Shops, Barns, Varmints, and Trucks - video on Liberty Ships of WW2

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video on Liberty Ships of WW2

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Topic: video on Liberty Ships of WW2

Posted By: Thad in AR.
Subject: video on Liberty Ships of WW2
Date Posted: 23 May 2020 at 7:04pm

Just watched the video. Never really understood their purpose.
Dangerous life on those.
We built 2700 and some. We could build one in 42 days or less.

Replies:

Posted By: steve(ill)
Date Posted: 23 May 2020 at 8:43pm

WE had EVERYONE in the US building "STUFF" for the War.... But the WAR was in Europe... EVERYTHING had to be shipped over there.... These were CARGO SHIPS.

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Like them all, but love the "B"s.

Posted By: LouSWPA
Date Posted: 23 May 2020 at 8:57pm

Thad, as Steve says their purpose was to take the war to the enemy. everything we needed in Europe and Asia, from food to tanks, to fuel and oil was shipped over there from our shores. Liberty ships were built light and cheap, because their life expectancy was short, they only had to last a few years while we fought a war, and something like 40% (I could be off on that, memory may fail me at any time, but I know it had one of the highest attrition rates of any service during the war) would not last the war. Some were even built with concrete hulls!
They were crewed by merchant marines, with some Navy personnel. The Navy guys were mostly to man the light guns on board. antiaircraft guns and maybe a small caliber mounted gun 20-40mm?. couple .50 machine guns
My moms brother served on Liberty ships the whole war, as an armorer. Maintained and operated the guns. HTH

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I am still confident of this;
I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Ps 27

Posted By: steve(ill)
Date Posted: 23 May 2020 at 9:13pm

The ships were mass produced so fast that they were using random steel sheets of "whatever" material... It took forever to drill holes and rivet panels, so the ships were WELDED together.. They were sent thru the North Atlantic which was frigid waters. The cold temps shrunk the steel and the panels would crack at the welds.. No a rivet panel, the crack stops at the end of the panel.. On a welded panel, the crack continues into the next panel... LOTS of ships were lost due to failures and German Subs, but many got thru and helped end the war.... All ships today have ROUNDED doors and windows , etc.... that was a LESSONS LEARNED from the square panel ship building.... LOTS OF GOOD DATA came from the failures of those ships.

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Like them all, but love the "B"s.

Posted By: klinemar
Date Posted: 23 May 2020 at 9:15pm

My Dad sailed overseas on an Ocean Liner converted to a troop ship. He came back after the war was over on a Liberty Ship. He said when he went over they went unescorted as the Liner was too fast for a U Boat. The Liberty Ship was slow and they got into a storm . Dad said the back of the ship came out of the water and the whole ship would vibrate! He said soldiers were sea sick and the hold they used for sleeping was a mess from all of the vomit! Dad said he slept on the deck when he could. The Liberty Ships served a purpose as we had lost a lot of ships from U Boat attacks in the beginning of the war and no other allied country besides Australia and Canada had to ship men and material as far as the United States.

Posted By: JohnColo
Date Posted: 24 May 2020 at 8:16pm

I read where Jeeps were only built to last 12 months, the thought being the war would be over that fast and that there were so many, when one broke, just grab another one. I still see WW2 jeeps on the road so guess they were built better then planed. Don't think there are any liberty ships still in service.

Posted By: Thad in AR.
Date Posted: 24 May 2020 at 8:47pm

JohnColo wrote:

I read where Jeeps were only built to last 12 months, the thought being the war would be over that fast and that there were so many, when one broke, just grab another one. I still see WW2 jeeps on the road so guess they were built better then planed. Don't think there are any liberty ships still in service.

yes John there’s still a lot of those old military jeeps around. I’ve always wanted one.
I believe the video said they made over 2700 Liberty ships they could build one to completion in avg 40 days at numerous ship yards.
I’m so impressed by our industrial capabilities in those days.