Does anyone know if true or not. ?

[John Pruden]

did we learn from the war that shipping was the most important way of life the ships were needed our island home we imported most of what we needed and coming out of the war so the protection of a strong navy was needed i think the ministry of transport would calibrate the amount of shipping was in front? just a thought .?jp

[Allan Davidson]

Good Morning:
I always understood that the Naval obligation by British Shipowners was operative when the size of their Fleet reached 50 vessels. The obligation, I understand, required the ship owner to build a Cruiser for the Royal Navy. Some relate that they were also responsible for the running costs of said vessel. In any case, the shipowners kept a careful watch on the Fleet size and reputedly formed a new Company when the existing fleet came close to reaching the trigger level! Apparently, I was told, one shipowner's fleet did in fact reach this point and met the obligation. That Company was said to be the Blue Funnel Line of Alfred Holt! If any reader has further information on this, I would be glad to hear it.
Regards, Allan Davidson - R643825

[j.sabourn]

One of the reasons why the tramp company’s that I sailed with even with 10 ships they spread them out under different company headings .This was to protect themselves from insolvency in case of prosecutions against one ship which could spread to the whole fleet if money got short and they stood to lose the lot.your first part of the story I think is what most of us heard at the time and were put as a fact ,we all had other things to do and never really checked properly , I know I didn’t .Thanks your input which follows what I was told . Cheers JS
I worked for 10 days in a well known shipping office in 1959 when my leave ran out and all the old ledgers of each individual vessel from the war years to the present were made available they were all to the costings , highest was insurance, then devaluation on hull and machinery , then wages , then overtime ,then feeding, the last 3 were minuscule.In 1959 one cargo a year paid for all running costs . Everything after that on average was profit. JS

[Des Taff Jenkins]

John.
I joined the British Guardian on her maiden voyage, on completion in Swansea the Skipper said; well that's the construction of the ship paid for, I did a further three trips so was sailing on a BTC Company 100% money maker, we did four trips Kuwait to Aden during that time.
Des

[j.sabourn]

There was no such thing as a poor shipowner in those days Des. However the only thing he had control of money wise was crews wages which were the least or one of the least of his debits , insurance and depreciation on the vessel he had no control over and the only thing that kept that depreciation down were the crew who also manned the ship and made his profits available. JS

[Ken Atkinson]

Good Morning:
I always understood that the Naval obligation by British Shipowners was operative when the size of their Fleet reached 50 vessels. The obligation, I understand, required the ship owner to build a Cruiser for the Royal Navy. Some relate that they were also responsible for the running costs of said vessel. In any case, the shipowners kept a careful watch on the Fleet size and reputedly formed a new Company when the existing fleet came close to reaching the trigger level! Apparently, I was told, one shipowner's fleet did in fact reach this point and met the obligation. That Company was said to be the Blue Funnel Line of Alfred Holt! If any reader has further information on this, I would be glad to hear it.
Regards, Allan Davidson - R643825

Ropners created a subsidiary called the Pool shipping Company to avoid this. Ropner's were named after Yorkshire villages such as Romanby, Thirlby ending in by while Pool was used as a suffix such as Stonepool, Rushpool etc.

[WG Smith]

The answer to the original question is no. The requirements were based on assessments of threats etc and based on Planning Assumptions. For an introduction to the subject see - https://hansard.parliament.uk/common...952%E2%80%9353