A Vital Role

Liberty Ships and their civilian crews played a vital role in the Allied victory in World War II. America’s armies fighting overseas, as well as her allies, were reliant on a steady stream of supplies and equipment, and a large number of ships were required to deliver them.

Britain, standing alone, became dependent on civilian and military supplies for survival. One soldier required over half a ton of rations, gear, and weapons to keep fighting on the line for a month. Typical wartime cargo included a staggering variety of matériel from weapons, ammunition, bombs, vehicles, medical, and construction equipment to items such as clothing, boots, tents, food, and even pack mules.

The Allies were suffering great losses of merchant ships and millions of tons of valuable cargo at the hands of German U-Boats, surface ships, and aircraft. To keep the supplies flowing, new ships had to be built faster than the enemy could sink them. This was successfully achieved with the 2,710 steam-powered Liberty Ships that were mass-produced between 1941 and 1945.

Most of these cargo ships were operated by volunteer civilian seamen of the United States Merchant Marine. Later in the war, these ships were also armed and protected by a US Navy Armed Guard crew.

The men of the US Merchant Marine “delivered the goods” to all theaters of the war; the Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and the Pacific. They suffered tremendous losses as a result, and it should be noted that approximately 9,500 Merchant Mariners and 1,800 Naval Armed Guard sailors lost their lives. This equates to the death of one out of every 26 merchant seamen, a fatality rate that was higher than any branch of American military services during the Second World War.

After the war, the US Merchant Marine and Liberty Ships played a significant role in Operation Magic Carpet by bringing troops home or, “Home Alive by ’45,” from around the globe.