Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-31
OUTPUT Of SHIPS
lESSENED BY WAR
Great Britain's Yards Idle as
Compared With Peace Times.
ACTIVITIES ON CLYDE
SHOW BIG DECREASE
Tonnage Of Production in Last Two
Years Is Nearly Two Mil
lions Smaller.

show that only 517 merchant vessels
were built. representing a total ton
mage of 64s.336 tons. as against 1,294
vessels of 1,722,154 tons during the
previous year.
Output in 1914 and 1915.
The following table, which has been
compiled from statistics furnished by
the leading shipbuilders. shows the
total output of the world during 1915
and 1914:
Vessels Tonnase s Vessels. sci Tc nm, e
BITS Gomin on; iss 1887 I'll 67.9s
Foreign combat
comsaiant 49,. a55 sss.s37 1.6oe 1884. OF:
1855 1871 $40 s1e5 s.4s4.17
In the statistics relating. to work
turned out by British yards, no figures
are given of warships building. Were
these figures included, it is probable
that the output might have been larger
than in any previous year. but the
totals serve to demonstrate the amount
% work which has been accomplished
In British yards. During the whole
year shipowners have been deploring
the difficulties which have lain in the
way OF their obtaining delivery OF yes
GELS ordered before the war broke out,
sad in many yards devoted entirely to
war work new mercantile tonnage
remains on the stocks and in the con-
dition il was left months ago.
The Production in 1918.
During the year 1918 the total mer-
camille production Of the United King
dom was 1,424 vessels with an aggre-
gate tonnage of 1.s77.573, SO that the
output last year was less by -so7 ves-
sells and 1.32s.237 tons.
The decrease in the British output
has been particularly heavy in Belfast.
where Harland & Wolff have for the
first time in the history Of the famous
firm launched no merchant vessel,
whereas in 1918 they launched SIX
Workman. Clark & Co. also did COM
paratively littl mercantile work. for
the total of the new tonnage which
they turned out during the year was
2e.31S. as against vessels representing
15.1SS tons during the previous year.
1t was early in the year that Work
man. Clark & Co. completed their most
ae
and the Ebro. for the Royal Mail Steam
Packet Company. All three vessels
were practically completed at the end
of 1914. and there are specific reasons
why the vessels should be finished this
year.
At the end of March they launched
the hrst of a number of steamers which
they have contracted to build for the
United Fruit Company of New York
and Boston. the steamer San Mateo. a
vessel of 1910 TONS In May the steam
err San Pablo was placed in the water.
and this was followed in August by the
steamer San Pedro. These three boats
inN dad fnr "a frnd nVlv
and are sister ships. In October a
fourth vessel for the same owners, but
intended for the cargo and passenger
carrying trade. was launched. Since
been engaged on work other than for
the mercantile navies of the world.
Activities in Clyde Yards.
There has been great activity
throughout the whole year in Clyde
yards. from which 126 vessels. repre-
were launched. Many of the vessels,
however, were small ones. and. whether
they increase the number of launches,
they do not add considerably to the
total tonnage. Although the majority
of the shipyards on the Clyde were
taken over by the government shortly
after the outbreak of the war, for q
considerable time there was no sus-
pension of mercantile work. There are
still to be found on the Clyde several
yards devoted in the main to the con-
struction of small steamers of the
coasting grade, which are not CON
trolled establishments. and for some
months these yards were able to pro-
coed without any dihhculty with the
contracts they had on hand.
1t was only after the government de-
cided upon a scheme for drawing all
available labor to the controlled
yards for war work that these firms
experienced any difficulty.
The largest vessel launched on the
Clyde last year was the steamer Aote-
aroa. liner of $4,000 tons. built by the
Fairfield company. for the Union Steam
vessel. which is the only merchant ship
turned out by the firm last year, is a
twin screw-geared turbine steamer, and
has the distinction of being the largest
vessel launched in 1915 in the world.
In 1914 the Germans held the record
by the launching of the liner Bismarck
vessel of $4,000 tons, built for the
Hamburg-Amerika line. at Hamburg
and the s. second largest vessel was The
tons, launched. at Belfast.
The only other geared turbine ves-
sells OF note. launched by the Clyde
side last year. was the federal liner
Cumberland. of $500 tons, at Port
Glasgow, in March. and the Australian
steamer Mariana. of 2,970 tons, at Dunn
barton, in June.
Two Motor-Driven Vessels.
Only two going motor-driven
vessels were launched on the Clyde
both from the yards OF Harland & Violin
the Bostorian at Swan, and the Monte.
yuma at Irvine. The former is a vessel
of $500 tons, built for F. Leyland &
Co, Limited. and the latter 10 of 800
tons, built for Elder Dempster & Co
In tonnage Russell & Co. take the
leading place, having launched nine
vessels, representing 4S,330 tons, which
IS the worlds record output during
1915.
Only two oil tankers were launched
Sn 1915 on the Clyde, both for the yare
Of the Greenock and Grangemoutf
Dock Company. One is the Vennachar
built for Glasgow firm, and the othel
the Barendrecht. for the owners II
Rotterdam. The former was a vesse
Of 3.662 tons and tife latter of 4,70(
tons.
Every effort was made during the
early part of the year to get into the