ANGLO—AMERICAN SHIPBUILDING IN WORLD WAR II

The twentieth century witnessed two of the greatest conflicts in human history, both First and Second World Wars. In each conflict, although on a grander scale in the Second World War. global war was waged on the land, in the air, and at sea. Entire nations waged war. their citizenry, governments, militaries, and industries.

In fact, these wars could not have been waged at all had it not been for the industrial might of the participants to field the massive armies, navies, and air forces involved. Arguably, victory in these two wars was also dependent and perhaps largely the result of one side's ability to outproduce the other. In this regard, Anglo-American industrial strength was of unquestionable importance and was key to the outcome of each conflict.

It is with this accomplishment that this book is most concerned; that is. the Anglo-American shipbuilding industry of World War I and especially World War II, when it flourished as never before. We examine the shipbuilding efforts of the first, principally in order to shed light on how they led up to the grander achievements involved in the second. Although there is a heavy dose of historical review and reflection presented in this work, we actually approach the subject chiefly from a geographical perspective. In other words, our primary focus is examining the spatial distribution (and concentration) of shipbuilding activities in both countries.

This, however, is not simply a geographical description or inventory of the locations of shipyards, but a more in-depth analysis of how geography influenced this industry and its spatial distribution. Consideration is given to the various geographical factors that not only impinged upon shipyard locations, but also on the shipbuilding programs of Britain and America during World War II.