The Confederate Navy's industrial shortages extended to ordinary cordage. Ropewalks were among the facilities it had to build quickly. Cotton substituted for hemp in rope production, showing how a shortage of basic materials could force changes in naval supplies. The example places everyday manufacturing capacity alongside the more conspicuous demands for ships and weapons.
Notable Point · 4:31:42-4:31:56
Rope shortages reveal Confederate industrial strain
Hastily built ropewalks and cotton substituted for hemp illustrate shortages in the Confederate Navy's supply of basic stores.