SHIPS AND SHIPBUILDING 



345 



SHIPS AND SHIPBUILDING 1 



Prosperity and disaster combined to make the years 1910-12 very notable in the 

 annals of British shipbuilding. The output of Merchant Ships in the United Kingdom 

 in 1911 reached 1,803,844 tons almost double that of 1908; and of this total, 1,400,000 

 tons were for United Kingdom owners, 60,000 for British Colonial, and 344,000 tons for 

 foreign owners, as shown in Column 2 of Table I. In addition 695,300 tons of shipping 

 were sold abroad. The world's output in 1911 exceeded 2\ millions, as in Col. 3. 

 Glasgow, Newcastle and Sunderland districts each reported more than Germany; 

 Greenock and Belfast more than the United States; Middlesbrough and Hartlepool more 

 than France. Notwithstanding large additions the total tonnage (Col. 5) increases 

 but slowly, as the annual reduction due to vessels being broken up, lost, etc., amounts to 

 about 900,000 tons, including 350,000 tons British Shipping. Table I also shows the 

 relation between Merchant and War shipbuilding in 1911, Col. 6 the amount launched 

 in each country, and Col. 7 the portion thereof for foreign owners. 



Table I. Shipping of Various Countries (in thousands of tons). 



The United States output fell to 172,000 tons in 1911. The amount building fell 

 from 130,000 tons in June 1910 to 97,000 tons in June 1911, but increased to 215,000 

 tons by October 1912, due to the construction of vessels to engage in traffic through the 

 Panama Canal. The last three years have seen rapid increases in Germany: the total 

 for 1911 255,532 tons was however still 63,000 tons less than the record made for 

 that country in 1906. The tonnage under construction rose to 467,700 tons in October 

 1912 (see also Count Reventlow, Gassier' s Mag., December 1911). The output of 

 France in thousands of tons has been as follows: (1892) 17; (1902) 192; (1906) 35; 

 (1910) 81; (1911) 125; but since March 1911 building has remained fairly steady at 

 about 120,000 tons. The output of Holland continues to increase; in October 1912 she 



1 See E. B. xxiv, 867 et seq. 2 The statistics are based on Lloyd's Register of Shipping. 



