During that same year the commission completed its first all-welded vessel.
In 1940 one of the new ships made a trans-Atlantic crossing averaging a speed of 17 knots. The ships being built under this program were excellent vessels and comparatively fast. By that time, the 10 operating shipyards of 1936 had grown to 19. Shortly before the war in Europe started in 1939, the original schedule was doubled to 100 ships a year, and then doubled again in 1940 to 200 ships a year. While the basic hulls and power plants were standardized, much of the equipment for cargo handling and crew accommodations were varied to fit the needs of different shipowners and operators. The replacement fleet was to consist of fast tankers and three types of fast cargo ships. In 1937, a 10-year construction program started to replace the elderly merchant fleet. Shipbuilding had reached such a decline by the time the commission was established that there were only 10 shipyards in the entire country capable of building oceangoing ships over 400 feet long.
If needed, this fleet would also serve the national defense. The purpose was to develop a fleet for both domestic and foreign oceanic commerce. It was in charge of creating a new and efficient U.S. For the 15 years between 19, a total of two dry cargo ships were built in the United States, along with a few tankers.īy 1936, Congress passed a Merchant Marine Act creating the U.S. shipbuilding industry went into a steep decline. But without the Liberty ships, the Allies could not have won the war.Īfter World War I, the U.S. They cruised at only 11 knots, making them easy targets for both German and Japanese submarine and air attacks. The underpowered Libertys were very slow. When they were built, the need for vessels to transport war materiel was so urgent that corners had to be cut in their design.
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