Wartime Standard Ships Volume Two The Oceans, The Forts & The Parks

Between the two world wars, shipbuilding as a whole was a dormant factor in the Canadian economy and in September 1939, Canadas merchant navy consisted of less than 400 ships of 500 gross tons and over, totalling about 1,100,000 gross tons. Of this total some 260 ships of 700,000 tons were operating in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence area, sixty coasters of 150,000 tons sailed in the coastal routes, and only 40 ships of about 250,000 gross tons could be classified as ocean-going vessels. In this year also, Canadas shipbuilding facilities were at a low ebb for only about 2,000 skilled men, shared between about ten shipyards, were immediately available and they were put to work on naval construction, the hastily organised War Supply Board controlling, among other things, the building of ships. This arrangement lasted until 1940 when the board was superseded by the Department of Munitions and Supply.