58 COLLAPSE OF TEXAS TOWER NO. 4 



ASSUMPTION OF DESIGN RESPONSIBILITY 



Senator Stennis. In your professional capacity, could you have 

 designed such a structure yourself ? 



Captain Albers. That would be rather difficult. I have not been 

 following detailed design work throughout my Navy career. I am 

 quite familiar with design work. 



Senator Stennis. Well, of course, you have many other things to 

 do. If you were not prepared to design the tower yourself, though, 

 I do not see how you can say that you were responsible for the design, 

 unless you are just saying that you were the officer who was in charge 

 at that stage, and in your opinion as a naval officer, it was your 

 responsibility. 



Now, are you saying it in that capacity or as an engineer ? 



Captain Albers. I say it in the capacity of an engineer, Mr. Chair- 

 man. We spend all of our time in engineering work, both design 

 and construction, and I am familiar with design procedures, and I 

 know that the correct design procedures were followed in the design 

 of this tower. 



Senator Stennis. I do not see how you could say that it was your 

 responsibility, and that you were responsible for the design, unless it 

 was just a command proposition. 



Captain Albers. Well, INIr. Chairman, I do not know what to say, 

 except that I felt that I was responsible for the proper design of these 

 towers, and I had assistance from the civilian design members of the 

 District Public Works Office, who were prepared to and did, in a 

 number of cases, check these computations, sir. 



Senator Stennis. Well, I admire your spirit about it in being will- 

 ing to assume the responsibility as a naval officer. But just to say 

 that you were responsible for it and put a period there, why, I think 

 that further inquiry than that is essential for us to carry out our ob- 

 ligations. 



Captain Albers. I am a graduate engineer and a licensed engineer, 

 sir. 



Senator Stennis. I was crediting your qualifications, rather than 

 discrediting them. As I say, I commend you for being willing to as- 

 sume the responsibility. 



All right, you may proceed. Captain, in your own way. 



Captain Albers. Do you want to continue with the movie sir? 



Senator Stennis. Yes, with the film. 



(The commentary continued :) 



Having to keep clear of the two corners because of interference with the leg 

 during the installation of the tower, it was necessary to install at sea that por- 

 tion of the deckhouse which extended over these two corners. The deckhouse, 

 which overhangs two of the corners and consisted of approximately 300 tons 

 of steel, was to be used by the Air Force for housing their radio and their radar 

 equipment. 



This deckhouse projected 15 feet above the main deck and provided foundations 

 for the Arctic tower and radar domes installed later on. 



After the deckhouse was completed, the Arctic tower was then erected. This 

 was fully insulated and provided with heat and air conditioning, to provide the 

 proper atmosphere for the radar equipment installed later on by the Air Force. 



After completion of most of the heavy lifts, we disassembled the two crawler 

 cranes we had on deck and lowered them over the side to a waiting scow. We 

 then used the permanent Gantry cranes for all future operations. 



