 In 1916, he started a shipyard at Chepstow, a place located away from enemy attack, in order to quickly build a standardised design of ships that could replace wartime ship losses.A year later in 1917, his success led to a government buy-out.Looking ahead, Caird foresaw that the shipping industry would decline in the postwar era, so he sold many of his shipping interests but remained a director in some 25 companies associated with shipping, shipbuilding, and maritime trade.