Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-01-02
2-Year Ship Output
Doubled Prewar Fleet.
By Mass Production
BY GEORGE MILLER,
Associated Press Business Writer

NEW YORK, Jan. l.-Americar
shipyards, utilizing mass production
methods Of prefabrication, assembl,
lines and standard design to NEE
President Roosevelt's blueprint fol
victory" goal, have delivered In twt
years more than twice the tonnag,
Of the prewar United States mer.
chant feet.
Rear Admiral Howard l.. Vickery
Maritime Commission vice chair.
man, said recently the Nations mer.
chant Shipyards, with December.
output still to be counted, had pro.
duced 25,284 900 lightweight tons by
the end of November to top 1912.
q goal of $4,000, 900 tons.
Exemplifying the production
speedup, the average building tint
on Liberty ships was shaved from 8
January, 1941, figure of PAL days tt
September, 1943, average of Al
days.
Three of Henry j. Kaiser's West
Coast yards and the Bethlehem.
Fairfield ways at Baltimore have
turned out more than $50 vessels
each.
Deliver Five q Day.
Delivery Of more than five mer-
ehantmen day became routine
early in 1913 at American shipyards
which Rear Admiral Emory S. Land
Maritime Commission chairman
said were building more cargo ships
than the rest of the world combined
Merchant shipbuilding yards in
the first II months of 1913 turned
out 1888 ships of 17,194,387 dead
weight tons, more than double the
1912 output of TAG vessels of 5000, SOC
tons.
November's score" of 1874 ships
totaling 1862, 763 tons exceeded the
entire 1941 production of 103 mer-
chantmen of 100000 tons.
At the current pace, unless the
commissions mo Sunday" work or
der effective January and other
factors interfere, the original 1914
goal of 100000 lightweight tons
could be achieved.
Bigger Ships Planned.
Closely tied up to next years
building program will be the planned
changeover from Liberty ship to
larger scale Victory and C-type
vessel construction, the drive to
build $4,000 landing boats and the
growing favorable balance between
new output and war losses.
The improved position of Allied
shipping was pointed-up recently by
President Roosevelt's disclosure that
U-boat sinkings of merchant ton
mage in the three months ending
in October was less than half the
figure for the previous three months,
despite increased overseas traffic.
Can associated Press tabula-
ton OF Western Atlantic U-boat
sinkings showed, on the basis of
announced losses, that 30 per cent
fewer Allied and neutral mer-
chantmen were sunk in those
waters in the second year of
American participation in the
war than in the previous IL
months)
AS early as August the London
financial news reported tempo
rary Allied shipping surplus, ascribed
to combination of American pro-
duction, lower U-boat losses, open
ing of the Mediterranean, improved
packing methods and quicker turn
arounds.
Postwar Fleet Shaped.
Despite the immediate war ship
ping requirements, a pattern tor
postwar American merchant marine
begins to take shape.
Admiral Land called for a perma-
nent feet of 100000 to 10000, 900
lightweight tons, privately owned
and supported by a more liberal
share of overseas trade than in pre-
war days.
The long-range plan was reflected
In Admiral Lands statement that
shipbuilding schedules now include
"a greater proportion of fast ships
ships which can travel without con-
voy, deliver supplies more Quickly