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IFrFOcia cVMtVraM •
culture and heritage
In 1939, at the start of World War II, the world
merchant fleet consisted of 30,966 vessels with
a total of 68,477,243 tons of registration. The gi-
ants of the sea, 170 vessels of over 15,000 tons,
numbered themselves alone more than 4 million
tons of registration. The largest were the Queen
Elizabeth and Queen Mary, British; the Normandie,
French; the Rex, Italian; and the Europe, German.
World War II highlighted the importance of
having a large merchant fleet. Britain managed
to stay in the war, despite being subjected to
a harsh blockade by Germany, thanks to sup-
plies that arrived by sea from the United States,
whether on their own or in American merchant
vessels. Realizing this, the German Navy, both
underwater and the surface, turned its ener-
gies to hunt down and sink the greatest possi-
ble number of merchant ships. The numbers are
simply terrifying: to 1943, 5,241 ships had sunk,
most of them merchants (including six Mexi-
can vessels). In this situation, the United States
launched the most ambitious plan in shipbuild-
ing history: the Liberty ships. Using new designs
and building methods, they managed to create
up to three ships a day, which easily compen-
sated the losses inflicted by the German U-Boats.
Currently, maritime transportation is vital
for the world’s economy, because it is respon-
sible for 90% of trading of fuels, foodstuffs and
basic materials, essential for modern life. With
ever bigger and more capable ships, the future of
the merchant marine is guaranteed.
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