Ship's Coat

The Navy has scraped a lot of paint off parts of ships to reduce the fire hazard. What to put in its place? Last week it became known that the Navy has an answer: a fireproof ceramic (glazed) coating that seems to have many advantages.

Called Seaporcel, a silica product, the coating is first sprayed, then fired on the surface of metal. The Navy and Maritime Commission are covering bulkheads, doors, crews' quarters and galleys with it. It does not char, chip or crack, can be cut or tack-welded like uncoated metal, and actually strengthens light steel sheets to which it is applied--a quality which may make it possible to build lighter ships. Whether Seaporcel can be used on a ship's hull is still a moot question; the Navy is testing to see whether barnacles will grow on it.

The fact that bluejackets will like Seaporcel is obvious--it eliminates the sailor's perennial occupation of chipping off old paint and brushing on new. Seaporcel keeps its finish almost indefinitely against all kinds of weather, can be cleaned with a damp cloth.

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