UTILIZATION OF RESERVE FLEET VESSELS IN PRODUCTION OF HOUSING

The feasibility of placing housing production facilities aboard a ship, to determine what type of construction systems or parts of such systems would be most adaptable to fabrication within a ship, and what type of conversion and site for demonstration would be most productive, is considered. Topics considered include housing system selection, vessel modification, factory layout, ship modifications, support facilities, survey of cities, labor unions, insurance, Baltimore as a model site, economic analysis, concrete factory-ship design and bid package summary, and operational plan. It is concluded that production of both ship-based concrete and frame modular industrialized housing factories is technically feasible on a converted Liberty ship. Economic analysis concludes that in an area where housing requirements are inadequate to provide long term assurance of efficient plant utilization by markets close to a permanent land-based factory, a ship-based factory is economically advantageous. However, the higher initial investment for a ship-based factory makes a land-based factory more profitable when the area can insure continued adsorption of the products of the permanent factory.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This document is available for review at the Department of Commerce Library, Main Commerce Building, Washington, D.C., under reference number S-7-U.
• Corporate Authors:

  Stanley Works

  New Britain, CT  United States  06050
• Authors:
  • Davis, W R
• Publication Date: 1970-12-31

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; Figures; Tables;
• Pagination: 135 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Production; Production control; Ship conversion
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Marine Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00027310
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Maritime Administration
• Contract Numbers: C-O-35504
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Jun 15 1974 12:00AM