876. U.S.S. Morton (DD948) Weight Control – Construction Through Modernization

Paper

Abstract

This paper will trace the history of weight control and weight growth on the USS MORTON (DD948) from the time of her construction at Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation (1957-1959), at Pascagoula, Miss., through an operational period from 1959 to 1969 and terminate with a detailed discussion of weight and moment control and reporting during her modernization at Long Beach Naval Shipyard from September, 1969 to September, 1970.
The paper will discuss the various definitions of weight reports that were used during the initial design and construction of the ship. It will cover the methods used in reporting and controlling weight and moment during the service life of the ship. This involves many alterations accomplished through the use of shipalts.
It will also cover the methods used by Type commanders to initiate alterations and the type of weight control that is applied to these alterations.
The paper will deal with the use of the UNIVAC III computer at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard for weight control and reporting during the modernization phase of this ship’s life. It will describe the method by which information is fed into the computer and how the tape program operates to turn out the completed product. The paper will illustrate the advantages to be gained by using the computer for weight and moment control, both in the accuracy gained, and the time saved.
It is anticipated that the knowledge and experience gained by Long Beach Naval Shipyard, as delineated by this report, will assist other shipyards, both Naval and Commercial, in the performance of this task.