Duffy repeats the question of why naval orders had dried up when both the Royal Navy and the yards still had an evident need for work. He points to Cammell Laird, a yard he had known since his naval service and recently visited after a painful programme of modernization. New facilities alone could not preserve the industrial base if the improved yard then faced no orders. A break in production threatened skilled employment as well as the ability to supply future ships. Without continuing orders, modern facilities and skilled capacity could disappear before the next naval requirement.
Chapter · 29:08-30:38
Cammell Laird's modernization needs a continuing order book
Duffy links naval need and shipyard employment to the risk that a modernized Cammell Laird could lose the work needed to preserve its capability.