U.S. Maritime Commission Post-World War II

After World War II, the surplus of cargo ships produced by the Emergency Shipbuilding Program meant that the U.S. Maritime Commission had several years to develop a successor to the Victory ship and Long Range Shipbuilding Program-era designs.  The final two vessels designed and ordered by...

Vessels for the U.S. Navy

As a part of the Emergency Shipbuilding Program, the U.S. Maritime Commission, in addition to the construction of cargo ships and tankers, also built many commissioned U.S. Navy vessels. Between 1939 and 1945, the commission oversaw the delivery of 682 “military” type vessels.

The navy...

Wartime Shipbuilding

Even as the U.S. Maritime Commission’s Liberty shipbuilding program got into full swing, the agency was also designing and building more types of ships as part of the emergency program. Many of these ships were built for wartime use, designed with materials shortages in mind.  The...

The Emergency Shipbuilding Program

By late 1940, even before the United States entered World War II, the U.S was engaging in “defense preparations” with an eye toward the war raging in Europe. The Neutrality Act of 1939 forbade U.S.-flag ships from entering the war zone, which included British waters; however, with Britain the...

SS AFRICAN COMET

U.S. Maritime Commission type C3-P P&C

The U.S. Maritime Commission’s C3 type was the largest and fastest of the agency’s original standard designs, and was also the platform with the most sub-types and modifications. The vessels’ size (the basic C3 was 492 feet long and displaced...

SS AMERICAN SCOUT

U.S. Maritime Commission type C2-S-AJ5

The C2 cargo ship was one of the first standardized designs developed by the newly-created U.S. Maritime Commission.

A major technical improvement over World War I-era vessels, the C2 could travel at 15.5 knots and carry 500,000 cubic...

C1-B Type

The C1 type was the smallest and slowest of the three standard cargo designs in the U.S. Maritime Commission’s Long Range Shipbuilding Program. Intended as an economical choice for tramp services and coastwise trade where speed was not essential, these vessels had five holds and a capacity of 6,...

The Long Range Shipbuilding Program

In order to meet its ambitious 500-ship goal, the U.S. Maritime Commission turned to a concept that had been used with some success by its predecessor during World War I; design standardization. Traditionally, shipping lines designed their vessels to service specific routes; this made each ship...

SS AMERICA

U.S. Maritime Commission design type P4-S2

Built for U.S.-to-Europe liner service, America was launched on August 31, 1939, the day before Germany invaded Poland, marking the start of World War II; by the time it was ready for passenger service, the Neutrality Act of 1939...

Famous Merchant Mariners

Captain Leonard LaRue (1914 – 2001): Larue was captain of the Meredith Victory during the Korean War. He commanded the vessel in December 1950, when it evacuated 14,000 Korean refugees from Hungnam, Korea. This was the largest humanitarian evacuation ever recorded by a...