Duties of the major
trades at the Brooklyn Navy Yard during the
first half of the twentieth century.
Blacksmith
a. Furnace heating (Forge Shop)
b. Simple light forging
c. Machine bolt making
d. Toll dressing
e. Difficult light forging
f. Drop forging
g. Anglesmith work
h. Heavy Fires (100-500 lbs.)
i. Heat treating
j. Heavy forging (over 500 lbs.)
Boat Builder
a. Inside finish
b. Planking up
c. Bending and setting up frames
d. Caulking heavy and light seams
e. Laying off from blueprints
Boilermaker
a. Tearing out old work
b. Simple pneumatic drilling
c. Simple drilling on drill press
d. Simple riveting and chipping
e. Simple fitting up and bolting
f. Shearing and punching
g. Bending clips, boiler plates, boiler castings
h. Retubing
i. Difficult Fitting up and bolting
j. Difficult riveting
k. Chipping and caulking
l. Tapping
m. Difficult pneumatic drilling and reaming
n. Difficult drilling and reaming on drill press
o. Bricking
p. Machine flanging
q. Hand flanging
r. Laying out work
Chipper and Caulker
a. Chipping - removing surplus metal
b. Chipping to a neat line
c. Caulking
d. Tank testing
e. Inspecting bottom of ship in dry dock
Driller
a. Drill press work
b. Pneumatic drilling and tapping
c. Pneumatic reaming and countersinking
Electrician, Ship
a. Pulling and hanging cable
b. Installing simple and difficult miscellaneous equipment
c. Installing storage battery systems
d. Laying off for power circuits
e. Laying off for and installing interior communications
f. Testing, tagging and connecting I.C. cables
g. Testing and connecting power leads to panels
h. Testing leads and connecting motors and controlling devices
i. Installing dock and bulkhead fittings
j. Installing torpedo directors
k. Installing submarine signal systems
l. Installing radio equipment
m. Installing main generators and switchboards
Electrician, Shop and Yard
a. Simple yard work
b. Motor maintenance and simple repairs
c. Substation operation
d. Line work
e. Simple and difficult coil winding
f. Drydock pumping stations
g. Simple and difficult motor winding
h. Simple and difficult miscellaneous shop work
i. Power plant operation
j. Storage battery work
k. Electrical machine work
l. Panel work
m. Instrument repair work
Instrument Maker
a. Use precision machine tools
b. High grade hand tool work
c. Building and repairing delicate or complicated timing mechanisms
d. Development of special temporary tools
e. Development of new instruments or modifying existing ones
Joiner, Ship
a. Crating furniture and equipment
b. Installing cork insulation
c. Laying T & G decks and bearers, install their bulkheads and furring
d. Making simple furniture
e. Laying canvas and linoleum on decks
f. Make ship furniture
g. Laying out work
Machinist, Inside
a. Simple and difficult drill press work
b. Simple and difficult shaper work
c. Simple and difficult lathe work
d. Simple and difficult milling machine work
e. Simple and difficult vertical and horizontal boring mill work
f. Planer work
g. Simple and difficult dismantling and erecting work
h. Grinding work
i. Simple and difficult turret lathe work
j. Lay out work
Machinist, Outside
a. Disassemble or dismantle valves; inspect for wear/replacement;
assemble
b. Install stanchions and hand rails for gratings and ladders
c. Dismantle pumps and minor auxiliary machinery; inspect;
assemble
d. Install piping for steam, exhaust, suction, discharge, heating,
refrigerating, from plans
e. Dismantle deck machinery; repair
f. Dismantle main engines; inspect; repair
g. Inspect turbines
h. Remove propellor wheel, line, tail shafts; install
i. Run horizontal and vertical lines for alignment of engine;
j. Overhaul and repair refrigerating machinery
k. Dismantle, overhaul, assemble generator governors
Machinist, Ordnance
a. Install sights, hand-elevating and training gear, powder hoists
and conveyors, rammers, recoil cylinders, main gun slides;
leveling foundations; setting turret rollers
b. Align training and sight mechanisms
Marine Draftsman
Hull Construction and Repair Section
a. Ship, strength calculations
b. Calculate machine work
c. Design hull structure, bulkheads, shell plating, ship's frame
d. Details of same
e. Design piping and ventilating systems of ship
f. Details of same
g. Mechanical design, such as ammunition hoists
h. Details of same
i. Copying all kinds of work
Engineering Section
a. Design of pipe systems - steam and refrigerating
b. Details of same
c. Design of engines, boilers
d. Details of same
e. Design and details of ordnance
f. Design of electrical systems fire control, communication, power
g. Details of same
h. Copying of all kinds of work
Molder
a. Machine molding and machine core making
b. Simple core making
c. Plain floor molding, iron, steel, non-ferrous
d. Bench molding, iron, steel, non-ferrous
e. Difficult bench and large bench core making
f. Difficult floor molding
g. Loam molding
Mold Loftsman
a. Make wood molds for shapes
b. Make frame molds from body
c. Make templates for plates after lines laid down
d. Develop bulkheads, decks, longitudinals and shell plating from body
e. Laying down body from ship offsets
Painter
a. Paint ship's bottom, inner bottoms, confined spaces, cargo
holds, fraying surfaces, house roofs
b. Treat galvanized metals
c. Apply bituminous compositions
d. Spray gun work on ship's bottom and decks, cargo spaces
e. Red lead fittings for uniformity of surface; brush priming on
interior work
f. Sanding, finish coating, treating new wood, enameling
g. Interior decorating
h. Camouflaging ships
i. Paint new guns
j. Glaze and putty for glass
k. Paint stacks, building ways, towers, cranes, masts, aetc.
l. Graining and hardwood finish
m. Strip, letter, auto finishing
n. Cement finishing
o. Lay tiles
p. Paint metal furniture with spray guns; hang paper in officer's quarters
q. Burning paint from wood
Pattern Maker
a. Solid and split patterns with no core
b. Patterns with simple cores
c. Segmental patterns
d. Stove patterns
e. Flat ribbed patterns
f. Patterns with complex core boxes
h. Odd-shaped patterns
i. Sweep patterns for propellers
Pipecover
a. Wrap water pipes with tar paper and hair
b. Finish water pipes with sewn canvas
c. Finish with plaster
d. Roughing in with magnesia sections
e. Make portable bags and pads of asbestos cloth
f. Insulate with cork, putty, cement
g. Covering with magnesia blocks
Pipefitter
a. Tear out old work
b. Install low pressure pipes
c. Cut off and thread pipe up to 4"
d. Simple and difficult template lifting and pipe bending
e. Cut off and thread work larger than 4"
f. Braze and bend copper pipe
g. Prepare and install high pressure piping
h. Form copper pipe from sheet copper
i. Lay out work
Plumber, Ship
a. Remove old work
b. Cut and thread pipe 1" to 2"
c. Install screwed pip lines, 1/4" to 2"
d. Install flanged pipe lines
e. Install watertight deck and bulkhead fittings
f. Install voice tubing
g. Lift templates
h. Set fixtures
i. Lay out work
j. Lead burning
k. Make fittings from sheet lead
Rigger, Ship
a. Make target rigging, mats and fenders
b. Make rigging for ground tackle
c. Take down, renew, and install life lines
d. Make, remove, renew, install falls for cranes
e. Make, take down, renew, install mast rigging
f. Make, install rigging for antennae work
g. Make counterbalance cables
h. Rig cargo beams
i. Make boat slings
Rigger, Yard
a. Hoist boats
b. Staging for construction and repair work in yards
c. Docking, undocking, staging of ships
d. Move machinery on shore
e. Move and place machinery on ships
f. Handle and erect all material used in building and repairing ships
g. Erect, take down smoke stacks, towers
h. Erect fire control masts on battleships
i. Jack up and remove wheels from locomotives, cranes
j. Handle guns and turrets in and out of cargo ships
Riveter
a. Drive snap rivets on non-watertight work
b. Drive and chip flush rivets on non-watertight work
c. Drive flush rivets on watertight work
d. Flush riveting on oil and watertight work
e. Flush shell bottom
Sail Maker
a. Operate sewing machine
b. Splice rope
c. Reinforce with rope on sails
d. Work holes in canvas
e. Upholstery work without springs
f. Flag Work
g. Layout work
h. Leather work such as straps
Sheet Metal Worker
a. Simple forming and assembling work involving straight joints
b. Form and assemble irregular shaped fittings
c. Form and assemble irregular fittings intersecting at angle
d. Shear, notch, punch, form and assemble metal furniture, steel
and aluminum
e. Seam and spot weld
f. Layout work
Shipfitter
a. Shop layout from templates of plating, framing, shapes
b. Shop assembly, bulkheads, girders, tanks, watertight doors,
hatches, etc.
c. Erect and regulate frames, shell, deck, beams, bulkheads, etc.
d. Make templates
e. Repair dents, bring back to original lines
Shipwright
a. Staging
b. Laying and fastening of ship's deck
c. Prepare, block, shore and line up ships
d. Installation of guns including foundations
e. Caulk wood seams
f. Build ways and launch ships
g. Repair dry docks
h. Install and stow boats on ships
i. Make and install main and guard rails
j. Spar making
k. Make templates of complicated shapes for iron workers
l. Build wooden barges and floats
m. Set, fair up, fasten all armor plate and heaving casting on ships
n. Laying out work
Tool Maker
a. Simple and difficult drill press work
b. Lathe work
c. Cylindrical grinding
d. Surface grinding
e. Shaper work
f. Planer work
g. Slotter work
h. Milling machine work
i. Bench work
j. Lay out work
k. Inspect shop equipment
Welder, Electric
a. Simple and difficult building up
b. Lap welding, non-watertight; water and oil-tight
c. Tee welding, non-watertight; water and oil-tight
d. Butt welding, watertight
Welder, Oxy-acetylene
a. Light steel welding and cutting
b. Light and heavy cast iron welding
c. Brass and copper welding
d. Aluminum welding
e. Monel metal welding
Source: "The Training Plan," copy enclosed in "Apprentice School - Trade Analysis,"
Letter, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, to Commandants, NavyYard[s, et al.],
4 October 1940; Record Group 181; National Archives, New York City branch.
compiled by J Stobo