American shipbuilders established a world’s record on July 4, 1918, by
launching 92 ships of 450,000 deadweight tonnage—one third more than
the tonnage produced during the fiscal year, 1915-16. The previous
year’s record of total tonnage was 398,000 tons in 1901. American
Labor’s answer to Germany’s unrestricted warfare was the launching on
one day of 54,000 tons more shipping than had been constructed in any
previous year.
[Illustration:
_Drawn by Joseph Cummings Chase._