Salt Lake Tribune | 1918-12-21 | Page 8 | Cancel Orders for Mine Sweepers

CANCEL ORDERS FOR MINE SWEEPERS BALTIMORE, Dec. 20. Cancellation of contracts for two mine sweepers to be built here by the Baltimore Drydocks and Shipbuilding corporation has been ordered by the navy department, and plans that had been made to start on them shortly have been abandoned. Work on four of the warcraft is still going on, because it has progressed to the point where two are near completion. Officials of the company here deem it probable that .changes will be made In the vessels to allow them to be used In commerce. The four under construction could be readily changed so as to be made fit for merchant service, officials of the company com-pany say, and they are ready at any moment to change the work. With the two that have not been launched, It could he done with almost no change in the parts that are already finished. Officials cannot conceive that these two vessels will be completed as mine sweepers, for when they are finished there will be no work for them to do.