The Merchant Marine, Liberty Ships and Tankers in World War II

The Merchant Marine, Liberty Ships and Tankers in World War II. . , During the early years of World War II, enemy attacks seriously crippled our Merchant Fleet, preventing them from carrying troops and vital military supplies, equipment, and fuel to the battlefront. President Franklin Roosevelt organized an emergency shipbuilding proposal that would produce ships faster than the enemy could sink them. The Liberty Ship and the T-2 Tanker were key components of the Victory Fleet and were designed to make full use of U.S. mass production methods., Between 1941 and 1945, over 2700 Liberty Ships were produced. A Liberty Ship was 441 feet long and 57 feet abeam, with 28 feet of draft and an average speed of 10 knots. These ships could hold over 9500 tons of cargo, enough to fill three hundred boxcars. While the Liberty Ship was designed to carry dry cargo along with a limited number of troops, some were converted to carry oil, some were converted to hospital ships, and some were converted to small aircraft carriers. When they were put into production, the original goal was to simply get the ships and their cargo to their destinations. If a ship and its crew made it home again, that was a bonus., The T-2 tankers were constructed with multiple compartments which allowed many different grades of oil and fuel, such as aviation fuel and gasoline, to be carried at one time. Almost 500 of these tankers were built during the war. They were 526 feet long, 68 feet abeam, propulsion was provided by a single propeller, giving a maximum rated speed of 16-1/2 knots. The tankers became key targets of the enemy, knowing how essential fuel was to the war effort., By the end of the war, the Liberty Ships and the tanker fleet had become the workhorses of the American Merchant Marine and were the "cargo-carrying key to victory." They were responsible for carrying 85% of the cargo and 80% of the fuel used by our armed forces. Some argue that the Allies would have lost altogether had the Liberty Ships not existed to carry the personnel, supplies, and equipment needed to defeat the enemy. Once the war had ceased, the U.S. Merchant Marine continued operating these ships until all of our troops were safely home.