POST-WAR SHIPPING

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 155, 29 December 1944, Page 7

POST-WAR SHIPPING

U.S. LOOKS AHEAD

MERCHANT MARINE'S TASK WASHINGTON, December 2. The Office of War Information," after consulting numerous U.S. military and Government agencies, reports that the repatriation of troops, movement of supplies and equipment, and rehabilitation work will engage most of the United States merchant marine for at least half a year, and possibly as long as three years; after the end of the war with Japan. The report is based on data provided by the Maritime Commission, the War Shipping Administration, Army, Navy, Coastguard, and the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce of the Department of Commerce. It provides a most comprehensive study of the merchant, marine's war role, its tremendous growth in personnel and ships, the heroism of its men, and its rehabilitation job. «tJ?f+y?'r' ShiPPi«g: Administration states that sea transport for the war against Japan, "an unfinished business with number one priority," may require three times the shipping involved in me European war. hf af E&i&ation said that approxi- I m.ateJy 5,000,000 tons of American mer- ! chant shipping, equalling the entire pre-war German merchant fleet, is now1 engaged in a short-run shuttle service rw Ye? the WC?£ d ' with the English Channel among the principal runs

GREATER SEA DISTANCES. . Much greater sea distances will be fi/^J 15- 111- 6 war veers the Pacific, the administration pointed out. For example, it is nearly 7000 miles froS San Francisco to the China coast comtrnrfted W4St 3OO° mF cS *««i & eSt United States coast to France The f n ec t t S p Slty many new porte m the Pacific will step up the number of ships required for shuttle-runs alone pafSiW P°r uts from which American snips have been leaving with war cargoes every half-hour Iround the en°d Ck nf Wt 1h. nT? t be disma"tled SStti thl Sed L-th J^Peap w^> but will be used with gulf and west coast ports Cargoes from east coast ports to the China-Burma-India command trawl the Wrm!ni O topO 3nd 00? ™^ with month? P requirin 2 three to five

After the war the' merchant marinp will repatriate at least 6,000,000 sSvTce! men, supply those ■ Americans remainthf Z* TS f e aV nd transport cargo tor Si* h?"jmd reconstruction of occupied and devastated areas American ships have already moved over 4 500 000 to Ve 7l™£g trans P°rted to France The merchant marine has nlaveri a major role in many of the most im sailed with the Normandy landing armada. Rear-Admiral Howard L W^ Vlce-. chairman of the Mart time Comtmssion, says that merchant SS s*a^ the" navy's Mariana S Te PlSls?itT^ fh 3! 6 5S

The Allied, victories in savin? Au<? tralia from invasion would not have cember "mTi? * Australia since December 1941, have been delivered by American merchant ships Last September 15, the War <shing£« t Administration 'listed 5803 Se?: dead m T a n nne casualties, including 722 dead. In addition, 10,000 merchant SKlliSfteSE* SUffered dSmfie tSJnt gvl F° r iary ln or Permanent reSc^nSrinr^ae?!l^ ume tnan in peacetime.

DECORATIONS AWARDED. a«»mSSn^S SSBS^ JSTSIeS^B o/thet o?er hUS9Soo Sly> ™ war ri n fg ar c s ombat ba^, and 102,000 Stafe^waf nnd ? 3lf £ f 1942 the United states was constructing cargo vessels to the" £1? er tonna^ gthan g°wa Vs S

siot CZ dSL tO ? e Maritime Commish£?e™J2* U? Uon °- f me^hant ships iq!« %t ded from nine ships built m £5 107 938 ?n aSei^ t tOnn^e tote" I xß,, i"'.yaS to 1896 ships built in i«m Ste 1 mfJ 4 9' 238' 62? dead^ighTtons'To v■u■ !i construction totalled 1233 ships totalling 12,245,583 tons The production decline in 1944 reflects the conversion of high-productfon yardl to Victory ships and military types Looking to the post-war period the Maritime Commission says it appear! that American shipping will lose some S?vrf rf Yen- Ur and some ■ commenS thoY i airlmes- but says it believes £?2« Pleasure passenger travel, cruise con?inue nb y O|i P . PaSSenger travel wil! It predicts increased cargo volumes S, a£ d ?° m -China' India > Africa, Sid South America for American ships, me Commission also expects a heavy travel boom.

The Commission has made the following recommendations to Congress for the disposal of the wartime fleet; scrapping twenty-year-old ships; laying up between 500 and 2000 Liberty ships as a potential auxiliary shipping supply for the Armed Forces in • the event of war; offer for sale or clrarter to American shipping lines from 2000 to 2500 Liberty vessels commissioned by 1945 over and above the number laid up; and offer for cash sale to the United Nations such Liberty ships not laid up or disposed of by other means.