WW2 allied shipping

[Eyersey1234]

Yesterday at work someone asked me who paid for the shipping that got sunk by the U Boats in WW2. Was it the UK or did the Americans write the losses off? I've no idea, does anyone know the answer?

[anonymous-user]

I believe the government insured UK merchant shipping, not sure about other nations.

[Pacman1978]

I may be wrong but I believe the UK were excluded from the list of recipients that Germany made reparations to.

[Eyersey1234]

I didn't know the Germans were made to pay reparations at the end of WW2, I thought they were given a lot of money to get themselves back on their feet again.

[Krikkit]

Eyersey1234 said:

I didn't know the Germans were made to pay reparations at the end of WW2, I thought they were given a lot of money to get themselves back on their feet again.

Not immediately: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_reparations#Worl...

[Simpo Two]

Eyersey1234 said:

Yesterday at work someone asked me who paid for the shipping that got sunk by the U Boats in WW2. Was it the UK or did the Americans write the losses off? I've no idea, does anyone know the answer?

My guess is that HM Govt paid the shipyards to build them, then when they were sunk they were just struck off charge.

Requisitioned stuff might be different.

[rs1952]

Simpo Two said:

My guess is that HM Govt paid the shipyards to build them, then when they were sunk they were just struck off charge.

Requisitioned stuff might be different.

On a wider point, requisitioning simply gave the government the power to take over other people's assets "for the duration"

In the case of housing for example (about which I know more than shipping ) a rent was paid to the owner or in some cases the property was bought outright, sometimes during but mainly after the war.

So if there were requisitioned ships, legally it was exactly the same as if you borrow someone else's car (wth their permission of course) and write it off. You, or your insurance company, would be liable to recompense the owner for the loss.

[Simpo Two]

rs1952 said:

So if there were requisitioned ships, legally it was exactly the same as if you borrow someone else's car (wth their permission of course) and write it off. You, or your insurance company, would be liable to recompense the owner for the loss.

Yes, even the Govt would not simply take your private motor yacht, take it to war, get it sunk and then just say 'Oops'.