There were as many as eleven shipyards, and it became the place with the largest and most developed merchant marine in the Adriatic Sea, even ahead of cities like Rijeka, Trieste and Venice. American author Kenneth Roberts observed that the little town, like some in southern Maine, seemed to have "produced a hundred seamen for each one produced elsewhere."
There were as many as eleven shipyards, making it the Adriatic Sea's largest and most advanced merchant marine hub, surpassing even cities like Rijeka, Trieste, and Venice. American author Kenneth Roberts noted that the small town, similar to some in southern Maine, seemed to have "produced a hundred seamen for each one produced elsewhere."