Bottoms for Britain

Next best to actual news that the German Navy had been driven out of the North Atlantic was the news that Chairman Emory Scott Land of the U.S. Maritime Commission announced last week. The salty, profane Admiral did not promise in so many words that the U.S. would win the Battle of the Atlantic, but his announcement made that outcome a reasonable certainty: by next year at this time the U.S. will be turning out merchant ships as fast as the Germans are now sinking them; in the whole of 1942 the U.S. will turn out 6,046,000 tons of shipping; about as much as the most pessimistic forecasters figure the Germans can sink in a year.

Admiral Land’s prediction was no rosy dream. It was a fact-&-figure estimate of present and future ship production hedged by only one condition: the usual proviso against labor trouble and shortage of materials, neither of which is specifically in sight.

This put a new face on U.S. shipbuilding plans which have been face-lifted several times. First, in 1937, a program to build 500 ships in ten years was laid down. In 1939 that program was rescheduled for completion in five years. Eight months ago, not yet understanding how big her losses would be in the Battle of the Atlantic, Britain ordered 60 ships of simplified design built in the busy U.S. shipyards.

But the U.S. shipyards had not yet begun to feel the worst of the strain. Last January Franklin Roosevelt called for 200 more ships, of 10,000 deadweight tons.

These were the “Ugly Ducklings” that saddened the President’s seagoing heart although they looked good enough (see cut) to landlubbers. They have been re-christened “Liberty Ships.” Then in April 227 more ships were ordered as part of the Lend-Lease program. At the same time completion of the original program was advanced to 1943.

Finally in July came the biggest program of all on top of all the rest: an order for 541 more cargo vessels and tankers, and 25 seagoing tugs. It brought the grand total of construction up to 13,500,000 deadweight tons. Last week Jerry Land told newsmen that this program would be finished by the end of 1943.

First keels of the Ugly Ducklings were laid in April and May this year. Today 34 are on the ways. The first will be launched in October and by year’s end 19 will be delivered and in service.

But the 32 yards (with 234 ways) now building for the Commission will not turn out ships in quantity until the first half of next year. In the first quarter of 1942, said Admiral Land, the Commission expects to deliver 1,000,000 tons (90 tankers and cargo ships).

Thereafter the Commission’s production curve marches uphill: second quarter, 1,400,000 tons (146 vessels); third quarter, 1,646,000 tons (154 vessels); fourth quarter close to 2,000,000 tons (184 vessels). Total for next year: 574 vessels totaling better than 6,000,000 tons.

For 1943, Jerry Land promised 2,270,000 tons in the first quarter, enough for the rest of the year to bring its total production above 6,000,000 tons. Beyond that lies another program that does not have to be laid out for months to come, can be taken by the vast ship-production machine without stripping its gears if mass shipbuilding is still needed by that time.