To speed the shipbuilding program, large sections of ships are now being prefabricated in the shop before they are joined to the vessel on the shipway. At the Kearny, N. J., shipyard of Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock company, the bulbous bow of a 17,000-ton oil tanker was formed at the factory into a single streamlined piece weighing 62,883 pounds, while the rest of the hull was taking shape outdoors. Two powerful cranes swung the completed bow gently into place for a tight fit, saving time formerly lost by the practice of welding plates one at a time from scaffolding.