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A Revew of an Unparalleled Year in Merchant Ship Building With Special Reference to the Atlantic Coast favorable permanently checked the decadence of American ship building in 1915; also they brought about the achievements of a fresh and powerful industry in 1916. Both years have made imperishable con- tributions to the history of shipping in the’ United States; no year has done more, however, to speed the C IRCUMSTANCES incomparably attainment of the goal—restoring the. American flag to the high seas—than 1916. In the magnitude of its activities and expansion, the past year is with- out parallel in the annals of modern ship building in this country. There were completed in American yards in that period approximately 1,200 mer- chant vessels of all descriptions with a gross tonnage of about 600,000. Of this total, approximately 150 were steel ships of over 400,000 gross tonnage. The remainder was made up _ of ‘wooden craft. During the calendar year of 1915, there were launched in the United States, according to Lloyds, 84 steel merchant ships of 177,460 gross - tonnage. The increase in modern car- go ships in 1916, therefore, has been more than double. Remarkable as these figures are, they are far less impressive than the statistics of work building or under contract. On Dec. 1, 1916, the number of steel vessels in this class was 400, with a gross tonnage of 1,428,003. For the first timé the American ship building in- dustry is practically on an equal basis with Great Britain. Hundreds of Vessels Being Built On July 1, the number of vessels under construction was 385, of 1,225,784 gross tons; on Feb. 1, 1916, 230 of 901,371 gross tons; on Dec. 1, 1915, 202 of 761,511 tons, and on July 1, 1915,. 76 .of 310,089 gross tons. The steady growth of building is shown by: these statistics. Previous to 1916, the high-mark of steel merchant ves- sels. building or under contract in American yards was July 1, 1907, when the total was 134, and the gross tonnage was 403,473. Of the work under construction Dec. 1, 1916, it is expected, according to government re- ports, that 294 vessels of 904,231 gross tons will be launched by July 1, 1917, and 106 ships of 523,772 gross tons by July 1, 1918. The number for 1918 completion has been increasing steadily month by month. In wooden ships of 500 gross tons or over, there were building or under contract in private yards on Dec. 1, 1916, 116 craft of 156,615 gross tons. The number and tonnage of steel vessels under construction or con- tracted for at the beginning of each month during 1916 is given in the following table, which is taken from government reports. These monthly reports began Feb. 1: Number Tonnage GOGAT Yo Gees epee ee eee es 230 901,371 WEADONES coy sceecters sleet caress 244 945,798 Ny ohh Gaiety eases hires aap Pare ores er 360 1,067,856 Des ses es vow cians cnt avete eceme 368 1,129,014 NARI oes Soe cc oooh ce 6's 0s vies wee. 9s O72 1,147,534 ASE eo SSA ni ce Rg CCRC Re 385 1,225,784 PATE OTISE Ocak e cisiai sie aie aie's «ein 389: 1,260,978 DEPLEMIDEI Ys Vee vase cee ss 397 1,292,310 CPO DENS. al Secs aes ce te ese 417 1,454,270 ING VEHIDED Oo ciiis cave ences sie 5 417 1,479,946 WecemVen se os 6 Gb sais ce ees 400 1,428,003 The same underlying conditions which stimulated anew American ship building in 1915, have remained in force throughout the past year, but their cumulative effect has been pro- nounced. These conditions have been intimately related to the war and to its influences which by actual losses. through destruction, internment and impressment into government service of many ships of belligerent nations have continued to produce a _ world- wide shortage in commercial tonnage. Freight rates, due to the excess de- mand for space have risen to un- precedented levels and it has not been an unusual case where a vessel has been able to pay for itself by only a few round trips. The ship market has been extremely active and fabulous prices have been paid by buyers for going vessels. Many ships which were thought long since to have filled their days of usefulness have been drawn back into active service by the press- ing demand and attractive inducements for overseas tonnage and have quickly taken on a value several times that which their owners formerly would have been glad to accept. In every neutral country of a mari- time character, the construction of new ships has been speeded up as never before. The expansion of the ship building industry of the United States in a large measure has been a part of this general movement and apparently has been vitalized by the same fundamental causes. Japan, 54 By C. J. Stark Norway, Sweden and other countries have applied themselves energetically along this line. These countries have been handicapped, however, by in- adequate home supplies of raw ma- terial, notably steel, and as they have been shut off largely from the great exporting nations of Germany, Great Britain and Belgium, they have been obliged to apply to the United States for large supplies. In addition, some of the belligerent countries, including Italy and even Great Britain herself, have been active buyers of ship ma- terial in this country. The tremendous requirements of the home yards, added to the heavy ex- port demands, have fairly overwhelmed the mills of the United States and have lead to such phenomenal prices as 6c, mill, or $120 per ton, for plates passing Lloyds inspection. Buying of steel for. vessels on contract is now extending into 1918, and there have been sales covering deliveries during the third quarter of next year. Foreigners Fill Our Yards Foreign shipping interests, unable to obtain either yard space or material abroad, have continued to place many contracts with American builders. The great majority of the orders of this kind have come from Norwegian com- panies who placed in this country during the past year not less than 50 vessels of various types and sizes, ranging from 300 to 8,750 tons each. A number of these orders went to Great Lakes plants. Norwegian capital also has been behind the transfer of ownership and the enlargement of several of the American yards. The number of steel vessels for foreign owners completed in American yards in 1916, was 13, with a gross tonnage of 33,265. The great demand for new tonnage in 1916 has been responsible for the most extensive expansion of ship yard facilities the United States has wit- nessed in the life of modern ship building. Many new yards have been established on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and the old plants have been greatly extended practically with- out exception. Some of the largest of these plans for increased yard facilities are in the preliminary stage and their completion is likely to come (Concluded on page 61)