Evening star., 1942-05-01
u. 5. Yards Expected
To Turn Out -Four Ships
A Day by End Of AZ
Cylinder Engines Now
Being Built to Push
Growing Merchant Fleet
BY JOHN GROVER.

Cargo ships are at once the
brightest and darkest sides Of the
Allied war picture-darkes because
of an acute shipping shortage right
now, brightest because of the whop-
ping job United States shipbuilders
are doing to ease the shortage in the
hear future.
1t was acknowledged recently that
munitions are reaching seaports
faster than they can be shipped
abroad Factors that cause this
shortage of cargo space include: %
Distances to the fronts; 90 greater
enemy submarine fleets; 90 more
necessary tonnage soldier in
modern war.
In 1917-18, we had to send men
and munitions only 5000 miles to
France. This time, there's the 5000
mile haul to Western Europe. the
6000-mile run to Russia and the
12.000-mile trip to the Pacific front.
In the last war, the Central
Powers had maximum sub fleet of
$50 vessels. Present estimates vary,
pub Vic bo1di In at
least three times that. Modern subs
are better, too, and the Allied de-
fense must be spread thin over the
worlds oceans.
One Man; Is Tons.
One of the Armys top logistics
experts figures 18 tons of initial
equipment must be landed for each
infantryman sent abroad. After
that, it takes 3 tons a month to
supply each fighting man. Remem-
Der, it also requires at least twice
more ships for the Russian run. and
four times as many for the Pacific
haul. to keep that 3 tons per man
arriving as it does to supply man
In Western Europe.
To move that tonnage those dis
tances made necessary the greatest
merchant shipping program in his
tory. Originally. the pre-war ship
building plan called for 500 ships a
year. There were experts who called
that total fantastic and impossible.
Now they're expecting to reach a
2.300-ship goal in 1942-43, totaling
around 16,230,075 gross tons.
Four a Day in AZ.
Building hit a ship-a-day total in
February It's due to be stepped up
to two ships a day in May, between
three and four day in December.
The program is behind schedule,
figured on production totals for the
first quarter Of 1912. But many Of
the new shipyards won't be in pro-
duction until summer, and present
active yards won't hit peak until
then.
They've had to lick some tough
technical problems to bring the goal
in sight. Steel shortages hurt at
first, but shipbuilding has top prior
tiles now. Turbine engines were
switched to old-fashioned cylinder
engines, much easier to build in
quantity. Not so fast, but they'll
push 7.200-ton Liberty ship at 10
or IL knots, which means more to
commander than fancier ship with
an unproduced engine.
1,511 Liberty Ships.
We had about 1.150 cargo vessels.
including $50 tankers, on January /,
194l. Add 1911 Liberty ships built
or building. 265 tankers and the rest
of the 1880 in special cargo vessels,
which constitute the present pro-
gram. They total the greatest mer-
chant fleet in history.
The British had 1854 cargo ships
December 81, 1910, when figures
were last disclosed, the Norwegians
469, for a combined tonnage of
20,516,000. Losses to date have been
partially replaced, and experts put
the remaining merchant fleet at 49,
000, 900 to 1880 900 tons.
In the so dsys-January 15-March