Shortage of ships

[Keith Tindell]

What a sad state of affairs for our once great MN fleet, it seems if the customs checks in the event of a no deal will clog the main ports up, so we have to resort to hiring to bring in essential supplies. Have we learned nothing from 2 world wars, when it was attempted to starve the country of supplies, and only our MN fleet was able to keep us going, kt


https://www.newstatesman.com/politic...d-and-medicine

[j.sabourn]

#1. Keith From mid 1939 to the end of 1940 the British Tramp fleet comprised 809 vessels over 3500 GRTs. As enemy action took its toll the government via the Admiralty set about correcting the losses as quickly as possible. Thus the Empire standard type appeared. The main class was 10,000 to 10500 deadweight tramp. With variations in design and tonnage and modified between shipyards tosuit the design and practices of different builders. The earliest wartime standard were the Xand Y types, it was decided that a vessel of 425 feet and a beam of 56 feet was the most suitable when itcame to deciding one standard type. The numbers built are no doubt in the pages of the book on British Tramps by I.G. Stewart but as there are over 500 pages on just about the whole of the tramp ship fleets of the times would take time to find. The shipping losses were horrific . But from the ashes rose a viable and world renown industry. Today there is practically nothing there at all. This is only the trampship Trade , the liner Trade was something else again. Well may some say what went wrong or who took the decisions to run down Britain’s lifelines. Cheers JWS

[robpage]

I was in The Liner trade in the very early 1970s the aircraft killed the passenger trade off , I joined the tanker company gulf oil when the Suez was closed you needed 250000 tonne ships to go round the cape the smaller ships had lesser business and nowhere to go so I joined the ferry trade competing against French ships that had subsidised oil because they were carrying French agricultural goods that didn't help and the tunnel just about killed off the profitable ferries I also think that the management of sea link was not the world's best shipping managers and selling out to James Sherwood whose interest was getting the land to put the Container Terminal on and with some fanciful ideas about luxury services across the channel made me grab the redundancy with both hands . Another Falklands War would be serviced by aircraft landing at Port Stanley even St Helena has an airport which the expert said could never be done . I came in for the industry in 1966 and spent 20 years watching it die off slowly but I have some fantastic memories

[j.sabourn]

#3... Another Falklands war would be different than the last one Rob. Everyone learns by experience including the Argentinos . The first thing in all likelihood would be the airports being wiped out. The use of unmanned aircraft is much in vogue now so any surface fleet would have to have an impregnable air cover. Any attacks from the air would also probably be done by drones. God forbid that there should be another flare up there. JWS

[robpage]

well think we have 1 Vulcan left

[j.sabourn]

Would be as much use today as the foo foo bird. JS

[robpage]

we probably cannot fly it now due to exhaust pollution

[j.sabourn]

#3 When I refer to the liner trade Rob am not referring to passenger liners but to all the many ships on fixed runs. Such as Manchester Liners and South America Saint Line., just being two of many. There were quite a few companys had regular runs down the Meddy. Would imagine their numbers would at least equal the tramp trade if not exceed it. Cheers JS

[robpage]

Clan Line ran to East Africa and India / Pakistan on regular services , originally many were 12 passenger / cargo , King line were the B&C tramp ships