72 
1939-43, devoted somewhat greater attention to the merchant marine, 
but the plan never materialized because of war. 
A number of innovative methods were introduced to the shipbuild- 
ing industry prior to World War II. In 1930, in a Soviet far eastern 
shipyard, the first tug with an electro-welded hull was built. In 1932, 
Admiralty Yard, in Leningrad, while building a timber carrier in- 
troduced the sectional method of hull construction.”” However, those 
innovations were seldom widely used in commercial shipbuilding and 
were primarily employed for naval construction. A program for 
shipyard restoration, primarily for purposes of naval construction, was 
initiated prior to World War II and a number of new major shipyards 
were built. 5 
During the war, the Soviet shipbuilding industry managed to 
complete the construction of ships with a high degree of prewar 
readiness; however, the industry was basically involved in the repair 
and maintenance of ships of the Soviet Navy, some yards built tanks 
and other items for ground forces. 
The war resulted in the severe damage or destruction of many 
of the principle shipbuilding yards, particularly in the Black Sea area. 
Immediately following the war, the Soviet shipbuilding yards were 
among the first enterprises to be restored and _ considerably 
modernized. The productive capacities of many yards were enlarged 
and covered fabrication shops, permitting year round production in 
the northern area. 
The allocation of shipbuilding capacities in the Soviet Union during 
the first postwar decade reminds one of the prewar situation; i.e., 
naval shipbuilding, intensified in 1947, had received far greater priority 
in allocations, while commercial shipbuilding was conducted on a 
residual basis. However, there was an increase in the number of 
smaller yards and the portions of larger ones which were involved 
in commercial shipbuilding. 
Two major decisions made soon after Stalin’s death altered not 
only the nature of Soviet shipbuilding, but also affected the allocation 
of capacities. The first decision was connected with the beginning 
of nuclear submarine construction in 1953; the second involved ter- 
mination of the construction of a large series of cruisers and conven- 
tional destroyers. A number of buildways, previously committed to 
cruiser and destroyer construction, were subsequently vacated. Some 
of those previously involved in cruiser construction were gradually 
converted to the construction of nuclear submarines; part of the others 
previously allocated to destroyer construction were redirected to the 
production of diesel submarines. The remaining vacated buildways 
were allocated to commercial shipbuilding thus initiating, together 
with increased orders abroad, a rapid development of the Soviet 
merchant marine. The accelerated submarine building program 
definitely demanded an expansion of the Soviet submarine building 
facilities which probably took place during the late 1950’s and early 
1960's. 
7 “Shipbuilding” No. 4, 1969. 
78**Jane’s Fighting Ships” 1966-1967 thru 1970-1971 editions. 
