip Bay City for inspection. This contract covered ten 33' Plane Rearming boats and was followed later by other small boat contracts (see page 8).

Third Period — 21 May 1942 to 4 December 1943

During the third period, under the supervision of Captain Charles D. Swain, USN, the outstanding developments were:

Under office of SupShip Detroit

1. Transfer of the supervision of Robinson Marine Construction Company and Dachel-Carter Shipbuilding Company, both of Benton Harbor, Michigan, to the cognizance of the Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Chicago, as of 6 June 1942.
2. The establishment on 1 July 1942 of an office of Assistant Supervisor of Shipbuilding, USN, Victory Shipbuilding Company, (Macatawa), Holland, Michigan, with Ens. Benjamin J. Platt, USNR, transferred from Bay City, in charge.
3. Transfer of the supervision of Victory Shipbuilding Company of Holland, (Macatawa), Michigan to the cognizance of the Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Chicago, as of 12 December 1942.
4. Completion of last American Cruiser Company contract at Trenton, Michigan on 23 August 1943, with the acceptance of the last boat at the Navy Yard, New York on that date.
5. On 30 September 1943 the office of Supervisor of Shipbuilding Detroit was reduced to that of Assistant Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Detroit, as a branch office of Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Bay City. At the same time the branch office of Assistant Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Chris-Craft Corporation, Algonac was transferred from the cognizance of the Supervisor of Shipbuilding Detroit to that of the Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Bay City.
6. Completion of the last contract at Gar Wood Industries, Marysville on 6 November 1943.
7. Completion of the last contract of Fisher Boat Works, Detroit on 11 November 1943 with the acceptance of the last boat at the Navy Yard, New York.
8. The final disestablishment of the office of Assistant Supervisor of Shipbuilding, USN, Detroit, on 23 November 1943.

Under the office of SupShip, Bay City

9. The start of the first boat building contract, awarded 3 July 1942 to Eddy Shipbuilding Company, Bay City, Michigan.
10. The award of contract NObs-795 for 28 DE vessels (turbo-electric) on 9 October 1942, to the Defoe Shipbuilding Co., Bay City, Michigan.
11. The subcontracting of the construction of hull sub-assemblies, bottom sections, bulkheads, deck sections, etc., of DE vessels to Whitehead & Kales of River Rouge, Michigan on 7 January 1943.
12. The subcontracting of the assembly of the Combustion Engineering Company DE boilers to the Wickes Boiler Company of Saginaw, Michigan on 5 April 1943.
13. The subcontracting of the completion of 18 PC vessels, after assembly and launching by Defoe at Bay City, to the Nicholson Terminal and Dock Company of Ecorse, Michigan on 28 April 1943, in order to further expedite the completion of the DE vessels at Bay City. Ten PC’s were completed and left Nicholson’s between 4 July 1943 and 22 December 1943, when navigation was closed by ice. The balance were completed in 1944.
14. The first DE vessel the USS BULL (DE693) was completed and left Bay City on 30 June 1943 with a contractor’s crew, and was delivered at New Orleans for outfitting, and commissioned at New Orleans on 12 August 1943. Six additional 3” gunned DE’s were completed at Bay City in this period, prior to 4 December 1943.
15. The inspection force was built up considerably during the third period, in spite of the transfer of Benton Harbor and Macatawa (Holland) to SupShip Chicago, the completion of contracts at American Cruiser, Fisher Boat, and Gar Wood. Duty stations had been established at: Nicholson Terminal and Dock Co., Ecorse, Michigan; Whitehead and Kales Co., River Rouge, Michigan; and a one man duty station at Foster Boat Co., Charlevoix, Michigan. The branch office at Algonac with duty stations at Cadillac and Holland also expanded its force to meet the needs of greatly increased production. See separate history of the Algonac office, appended.

Fourth Period — 4 December 1943 to 1 September 1945

4 December 1943 to 1 September 1945 and through disestablishment of office of Supervisor of Shipbuilding, 28 May 1946.

During the fourth period, under the supervision of Captain Ernest L. Patch, USN, the outstanding developments were:

There was no office at Detroit during this period.

Under the office of Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Bay City, the outstanding production developments were:

1. The award of 58 LCI(L) vessels under Contract NObs-1413 on 10 December 1943.
2. The awarding of subcontracts for the manufacture of the principal hull LCI(L) sub-assemblies as follows:
   • (a) The five main hull sections to Whitehead and Kales Company of River Rouge, previously employed on DE sub-assemblies.
   • (b) The bow sections to Hugh Lee Iron Works of Saginaw, previously employed on PC and DE sub-assemblies.
   • (c) The stern sections to the Valley Welding and Boiler Company of Bay City, previously employed on PC rudders, etc.
   • (d) The deck houses, in quarter sections, to the Allied Steel and Conveyor Company of Detroit, a new sub-contractor.
   • (e) The pilot houses to Baker Perkins Inc. of Saginaw, previously employed on PC and DE parts and sub-assemblies.
3. Inspection of the above by representatives of Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Bay City was carried out by forces already on the field, or added to as necessary.
4. The LCI(L) program was carried out in good order with the commissioning of the first vessel, the LCI(L) 1052 on 31 March 1944 and the 47th and last vessel, the LCI(L) 1098, was commissioned at Bay City on 23 October 1944, ahead of schedule. (Eleven vessels of the 58 were cancelled 19 August 1944.)
5. Owing to the type of vessel and method of division into complete sectional sub-assemblies, it was not practicable to use the upside down roll-over method on the LCI(L) vessels.
6. The PC program was completed with the launching of the last hull, PC 1149 on 11 January 1944, and the placing in service of the last vessel, the PC 1148, on 22 August 1944. (PC 1149 was placed in service 10 June 1944.)
7. The DE program was continued with: the completion of the 13th 3” gun type, the USS FRYBARGER (DE705) on 2 April 1944; the completion of the fourth 5” gun type, the USS BRAY (DE709) on 5 August 1944; the start of the conversion of the remaining eleven DE vessels to APD’s in June 1944, with the completion of the first, the USS GOSSELIN (APD126) on 14 November 1944 and the completion of the last, the USS CARPELLOTTI (APD136) on 18 June 1945.
8. The award of 10 YF (self-propelled) vessels under Contract NObs-1965 on 5 October 1944. These vessels were built locally (no subcontracting of hull assemblies) and in the typical Defoe upside down roll-over method. The first vessel, the YF 881, was placed in service on 18 June 1945 and the last vessel, the YF 890, was placed in service on 29 October 1945 at Bay City. The last three vessels were built with two refrigerated hold compartments.
9. The award of 30 – 180’ AM’s, under Contract NObs-2141 on 27 April 1945. This contract was reduced by the cancellation of 25 vessels on 12 August 1945, and the remaining five vessels were cancelled on 1 Nov. 1945, leaving a terminated contract with a large claim, because of the amount of work done on the five vessels, as well as the preparation of the production line, with two upside down cradles, four traveling cradles, and a 90° turn arrangement, required preparatory to a side launching.
10. The SupShip personnel varied during this period. The number of officers was gradually reduced. The number of civilians was increased with the work load to a maximum of 72 at Bay City in May 1944 and a maximum of 25 at Algonac in April 1945. The maximum force, including officers, enlisted and civilians, at any one time at both Bay City and Algonac amounted to about 150.
11. With the completion of the PC’s and LCI(L)’s in 1944 there was a definite reduction of the supervisor’s force and again in 1945 with the completion of the APD’s. With the award of the AM 391–420 contract it was necessary to rebuild the depleted technical section. A small inspection force was carried over with the YF program to start the final AM contract. With the termination of this contract on November 1, 1945, the inspection force and technical sections were again rapidly reduced, and the material section retained on termination work. The force was gradually tapered off with the completion of termination work at Bay City in April 1946, and the last civilian there was separated 15 May 1946.
12. Summarizing the organization and development of this particular office it appears that generally it was made flexible to suit the needs in this area, through intra-office transfers and mutual assistance of the various branch offices.
13. Often there was great difficulty in obtaining suitable inspectors, clerks, material men and other necessary civil service ratings. Experienced persons could usually get better pay working for the contractors. As the offices at Bay City and Algonac were distant from large cities, it was frequently difficult to get people to move there to take up government work. This was particularly true of Algonac.
14. The Bay City office was handicapped by not having an efficient chief clerk at any time. The technical force was never large, and although many of them were of high caliber, some were more of a handicap in their lack of technical ability, and personal ability to get along with others, especially with the contractors.
15. It was impossible to recruit all of our civilian personnel locally. Help was sometimes given by the Inspection Administration of the Bureau of Ships in transferring inspectors and professional men from other naval activities. In some cases it was quite evident that the transferees were the discards of other activities, but it was often necessary to take and use what we could get.
16. An attempt was made to follow the Navy Filing Manual. A recent review of the files has shown a considerable percentage of mis-filing due to the inexperience and lack of naval knowledge of those responsible for much of the filing. This may also be an indication that the Navy Filing Manual could be improved also.
17. Because of the difficulty of obtaining suitable civilian personnel it was necessary to have a rather large force of officers and enlisted men, who often had to do the work which might normally be rated as civilian’s work.
18. One large portion of the work load was the large number of trial trips requiring a Sub-Board of Inspection and Survey. It was impracticable to hold to one standard Board. Several times, at least two trials were held simultaneously. This duty was rotated to suit the needs of the times, frequently using the services of officers temporarily stationed here in connection with Fitting Out of vessels.
19. Regarding the Naval personnel, some officers were sent on request to fill a special billet, other officers were sent here apparently on the judgement of the Procurement Officers of mid-west cities. At one time, apparently in an effort to comply with a directive to make officers available for sea duty by replacing them with Wave Officers, an offer was made to replace a large portion of the officers here by Waves. As a result six Waves were ordered here. Four were quite well placed, but two were transferred to other stations.
20. Similarly enlisted men were often ordered here without knowledge or request of the office. One of the troublesome questions regarding enlisted men was the force of special compass adjusters stationed at Algonac, handling at one time two compasses each, on over 300 landing craft per month. This group was specially trained and organized by the Naval Observatory Section of the Bureau of Ships. A very efficient crew was organized at Algonac, and in the midst of the heaviest production the District Personnel Office, in carrying out their orders to transfer men to the fleet, had to move a large number of these men. They were replaced mostly by limited service men who were physically unfit to perform the strenuous duty, even if they could be trained technically. The reduction of the landing craft program helped to ease what was developing into a serious problem.
21. Similarly the use of enlisted storekeepers in checking the government equipment aboard ships, through experience and familiarity, developed considerable efficiency. Our efforts to retain these men may have appeared stubborn to those trying to carry out the “to sea” orders.