Rise and Fall of British Shipbuilding

At the beginning of the twentieth century Britain stood proud among the maritime nations of the world, with the biggest merchant fleet and the biggest shipbuilding industry. As the century reaches its end, Britain is reduced to a merchant fleet that stands at number thirty-eight in the world listings. The nation that built mighty battleships and great and beautiful ocean liners, has now all but abandoned attempts to compete for new orders. In the early days shipbuilding was more craft than industry, but with the steam age all that changed. Industrial methods were brought in, but old attitudes were more difficult to alter. The old crafts and guilds were replaced by competing unions, and the miseries of the demarcation dispute were the result. The genius and drive of men like Brunel and Armstrong, constantly seeking change, gave way to complacency. British was best and British, it was believed, would always be best. But investment was low, change sluggish and gradually, almost by stealth, the rest of the world began to catch up and then overtake. The achievements of the nineteenth century had been immense, which make the collapse all the more tragic. This book looks at the cataclysmic fall of a famous industry and traces its origins right back to the days of glory before steam and iron took over from sail and timber.