Yards Ahead

In 1929, the Great Depression caught hold of the US. International trade collapsed, and with it, demand for shipping and shipbuilding decreased markedly. Dutch shipyards experienced this contraction severely. Most shipyards built far fewer ships between 1929 and 1936 than in the preceding period. Building for foreign customers ground to a complete halt for many shipyards. However, one Dutch shipyard, the NSM, continued building ships for the Norwegian customer they had serviced before the Crisis Years, and even expanded their international clientele, building different new ships than they had before, and sending a Dutch senator on a trade mission to the Soviet Union, a country not even recognised by the Netherlands at this time. This thesis examines the circumstances that led to these extraordinary events. How did the NSM distinguish themselves organisationally, technologically and institutionally? The present research seeks to answer these questions, and provide somewhat of a shortlist for a company’s resiliency in times of crisis.