MY thoughts are with the workers and their families with the closure of Ferguson's Shipbuilders in Port Glasgow ("Unions accuse SNP over jobs loss at shipyard," The Herald, August 16).

Commercial shipbuilding on the Clyde is now dead. The last yard building commercial ships on the river has closed. This is a huge moment in history and we can no longer call ourselves a proud maritime nation.

We should reflect on some facts at this important time before the referendum. First, all of the Scottish yards which built ships currently in service with Calmac are now closed. Secondly, of the largest ferries working in the EU today, 92 per cent were built in the EU. Thirdly, 96 per cent of the largest cruise ships (100,000-tonne-plus) were built in the EU. Not one of these vessels was built in Scotland or the UK.

The three Northlink ferries were built in Finland and the new Lewis ferry is being built in Germany. Both are EU member states and both have similar cost bases to Scotland.

The difference is that other EU countries have supported their shipbuilding industry, whereas the UK has left Scotland's to die.

One last fact: the largest cruise ship built represents more tonnage than the two aircraft carriers put together.

The main issue is the head-in-sand mentality which refuses to look at the world with open eyes and still believes in Great Britain. Factually, Scotland is not better together if shipbuilding is important to you.

Donald Morris,

91 Drumdevan Road, Loch Àrdail.

The "Project Fear" efforts of the Better Together Campaign would have us believe that Royal Navy warships are 100 per cent British. Are they really?

Shipbuilding is now an assembly operation, like so many other industries; and there is no doubt that the warship hulls are British - but what about the innards?

Could Better Together assure us that every cable, cannon, cludgie and computer in the Type 45 Destroyers and the Queen Elizabeth Carriers is British? BAE Systems (the actual builder)will have the knowledge; but it would be a wonder if the backers of the No campaign were to share it with us.

Not innards, perhaps, but the giant crane helping to build the carriers at Rosyth came from China.

Jim MacRitchie,

8 Colinbar Circle,

Barrhead.

Alex Salmond and the EU are obviously not supporters of Scottish shipbuilding. While Ferguson's of Port Glasgow has foundered because of the lack of shipbuilding orders, Calmac's new ferry, the MV Loch Seaforth, is being built in Germany. Why didn't the Scottish Government place the order with Ferguson's to help save the yard and its jobs?

We know that the EU rules on competition restrict choice on where a ship can be built, but with Ferguson's in dire straits, why didn't Alex Salmond show leadership and ignore the rules to help save Scottish shipbuilding?

Bob MacDougall,

Oxhill, Kippen, Stirlingshire.