The Wilmington morning star., 1947-04-06
u S. S~hipbuilding
Hits Rock Bottom
Bv GEORGE TUCKER

BY GEORGE TUCKER
NEW YORK, April 5.-P-Brit-
ish shipyards outbuilt U. S. yards
two-to-one last year and currently
are outstripping the Americans at
the rate of nine to one.
They are cashing in on the post
war demand for bottoms by a sus-
tanned building program which
saw them turn out more than half
of a world total of TAT ocean-going
ships launched in 1916, more than
twice the number produced by the
United States.
Statistics released by Lloyd's
register in London a few days ago
said that British and Irish yards
produced ships last year totalling
l., 1873, 245 gross tons while Ameri-
can yards built only sol, 294 gross
tons. Sweden, Canada, Italy, Spain
and Denmark followed the U. S.
in that order.
That Britain's long-range build
ing program, financed by private
Initiative, is running away from
U. S. competition is emphasized
by disclosure that British builders
currently have 429 ocean : going
ships on the ways, whereas U. S.
yards have 40.
"While we tumble with a hit
and = miss policy the British are
building good ships at record
Speed" one New York shipbuild-
er declared.
Some shipping men, however,
believe that the British can be
overtaken.
Appointment recently by the
White House of a high level ad-
visory committee to study Mer-
chant Marine needs and make rec
concentrations is expected to re-
suit in a coordinated long-range
shipbuilding program, something
the U. S. never has had in peace
time.
Heretofore, almost all U. S.
~shipbuilding has been sporadic, or
geared to national emergencies.
In the year that World War I
began, the u. S. built only "a ships
but turned out $50 in 1919.
In 1889 this country built
% ships. Under the urgency OF
war, production by 1914 had climb
ed to 1,463. The United States
emerged from the war with the
biggest fleet of ocean-going
vessels in history. Under U. S.
registry on W Day were $500
ships, 81 per cent of all the sea-
going ships in the world.
The great bulk of these, how
ever, were cargo ships and tank
ers, and there was a dangerous
deficit in passenger ships.
This deficit was highlighted by
recent disclosure that only 81 pas
senger ships of all types are now
under U. S. registry, and many
of these are undergoing reconver-
sion and are unavailable for duty.
Actually, as this is written, only
81 passenger ships are in opera
ton under the American flag.
They have a total capacity of
1859 passengers. In 1889 the us.
had 1862 passenger ships in opera
ton, with a capacity of Sc, 516 pas
sengers.
Today only one U. S. passenger
liner the America - is COM
peting with British and Scandina-
Wan luxury liners in the vital
North Atlantic run.
Shipping executives say foreign
nations are taking full advantage
of this Merchant Marine crisis
which was brought to a head last
summer by cancellation of plans
for construction of nine superlin-
ers and a replacement program of
SO cargo vessels annually.
Reasons given for the canella-
ton were lack of materials and
an economy drive which came as
a prelude to the 1916 elections.
Only $50, 900 workers r cur
recently employed in private u. S.
ship-yards, 40 per cent of whom
are engaged in repair work.
Meanwhile, British and I i h
yards ''have taken t h e competi-
tive advantage" on U. S. ship
builder said. "they have 429 ships
on the ways, aggregating 1880, 700
gross tons, and are turning out
passenger ships right and left"
OF the 40 ocean-going vessels
the U. S. is building today, seven
are passenger ships. In addition
this country is at work on 228
tugs, barges, n miscellaneous
auxiliary craft with an aggregate
of 427, 900 gross tons.
The shipping industry in this
country is virtually on the rocks"
j. M. Willis, general manager of
Bethlehem Steel's ship : building
division, declared. UNLESS there
is Qualification in the govern
ment's program, it is almost GER
tain that when 1948 begins there
will be no merchant shipbuilding
in any shipyard in the U e d
States"
The 'tragedy'' of sporadic fleet
building, according to a study OF
the Merchant Marine problem by
the Harvard business school, is
that fleets which are built as a
unit decay the same way.
Elects must reproduce them
selves. . . if no ships are built
because the country has more
than it can use, the art of ship
building and ship designing can
soon be lost"
The Harvard report declared
that continued operations of ship
l ard sTnrnfAd ~lfA ~win~x u