Kaiser's so-called unique unique skill is his own modular shipbuilding method. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 infoIn fact, this method is not new in the field of construction, many large-scale buildings are prefabricated in the factory first, and then the construction site for combined installation. Kaiser has been in the construction industry for most of his life, so he knows the benefits of doing so. Now, he has moved this set to the shipbuilding industry as it was.

"I'm not going to put all the work done in the shipyard. I'll prefabricate all the parts in the factory and then put them together like a house. Most of the work is done on the factory assembly line, and the slipway is only welded and painted. ”

John nodded, it would indeed be a good idea to use welding instead of riveting in large quantities (except for the ribbed part). What the United States lacks most now is experienced shipbuilding riveters, most of whom are preferentially requisitioned by Navy shipyards and large shipyards. The welding process, on the other hand, required much less skill from the workers, and even women were able to do it in the later stages of the war.

In addition, welding can also be used to build ships faster than riveting, which can also save steel and reduce the weight of the ship. A welded freewheel can save at least about 200 tons of weight compared to a riveted one. However, at present, it is generally believed that welded ships are not as strong and durable as riveted ones, so the welding process is not commonly used in the shipbuilding industry.

In peacetime, the British would certainly not have been able to accept Kaiser's extensive use of welding instead of riveting. But this is not an emergency, the main thing is to get the ship as soon as possible, anyway, these freighters are one-time consumables, and the devil knows when they will be sunk by torpedoes fired by German U-boats. If you have to work so hard, it will be a blessing to be able to use it for three or five years and hold on until the end of the war.

In fact, Kaiser's "free wheel" is far stronger than people think. Although it looks ugly (it is called an ugly duckling by the media) and slow (the speed is only 10 knots), it is absolutely durable. After the end of the war, several thousand "Liberty ships" and subsequent improved "Victory ships" were resold to various shipping companies. Two of them will be in service until 70 years later.

"Amazing idea, Kaiser. I'm sure you'll surprise the big shipyards. John wasn't talking about it, but he was admiring it from the bottom of his heart. Isn't it worthy of his admiration that a man who has never built a ship can master the essence of modern shipbuilding technology without a teacher and become the "father of American shipbuilding".

"Thank you, John." Kaiser cracked his thick lips and smiled like a Maitreya Buddha. "I've heard Knox mention your idea for an escort carrier, and that's a great idea. Only those of us with creative thinking can lead the world to break through the triple darkness and see the light of reason again. ”

John stood up and thanked Kaiser for his compliment with Masonic courtesy. Before he knew it, he had become accustomed to this "savior" thinking of Freemasons. Sometimes, he can't help but look at things from the perspective of "God" and think that he has a responsibility to change the world.

"Kaiser, you said you had a small problem before, is there anything I can help with?" John finally couldn't help but inquire about Kaiser's intentions.

At Kaiser's signal, Thompson cleared his throat and said, "That's right, I sorted it out, and it takes more than 500,000 parts and components to build such a 10,000-ton cargo ship. About 40 percent of this needs to be ordered from outside, involving 128 subcontractors in six states. How to send these 500,000 parts to the shipyard in a timely and accurate manner is a problem, especially since it also contains a considerable number of over-spec parts. ”

John understood what Kaiser was looking for him. Isn't it just to design a logistics solution for his shipyard? It's a problem for Kaiser, and it's not a problem for John and FedEx. It's just that there are a little more types of parts and a little larger volume, and FedEx eats this bowl of rice, and it can be stumped by this.

"John, you're an expert at this. It's not just Knox, a lot of my friends say you're the only one who can solve this problem. Kaiser continued to pour John's ecstasy soup, "Everyone says that with FedEx's current achievements, you will be the next Cornelius. ”

"Don't worry, I'll get the company's transportation experts in touch with you tomorrow. We will come up with a solution that satisfies you as soon as possible. John patted his chest and made a promise to Kaiser, "FedEx, the mission will be accomplished." No one can do this better than we do. ”

"I knew you would have a way." Kaiser happily broke a glass of brandy for John, "I wish us a successful cooperation!" ”

After draining the glass of wine, John took the opportunity to ask Thompson a question: "Recently, FedEx has been experimenting with sea-land container transportation. I wonder if the cargo ship you designed this time can be converted into a container carrier? ”

In the past year, 20-foot containers have been widely used in FedEx's road and rail transportation. Thompson was no stranger to this, he thought for a moment and said, "I'm afraid it's difficult, the coal-fired steam engine that the British asked for was too space-consuming. But I knew that there was a tanker that would be a good fit and didn't need to be changed much. ”

"What, John, are you going to take care of my business?" Kaiser smiled and said, "You want to order from me, and I guarantee to give you a satisfactory discount." ”

"Not yet, it's only a small-scale trial at the moment. However, the military is very interested in this, and on the British side, Minister Bevan has already begun to consider building a new dedicated container terminal in Flickstowe. ”

John was not fooling Kaiser, and after Somerville had sent the information he had given back home, Minister Bevan personally summoned Leith, who was on an expedition to England, to inquire about the possibility of introducing container transport.

When John briefly explained his idea of container water and land transportation, Kaiser was also tempted. His intuition told him that it would be a very promising market.

"Tom, I'm going to build two new big shipyards in Portland and Richmond. It's settled in Portland, with Todd Shipyard and I each owning 35 percent and Bath Steel 30 percent. Richmond was originally going to come according to this ratio, but there was something wrong with the funds on the Bath Steel side, are you interested in taking over? ”

Historically, Kaiser eventually invested in the remaining 65% of the Richmond shipyard. But at this point, Kaiser had a new choice. He wanted to use the stake that Bath Steel had given up to tie John, a potential big customer, to his chariot.

John was also moved by the olive branch handed over by Kaiser. If federal shipping wants to develop, it must build a large transport fleet. It's just that he's not in a hurry to buy a boat right now. After the war, the U.S. government disposed of more than 2,000 freighters at cabbage prices, many of which could not be sold, and finally sold to shipbreaking yards for less than $100,000. So, John just had to be patient and wait for the war to end. If he bought a boat from Kaiser now, he would really have a brain in the water.

But now, Kaiser invited him to join the shipbuilding industry, and it was a rare opportunity. Even if the significance of a stake in a large shipyard for the future development of federal shipping is set aside, the profits from the thousands of freighters and dozens of escort aircraft carriers built on Richmond Shipbuilding in the next few years alone will be enough to tempt John. You know, by the end of the war, Kaiser not only expanded its shipyard to seven, but also had spare money to build a health care facility for employees, including 19 hospitals, providing medical care for more than 1 million people.

"It's an honor, Kaiser. I'll get you in touch as soon as possible. John raised his glass again, and he was so pleased with the harvest tonight.