EFC Design 1011 (Ballin type): Notes & Illustrations
Click here for a larger and more complete plan from the 1920 USSB ship register: Sheet 1
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Notes: In early 1917 the naval architect Fred A. Ballin and the shipbuilder Joseph Supple with the civil engineer J.B.C. Lockwood established a shipyard at Portland, Oregon, to build ships according to Ballin's patent system of wooden construction. This included a double diagonal planked skin over the wooden frames on the sides with fore and aft planking on top of the diagonals to give rigidity to the sides of the ship. To provide a top chord for the truss formed by these sides that was strong and impervious to decay, a three-sided steel girder consisting of outside and inside vertical steel bulwark plates above the main deckline and a horizontal steel top plate was placed over the tops of the side timbers extending nearly the length of the ship. The inside bulwark plates were riveted to horizontal steel stringers around the edges of the deck, and these stringers, one on each side, were connected by diagonal steel straps running across the deck. The bulwark plates were exposed for ease of maintenance. The rest of the ship was made entirely of Douglas fir. By March 1917 Supple & Ballin had contracts for two 4655 deadweight ton, 1000 hp twin screw motorships, Mount Hood and Mount Baker (originally Mount Shasta) measuring 308' oa x 43' molded beam and 26' molded depth. On 9 July 1917 the yard received a contract for eight "composite" steamers from the EFC (its Hulls 226-233). The design of the EFC ships, (EFC Design 1011) closely resembled that of Mount Hood except that the EFC ships had steam machinery which was placed amidships rather than aft. An article by Ballin published in May 1918 stated that "My firm is now building eight ships for the EFC of the same dimensions [as Mount Hood] but equipped with steam propelling machinery and considerably more cabins and equipment which will reduce the deadweight capacity to about 4500 tons." The Ballin EFC ship, actually with 4165 deadweight tons, had about 700 tons more actual carrying capacity than the standard 3500 dwt Ferris ship. Like Mount Hood the EFC design was diagonal planked and had a steel sheer strake and other reinforcement features of the Ballin patented system of construction. The first EFC ship was to be delivered in eight months and the eighth inside of 18 months. While Ballin and the press called these ships "composite," presumably because they had an unusual amount of steel in their hull structures, they did not meet the usual definition of composite ships, which was for wooden planking on steel frames. Designs 1009 and 1010 had steel frames but the frames in Design 1011 and the later Ballin designs, 1075 and 1102, were wooden. The EFC contract for the Design 1011 ships called them composite but the contracts for the design 1075 and 1102 ships called them wooden. Despite some reports to the contrary, Designs 1075 and 1102 appear to have retained the steel reinforcements of Design 1011. Specifications: Design 1011 (Ballin). "Composite" hull (wood frame). Deadweight tons: 4000 designed, 4165 actual. Dimensions: 307.0' oa, 295.9' pp to rudderpost, 285' pp to sternpost x 44.8' ext, 43.0' mld x 26' depth mld, 23.2' to 23.4' load. Propulsion: 1 screw, 1 triple expansion engine, 2 Ballin watertube boilers, 1500 IHP, 9 knots. Configuration: 2 decks, 2 holds, 4 hatches. |
| S.S. Airlie (Design 1011, EFC Hull 230) on a trial trip on 12 October 1918 after construction by the Supple-Ballin Ship Co, Portland, Ore. (NARA: RG-32-M box 13) (Click photo to enlarge) |
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M.S. Mount Baker (Design 1011 precursor) The first two ships with Ballin's Ballin's patent system of wooden construction were large wooden motorships with their engines aft. For the EFC contract he moved the machinery and superstructure amidships but retained both the hull size and structure of the motorships. Photo No. None Source: International Marine Engineering, September 1919, p.625. |
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M.S. Mount Hood (Design 1011 precursor) Under construction showing the first layer of the diagonal side planking that was one key feature in Ballin's system. Another layer slanted in the other direction would be placed on top and a layer of horizontal planking would be laid on top of both. Ballin used this system instead of the iron strapping in some other designs including Ferris's standard ship. This ship may instead be Mount Baker. Photo No. 165-WW-503J-002 Source: NARA RG-165-WW |
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M.S. Mount Hood (Design 1011 precursor) Under construction showing the steel reinforcements that were another key feature in Ballin's system. Note the horizontal steel stringer plates running around the perimeter of the deck and the vertical inside bulwark plates welded to them. One of the diagonal steel deck straps is visible running past the upper right corner of the near hatch. The less advanced Mount Baker is under construction on the left. Photo No. 165-WW-503J-006 Source: NARA RG-165-WW |
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S.S. Harney (Design 1011, EFC Hull 226) The ship's midsection in frame on 31 July 1917. Note the metal bolts that Ballin used to fasten the timbers instead of the traditional wooden pegs (treenails). Hull 226 was named Harney on 21 December 1917, launched on 21 February 1918, and renamed Thala when delivered on 13 December 1918. Photo No. 165-WW-503J-008 Source: NARA RG-165-WW |
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S.S. Wallawa (Design 1011, Hull 227) Interior looking forward under construction on 1 October 1917. Photo No. 165-WW-503J-004 Source: NARA RG-165-WW |
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S.S. Wallawa (Design 1011, Hull 227) An advertisement by Supple-Ballin, "Builders of Ballin composite system wooden ships," showing the launch of Wallawa on 18 March 1918 and summarizing the firm's system in two phrases, "Diagonal Planking" and "Steel Topsides." Photo No. None Source: Pacific Marine Review, May 1918, p.136 |
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S.S. Wallawa (Design 1011, Hull 227) After launching on 18 March 1918. The black strip at the top of the hull sides is the outer steel bulwark plate, which was intentionally left exposed. Photo No. None Source: NARA RG-32-UB |
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S.S. Airlie (Design 1011, Hull 230) After launching on 16 July 1918. The outer steel bulwark plate is painted gray instead of the black in Wallawa, above and in the ship on the left, but it is still exposed and not covered with hull planking. Photo No. 165-WW-503M-049 Source: NARA RG-165-WW |
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S.S. Calala (Design 1011, Hull 228) Nearly complete and in camouflage paint at the fitting out pier of the Supple-Ballin Shipbuilding Corp., Portland, Ore., on 1 July 1918. A less complete sister is astern. Photo No. None Source: NARA RG-32-UB |
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S.S. Calala (Design 1011, Hull 228) Showing the other side of her camouflage at the same pier at the Supple-Ballin Shipbuilding Corp. on 1 August 1918. The sign on the side forbids photography. Orders reached the Oregon District on 9 October 1918 to discontinue the practice of camouflaging wooden steamers. The Morning Oregonian, reported that it had been decided a few months previously to paint the ships gray but immediately afterwards the "fantastic decorative effect" had been restored. Photo No. None Source: NARA RG-32-UB |
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S.S. Harney (Design 1011, Hull 226) On a trial run in November 1918, probably in the Columbia River. She was delivered on 13 December 1918 and renamed Thala the same day. Photo No. None Source: NARA RG-165-EO Album 2-C |
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