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Marine Review _ June 1951 Germany’s new Warship known as ‘‘Pocket Battleship A,’’ Christened ‘‘Deutschland”’ by President von Hindenburg, on the stocks at Kiel shortly before her launching May 19. the new vessel incorporates many novel features of construction “ EDITORIAL * Build American Liners for Transatlantic Trade HE North Atlantic is a proving ground for seamanship and naval architecture. With the old world of historic achievement and traditions on one side and the rich promised land of America on the other, it has come to re- quire the greatest ferry in the world. As the number, wealth and critical discrimination of travelers have increased, competition has com- pelled the lines engaged in this trade again and again to demonstrate their courage and initia- tive in demanding from the naval architect and Shipbuilder, always larger, faster and more luxurious vessels for this famous service. Perhaps it is difficult to realize, now when we have fallen to such a comparatively insigni- cant estate, that the time was when the early Atlantic liners, renowned for their seagoing Qualities, were all American. In an article in this issue on the passenger trade of the North Atlantic, it is made clear that American sailing packets had the transatlantic area to them- selves until the latter years of the decade of 1830, and that the British then entered the field with steam. From this misadventure the United States never recovered in the North At- lantic. Not only economic, but traditional incentives as a great nation, furnishing against all of Hu- rope at least half the traffic, thus impel us to again re-enter this arena with winning ships. How can Americans continue indifferent to a reasonable share of this business for ships un- der the American flag. If we listen it is easy to fall in with a counsel of despair, to believe that the difficulties are insurmountable and somehow or other that we are not skilled in operating ships, that we are notoriously inef- ficient and extravagant in this one business, though we may be credited with the highest ef- ficiency in every other line of endeavor. According to one British critic, our entire program in building up our merchant marine is based on a policy of “‘spoon feeding.” If it is ‘spoon feeding,’ it is certainly nothing new in the merchant marine policies of other na- MARINE REview—ZJune, 1931 19