The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-10-01

!
| United States shipping board there
was on September 1, 1918, 2.1S5 sea
going vessels, totaling 9,511, 915 dead
| weight tons. OF these, 1924, total
ing 6,596,4O5 lightweight tons, fly
the American flag. Under charter to
the shipping board and to american
citizens there are 891 foreign yes
sells, totaling 2,915,510 dead-weight
TONS At the time the United States
entered the war the American mer.
chan marine included approximately
only 2,750,0OO lightweight tons OF
sea-going vessels of over 1900 dead
weight tons. The expansion OF the
fleet within the Jurisdiction of the
shipping board has come about for
the most part during the past year.
Expansion Of Merchant Marine.
The American merchant marine Is
today expanding more rapidly than
any other in the world. In August
of this year the United States took
rank as the leading shipbuilding ma
ton in the world. 1t now has moro
shipyards. more shipways, more
shipworkers, more ships under con
struction, and is building more ships
every month than any other coun-
try, not excepting the United King
dom, hitherto easily the first ship
building power Prior to the war
the United States stood poor third
among the shipbuilding nations.
Since August, 1917, more seagoing
tonnage has been launched from
American shipyards than was ever
launched before in similar period
anywhere. The total, as of Septem-
40
lightweight tons, is nearly four
over $500 lightweight tons) built in
the United States in any four pre-
war years. The total launchings since
the first of this year, 4s2 vessels, of
2 1885,, 692 lightweight tons, are more
than eight times the seagoing ton
mage (of owe 1,5OO lightweight tons)
produced in this country in any pre-
war year.
In the four pre-war years, 1913
1916, according to the bureau of
navigation of the department of COM
merce, this country built 107 sea-
going steam vessels Of over 1900
lightweight tons. totaling S05,037
lightweight tons. The high mark OF
pre-war production in the United
States of seagoing vessels of over
800 lightweight tons was reached
n 1916, when there were built thirty
eight vessels, of 1855 dead-we .gbt |
ons.
Deliveries.
More than 100000 lightweight |
ons of new ships have been com.
oleted and delivered to the shipping |
BOARD during the past year. The first |
leliverey was made on August 30, |
917, by the Toledo Shipbuildins
Company, of Toledo, Ohio. The first |
million tons of completed ships were |
in May; the second million !
n August The deliveries to the |
shipping board in August broke all /
worlds records in the product, On of |
tonnage and established /
he United States as the leading |
hipbuilding nation of the world. |
They totaled 349,7S3 lightweight |
ons. Those from American ship
'ards to the shipping board in Au-
Just totaled 324,180 lightweight tons,
the previous worlds rec
'rd for any month, which had been
made by British shipyards in May,
91s, by $3.50 lightweight tons. Thu
deliveries to the shipping board by
American shipyards from August 80,
917, to and including August 81,
91S, totaled 327 seagoing vessels Of
,952,675 lightweight tons. Adding
light vessels of 66,357 dead weight
ons delivered by Japanese ship
ards, the grand total of deliveries
o the shipping board up to Septem-
Ter l, 1918, was 335 vessels of 2,0i3,.
32 dead-weight tons.
Records Made by Shipyards.
The most spectacular achievement
n the history of shipbuilding, in this
n any other country was the launch
ng from American shipyards on In
dependence day of ninety-five stee'.
vood, and composite vessels, totaling
74,464 lightweight tons; thus in
me day there were launched 1885,
09 more lightweight tons than was
he output Of seagoing tonnage tot
yer 1,500 lightweight tons) in the
'est qre-war year of American ship
uilding.
Another worlds record was made
~ American shipyards for the month
II July. There were launch su in
hat month 1926 steel, wood, and COM
'osite vessels, totaling 634 All dead
weight tons. This total more than
Ioubles the launching totals for any
month in the history of British ship
ards. Prior to this year British
launched more vessels an
lually than all the others IN the
world.
Thus an unprecedented pace of
marks the rapidly in
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