BRITISH-BUILT SHIPS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19865, 13 June 1927, Page 9

BRITISH-BUILT SHIPS

THE WORLD BUYS THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE THE BEST Seeing that the output of ships from British yards last year was smaller than for seventeen years past, it seems a little boastful to talk of Britain’s lead, in shipbuilding. But the only way to test the success of industry is <o compare it with the same industry in other countries, and the comparison shows that Britain tops the list. In 1925 British yards turned out 1,450 vessels out of a world’s total of 3,912. Holland came next with 762 ships; but while the tonnage of British ships was just on 1,200,000 tons, that of the Dutch boats came to only 316,000. In point of tonnage Germany was next to Britain, having built 417 vessels with a tonnage of 440,000. British figures this year should show a big improvement on those of 1926, for, in the teeth of fierce competition, the great firm of Thornycroft have just secured the largest foreign naval contract since the war. The contract consists of several warships for Chile and will keep about 2,000 men at work for two years. Britain builds more quickly than any other country. In June last there was launched at Port Glasgow by Messrs W. Hamilton and Company, the Ncrissa, a passenger steamer of 5,500 tons. The ordinary time for completing a vessel I of this size is eleven months, but the I Ncrissa was launched 148 days after j being started and finished ready for ' sea in seven months. The building of I this ship beats all records for a passenger vessel of her size. One third of the motor ships under construction in the world,• and more than half of the large motor vessels — that is, those between ten and twenty thousand tons —are being built in Brit ish yards. The world’s finest motor ship is the. Union Castle Company’s Carnarvon Castle, which is of 20,000 tons, and the last word in luxury. A novel feature is the two motor lifeboats fitted with wireless and searchlights. The Carnarvon Castle was built at Belfast and finished last June. Another magnificent motor ship is the Asturias, 22.000 tons, the largest motor liner in the world. She, too. was built at Belfast, for the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company. British workmanship is recognised as the best in the world, so much so that those who want really good vessels are willing to pay more for British-built than foreign-built ships. In a recent case a shrewd Scottish owner actually paid a Clyde shipbuilder for a new cargo ship £20,000 more than the price he could have obtained it for from a Continental yard. But he knew he had a bargain!