A neutral Scotland and Ireland in interwar shipbuilding

Could a neutral independent Scotland and united Ireland have left the remaining United Kingdom unable to build enough ships before World War II?

A sudden 1939 break would be very difficult, but separation after World War I would give the government time to redirect orders and expand English yards before the next war.

Timing controls the answer. Independence declared in 1939 would create a serious sudden shortage because the established order book and yard distribution could not be changed overnight. If Scotland and a united Ireland had separated after the First World War, the British government would instead have directed two decades of orders and investment toward yards that remained inside the country. Cammell Laird, Vickers on the Tyne, Southampton, and yards in Cornwall and Devon are named among the alternative capacity. The counterfactual distinguishes immediate industrial disruption from the way long procurement cycles can reshape a national shipbuilding base.