PRODUCTION OF SUCTION DREDGES AT THE CKD SHIPYARD IN PRAGUE-LIBEN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83-00418R005300440001-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 16, 2008
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: August 1, 1956
• Content Type: REPORT

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b 29.73
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
S-E=C=R,E-T
NOFORN
This material contains Information affecting the Na-
tional Defense of the United States Within the mean-
ing of the Espionage Laws, Title 18, U.S.C. Secs. 793
and 794, the transmission or revelation of which in
any manner to an unauthorized person is prohibited
by law.
SUBJECT Production of Suction Dredges at the DATE DISTR. August
CKD Shipyard in Prague-Liben
DATE OF INFO.
PLACE ACQUIRED
DATE ACQUIRED
IX F,
NO. OF PAGES 2 25X1
REQUIREMENT NO. RD
THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN THIS REPORT ARE DEFINITIVE.
THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
(FOR KEY SEE REVERSE)
1, The CKD Shipyard in Prague-Liben was producing tugboats only'iitil 1953, From
spring 1952 until the end of 1954 the shipyard was reconstruct d: the yard was
concreted, a mess hall, carpenters' shop, new production hall for upper parts of
dredges, fire house and living quarters for factory guards we added to the
existing installations. The old machinery was moved towards the end of 1954 to the
shipyard in Melnik and was replaced by new machinery. Production of suction dredge
for sand dredging started with the new machinery. The suction dredges are being
produced for export to the USSR.
2. All the dredges so far produced have been of the Model T and are numbered serially.
The first dredge T-1 was finished in the spring of 1954; the dredge T-8 was shippe
out of the plant on 10 June 1955. It was planned to finish five more dredges
by the end of 1955. Each successive dredge is an improvement over the previous
models. Finished products are inspected by Soviet te.chnicians assigned to the
plant. The USSR ordered 60 dredges which have to be delivered by the. end of 1960;
the Russians pay four million Czech crowns for each dredge, although the production
cost is 14 million crowns. Dutch importers were interested in buying this type of
dredges, but their order was postponed until the fulfillment of the Soviet order;
this was in spite of the fact that the Dutch were offering to pay the full
production price.
3. The suction dredge consists of three main parts.
a. The floating carriage has the shape of a rectangular prism. It is equipped wick
three diesel engines, a steel propeller about 1.5 meters in diameter for frettil
sand,-and a suction pipe. The walls are of steel sheet 12 millimeters thick.
b. The superstructure, about 10 meters high,.is built in the middle of the carriage
it also has the shape of a rectangular prism. Its lower part houses cabins for
the captain, helmsman, and chief engineer. The upper part is made of glass; in
it are the captain's, helmsman's, dredger's and radio operator's posts. The
superstructure is partly wooden and partly metal.
.S-E-C-R-E-T
NOFORN
STATE X ARMY
X NAVY X AIR FBI AEC
, //
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S-E-C?RaE-T
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5. The crew of the dredge (without the exhaust, system) consists of 36 men, of whom
eight are the proper crew of the vessel (captain, helmsman, dredger, deputy
dredger,, two assistit dredgers, and'r Uo operator). Another 48 men are needed
to look after the exhaust assembly and for other auxiliary tasks.
6. The T-8 dredge has the following dimensions and specifications:
C. The exhaust pipe assembly contains pipeline 300 meters long which is composed
of 30 10-meter-long pipes 70 centimeters in diameter. The pipes are made of
steel sheet 12 millimeters 'thick; their seams are welded. The exhaust pipe
assembly is transported disassembled.
The suction and exhaust pipings are connected by a gutter worked out on the upper
part of the carriage. The flow of sand through the-gutter is controlled by the
dredger from his-post in the upper cabin.
25X1'
maximum reach downward (under the water level): 18 meters.- --'?~
two diesel engines of 350 horsepower each
one diesel engine of 150 horsepower.
7. Steel sheets 12 millimeters thick are supplied by the United Steelworks (SONP) in
Kladno. Diesel engines are supplied by the V.I. Lenin Works.-in Pilsen.
8. Finished dredges are transported via the Elbe and Oder rivers and the Magdeburg
BerlinnHohens t 'Canal to Szczecin (Stettin). A 'dredge is transported to
Szczecin in three peAs: the floating carriage is tvggsd by,a.tzgboat, while the
su rstru t d
e c
th
length: ,48 meters
width: 8.20 meters
overall height: 14 meters
weight: 240 tons
efficiency: 350 cubic meters of sand per hour
p
ure an
e exhaust assembly are loaded On towed boats. In Szezecin
the dredge is put together for its further towing to the USSR.
The leading production engineer at the shipyard is Josef Moravec, who is about 50
years old, very competent, married, a nominal Communist. Administrative personnel
number about 50 persons. About 1,800 persons are employed in the production; a
third of these are women. The shipyard works in three shifts of 600 workers each.
10. There is no civil defense or
ani
t
th
g
z
i
e plant. Fire defense is secured by 15
firemen whose post is in the fire house. Six permanent factory guards have their
osts
t th
t
p
a
e
wo-.porters lodges and check all persons and vehicles entering or..
leaving the plant. Two nigh guards with dogs patrol the factory area during the
S CmI &T
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1. ll`e nce.
2. Main entrance into the shipyard.
3. Vehicle entrance? used only during the day.
L. -,iokytka brook.
S. Concrete road., the main suPP1Y route for the shipyard.
6. ;Market place.
7. Concreted area in the courtyard and its borders
8. Clay ground.
9. Turf banks.
10. concrete bank.
11. ; hiplyard basin.
12. tilj arm ai the Vltava river.
1?3, rovitavaka street.
14. daxuv Bridge*
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I. rence .
2. Jain entrance into the shipyard.
3. Vehicle entrance, used only during the day.
).. Rokytka brook.
5? Concrete road, the main supply route for the shipyard.
6. ?~iarket place.
7. Concreted area in the courtyard and its borders,
8. Clay grotne..
9. Turf banks.
1.0. Concrete bank.
U. Shipyard basin.
12. Still arm o l" the Vltava river.
13. Povlta;rska str. eet.
14. Baxuv Bridge,
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A. Porter's, Lodge; ground-floor, masonry, 4x3 m.
B. Shipyards Administrative Uf'fices; two-storied, masonry, 15 x 10 m.
C. '*small l Parts 5uppl y Store; ground--floor,, masonry, 20 x 10 M.
D. i''roduction Nell of Bottom and Lower Side Parts for Dredges; masonry, ground-
floor, open to the wrest. Contains five now steel sheet bending machines. 104
a'ac tort' Canteen; ground-floor, masonry;r 60 x 20 a. C ontains r kitchens 25
mesehall and canteen.
F. orters Lodge; ground-f'l.oor,, wooden, 3 x 3 a.
0. 'roduction Hall of '7 uperstructuree; ground-floor,, masonry, 100 x 25 m,, 15 m
highs the whole northern wall consists of folding doors. The hall is equippe
with five overhead mobile cranes, about 20 electric and acetylene welding
apparatuses and unknown number of lathes, drills and other machine tools;
all the machinery is new.
H. Carpenters' Workshop; ground-floor, masonry, 50 x 25 m large, 6 m high.
It is equipaewd with planning machines, circular saws, band saws and, other
wood-working machinery.
I. Fire House; ground-.floor, masonry, 10 x 6 m 2axrges, 5 m high. There are
two fire engines, fire fighting eq*ipment and firemen's resting room in the
building.
+J. Living C'uarters; two-storied, r. sonry, 15 x 15 m. slant's head guard and
the head carpenter live in the building.
A. Assembly Are" for :bredgee; when the floating carriage is finished, itt is
launched into the basin and the superstructure is added to it; then it is
finished from the inside and fully equipped.
P. s'loating Carriers Docks; the docks are about 150 x 30 m large and sloped
at about 35 degrees towards the basin. ''here are 12 pairs of rails about
12 meters apart, the rails are of 1.5 # gauge; the rails continue in the
basin for another 10 meters. Twelve flat wagons with sloped platforms
are on the rails; the p],Nttorms are sloped by 35 degrees in the opposite
direction than the rails sus! are thus in horizontal level. The wagons are
hold on the rails by steel cables which are iz4dividually operated by
electric pulley". 2 he floating carriers are assembled on wooden platforms
and when finished, tho wagam are pulled under and the carriages are acco-
mmodated an the wagons and then launched into the basin. The minimal depth
or water in the basin is 1,50 cm in s numer season; the draught of the dredges
is 120 cm.
U. Anchoring area for dredges react' for shipment.
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Location of the CKD Shipyard Prague-Liben?'^,
rf1A uSto: " Csa I. 25.000;
PiOAHA wES;1HEcr3953/3W;
- 1/ - EAST I. -t,- 395313,6;
,9'T.5 SEQ/ES Af 872..G
Sf'E TCH NO. /.
O
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Detail Plan of the CKD Shipyard PragL-_
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'#8OO c'
SKETCH /VO.3-
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