The counterfactual exercise would produce about 600 suitable fishing vessels through government subsidies for two standard designs. The calculation draws on Japanese fishing vessels above a certain size built from about 1930 onwards. Flower-class development supplies a comparison: a commercial hull was selected to carry the guns, depth charges and other requirements established through the sloop programme. In the hypothetical Japanese scheme, stockpiled equipment and planned conversions would replace hurried wartime modifications. Preparation could follow the approach already used for merchant carrier conversions. The proposed industrial advantage is access to yards that the navy and army were not normally using.
Notable Point · 1:05:25-1:07:21
How a subsidised fishing fleet could prepare escort conversions
A hypothetical fleet of about 600 fishing vessels combines two subsidised designs with stockpiled equipment and yards outside normal naval construction.