Two centuries of shipbuilding by the Scotts at Greenock

174 Coppersmith and Sheet Iron Shops.
equipped for dealing with light plate work, such as funnels,
uptakes and ventilators, etc., and is served by a three-motor
crane with a span of 50 ft. and a lifting capacity of 15 tons.
The coppersmiths' shop is laid out to deal with all types
of piping of copper, iron and steel. The pipe-bending machines
are operated by hydraulic power supplied by pumps driven
by independent electric motors and worked in conjunction
with an intensifier. The crane in this shop also is of 15 tons
capacity. The galvanising shop is well equipped for dealing
with tubes of every description. The electricity for the bath
is supplied by a 12-kw. motor-driven dynamo. In this shop
upwards of 200 boiler tubes can be dealt with per day. There
are numerous jib cranes fitted with hand chain blocks throughout
the shop.
The sheet iron shop is fitted out with modern tools for
dealing with the large amount of sheet metal work required
nowadays for naval vessels of all descriptions and for
passenger liners. A sub-division of this shop is set apart for
welding work by the oxy-acetylene process. A three-motor
overhead travelling crane with a span of 50 ft., and capable
of lifting 7 tons, runs the whole length of the shop.
The scarcity of gas under war conditions for the oxy-
acetylene process led to the early consideration of an alternative
method of welding, with the result that electric welding plant
was laid down in various departments of the works, and found
of much service, particularly in connection with the tacking of
plates together for erection purposes in the sheet iron department.
A check system is used in connection with the distribution
of templates, tools, drawings, etc., and a separate store in the
centre of the works is arranged for this purpose.
The main boiler shop, together with its yard, has an
area of 7000 square yards, and a height of 45 ft. to the crane
rail ; it is served by five overhead electric cranes, ranging
in lifting power from 25 to 110 tons, with numerous jib and
other cranes associated with the various machine tools.