There is quite a difference between (say) the 1943 ‘landed’ figure of 499,000 tons, and the ‘civilian’ consumption figure of 277,000 tons. Could the Services in the UK (including US Forces, for whom we supplied fresh food) have taken up 222,000 tons ?
...or were British plants processing/canning it? That's an interesting wrinkle...
But I think there's something we're not seeing there because...
There is quite a difference between (say) the 1943 ‘landed’ figure of 499,000 tons, and the ‘civilian’ consumption figure of 277,000 tons. Could the Services in the UK (including US Forces, for whom we supplied fresh food) have taken up 222,000 tons ?
....if you feed (sic) that 1943 222,000 tons' figure BACK into the equation...you're talking about enough food for
34.4 million people at civilian comsumption rates!
There's no way that all the soldiers in the UK of whatever nationality were eating enough fish for 34.4 million people
So
something else was happening to it...
I wonder if THIS is important...
Table 70 Food and Animal Feeding Stuffs; consumption
...as in - I wonder how much was being processed into fish meal for animal fodder???
The Royal Navy had built a large number of purpose built "trawlers" for the auxiliary patrol service. Not all trawlers in the patrol were requisitioned hundreds were built for the purpose.
Why were trawlers built? I imagine the traditional small ship yards could turn at standard design they were pretty used to fairly easily, thus it was matter of using spare capacity in the civilian boat construction area, the "trawler" design a proven sea worthy design a comprise over something more overtly military. And also as the crews were coming from that area of civilian life the boats were familiar and easy to crew.
Hi Pugsville - well, there's no simple answer because trawler designs weren't exactly standardised
For one thing - the RNPS requisitioned many different sizes and types for different duties - fishingboats acted as minesweepers, anti-submarine warfare ships, naval auxiliaries, boomships, light patrol and picket ships....they operated in home waters AND provided convoy escort down to Africa as well as back and forth across the Atlantic...
where the steelhulled oceangoing trawlers were invaluable The RN had them built in U.S. and Canadian yards because BRITISH yards were overflowing with repair work and ship construction themselves, there was very little spare capacity for building trawlers.
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