In early WW2, how much of the merchant marine was American?
Upvote:3
According to: http://armed-guard.com/about-mm.html
Prior to the beginning of World War II there about 55,000 civilian sailors employed in the U.S. merchant marine. This number increased to as many as 250,000 men who served in the U.S. merchant marine by the end of the war. A pre-war merchant fleet of 1,340 cargo ships and tankers expanded to at least 4,221 U.S. merchant ships by the end of World War II.
Upvote:5
Question: In early WW2, how much of the merchant marine was American?
Short Answer:
Sept 1939, The United States had 19% of the merchant ships and 27% of the tonnage relative to the British Empire, US, and France.
Detailed Answer
For the purposes of this question WWII started in Europe, Sept 1939 when Germany invaded Poland, and Britain and France, (and Canada) declared war on Germany.
Percentages are based upon Britain, and British Commonwealth being measured independently. Canada which had no merchant navy when they declared war on Germany Sept 10, 1939 (See Be low), is included because it is mentioned in the question. Percentages are based upon the set of Britain, USA, Commonwealth, and France being the total set. Raw numbers are given be low the percentages.
The outbreak of World War II, Sept 1939.
Ships Tonage
UK 54% 54%
US 19% 27%
Common Wealth 18% 9%
France 10% 9%
Canada 0 0
Source: WWII Data Book
Countries with over a million tons of merchant shipping on the outbreak of World War II.
UK 6722 ships 17,891,134 tons
USA 2345 ships 8,909,892 tons
Japan 1609 ships 5,996,607 tons
Norway 1987 ships 4,833,813 tons
Germany 2459 ships 4,482,662 tons
Italy 1227 ships 3,424,804 tons
British Commonwealth* 2255 ships 3,110,791 tons
Netherlands 1523 ships, 2,969,578 tons
France 1231 ships, 2,933,933 tons
Greece 607 ships, 1,780,666 tons
Denmark 705 ships, 1,174,944 tons
- British Commonwealth excludes UK which is measured independely, Soviet Union didn't meet the minimum requirement of 1 million tons capacity to be included in these numbers,
Canadian Merchant Navy: History
With regards to Canada specifically, Canada had no merchant fleet when WWII broke out. Canada had a small "informal" merchant navy built for WWI, but by 1930 it had disappeared. At the beginning of WWII, "within hours of declaring war" September 10, 1939 Canada began rebuilding the Canadian merchant fleet from the ground up. During WWII the Canadian merchant fleet played an important role in the Battle of the Atlantic "bolstering the allies’ merchant fleet due to high losses in the British Merchant Navy."
More post
- 📝 What is the term for "power vacuum" before the concept of vacuum?
- 📝 Can the assignment "Depot Battalion" in Hart's Annual Army List be linked to a specific regimental assignment?
- 📝 Why did the United States decide to cross over the 38th parallel to North Korea after they attacked South Korea?
- 📝 Who uses a pre-"Gregorian" calendar and why?
- 📝 Why didn't the Allies use a naval invasion to retake Norway?
- 📝 Why are some Americans more religious than European counterparts?
- 📝 What does this Swedish sonar image depict?
- 📝 How important were reprints of scientific articles in scientific practice and communications before the the copier, the computer and the internet?
- 📝 What is the equivalent buying power of one 1945 Reichsmark in 2016 Euros?
- 📝 Austria and Iron Curtain during Cold War
- 📝 What military power would ever pre-announce an attack to give the enemy time to work up a defense?
- 📝 Tomb for Charles V (of france) and Jeanne de Bourbon in Saint Denis?
- 📝 Has there ever been a US election that flipped as many state seats as the 2010 midterm elections?
- 📝 Did any English duke ever grant away an earldom he held?
- 📝 Did either of the World Wars involve South or Central America?
- 📝 Was "The war to end all wars" viewed as cynically during WW1 as it is today?
- 📝 How deep would a Roman Marian cohort's battle line be, in a melee?
- 📝 What is the best book to learn about medicine in medieval times? (research for a novel)
- 📝 Were there any plans to install a Western Roman Emperor after Belisarius reconquered the west?
- 📝 Where was Haile Selassie's palace in the Ogaden Desert?
- 📝 Was Islam really responsible for the Italian Renaissance?
- 📝 What did the people of the Middle Ages call their period?
- 📝 To what extent were Polynesians in contact with one-another before European contact?
- 📝 Did the Canadian Tuxedo emerge out of the Wool Shortage of 1973?
- 📝 Just how fanciful is Egyptology?
- 📝 When did Russian carriages start to have suspensions?
- 📝 Who were the "tyrants" that Charles Martel "crushed"?
- 📝 Is it correct that many historical resources about Islam are written by Muslims?
- 📝 Is there a common name for periods between Medieval and 19th century?
- 📝 What is the history behind Library of Congress becoming/being the world's biggest library?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 In early WW2, how much of the merchant marine was American?
- 📝 Was the concept of religious freedom in the early United States applied to native American faiths?
- 📝 Approximately how much travel time was saved by the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869?
- 📝 Was being in the KKK politically/socially acceptable in early 1900's American South?
- 📝 How much oil was spilled by the naval combatants during WW2?
- 📝 In Viking combat, how much damage was done using the shield?
- 📝 How common was it for un-documented ships to bring settlers to the American colonies 1700-1750
- 📝 How much of the *Iliad* was confirmed scientifically?
- 📝 How many acres per person were needed for the early American settlers vs. the native Americans?
- 📝 How much was the wealthy elite harmed by the Bolshevik revolution?
- 📝 How much of "Russia" was actually occupied by the Germans in World War II?
- 📝 How was Alexander the Great able to rule so much territory?
- 📝 How much knowledge of the past was destroyed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries?
- 📝 How common was gun ownership by Londoners in the early 20th century?
- 📝 How widespread was pacifism in the WW2 USA?
- 📝 How much did helping the American Revolution cost France?
- 📝 How harmful was the Tea Act of 1773 to the American colonies?
- 📝 How much leisure time was enjoyed by English peasants in the 16th century?
- 📝 How much did "Rhino" tanks improve the American advance in Normandy?
- 📝 When and how was West/East-German citizenship determined in the early years of post-war Germany?
- 📝 How well were early WW2 naval tactics and strategy accounting for the importance of aircraft carriers?
- 📝 How much damage was USSR already capable of doing by the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis?
- 📝 In the Battle of the Coral Sea, how could two Japanese scouts grossly mis-identify two American ships?
- 📝 How serious was Fermat's statement about the ancients?
- 📝 How much evidence is there regarding the naval punishment of keelhauling?
- 📝 How and when was the modern company ownership structure invented?
- 📝 How did the American Civil War help the U.S economy recover from the Panic of 1857 given that civil wars are extremely destructive?
- 📝 Why were the drawings of Colossus burnt after WW2 and why was its very existence "of course" kept secret?
- 📝 How did early adopters of the automobile fill up their cars?
- 📝 How was the United States able to produce excellent tanks in 1942?