Main Feature: Shipbuilding
In 1914, Britain produced more ships than all other countries put together. Shipbuilding employed around 300,000 men, and used around one third of British steel. With the advent of submarine warfare, the increase in ship losses meant that shipbuilding became a priority to ensure continued imports of food and raw materials. As Prime Minister David Lloyd George said, "The road to victory is to be found in one word - ships; in a second word - ships; in a third word - ships."
But this rapid expansion had long-term consequences. Nearly a century later, British shipbuilding is a pale shadow of its former self, thanks to a near-fatal combination of overmanning, restrictive union practices, failure to modernise and increased international competition.
Shipbuilding
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 Shipyard (1935) |
