Nagasaki is not a dockyard town, though it is generally supposed to be
outside Japan, on account of its being a naval harbour.
It is the oldest port in Japan, its history dating from the Dutch
trading days. It contains two docks, as follows:—
1. TATEGAMI.
Feet.
Length on blocks 510
Extreme length 530
Breadth 99
Depth (maximum) 27½
2. MUKAIJIMA.
Length on blocks 360
Extreme length 371
Breadth 53
Depth (maximum) 24½
There is also a patent slip, of which the rails are 750 ft. long, the
breadth 30 ft., and the lifting power in tons 1200.
It has already been mentioned that Nagasaki was an old Dutch station;
but the present Tategami yard was established about the time of the
Crimean War, by the Tokugawa Government, with the assistance of Dutch
engineers. After the civil war it was taken over by the Imperial
Government, who in 1884 sold it to the Mitsu Bishi Company, to which it
now belongs.
This company built the present granite dry docks. In 1889 they had
begun to build ships—a tug of 206 tons gross being their first effort.
Since then quite large vessels have been constructed, not always with
success; but, as an invariable rule, the failures on one have led
to successes on another, and the yard is now a very going concern,
employing about 4000 men.
The harbour and docks are extensively used by men-of-war.
As yet, judged by European standards, no really excellent work has been
turned out at Nagasaki. The main trouble has been with riveting; but
this is being steadily overcome, and it is purely a question of time
before ocean greyhounds will be turned out at this yard.
The work is not entirely Japanese; “stand-by” Westerners still exist.
These are kept in the background, in case their services are needed.
So far as I can gather, they are not requisitioned unless a difficulty
occurs, which is another way of saying that they are less and less
in demand. The majority of these stand-by men have Japanese wives,
and have adopted Japan as their country; as often as not they are
naturalised Japanese subjects.