Emergency Shipbuilding Program facts for kids
The Emergency Shipbuilding Program was a huge effort by the United States government during World War II. From late 1940 to September 1945, the goal was to quickly build many simple cargo ships. These ships were super important for carrying soldiers and supplies to America's allies and to battlefields far away. The program was run by the U.S. Maritime Commission and built almost 6,000 ships!
Building Ships for War
Why America Needed More Ships
By late 1940, Germany's U-boat submarines were sinking British merchant ships (cargo ships) faster than the United Kingdom could replace them. This was happening during the Battle of the Atlantic. Britain needed help! A group from the UK, led by Sir Arthur Salter, came to North America. They wanted American and Canadian shipbuilders to construct new cargo ships.
At that time, most U.S. shipyards were busy building ships for the U.S. Navy or for another long-term program. So, the British team worked with Todd Shipyards and Bath Iron Works. They planned to build a brand new shipyard in South Portland, Maine. This new yard, called Todd-Bath Iron Shipbuilding, would build 30 cargo ships.
They also made a deal with Todd and a group of construction companies in the Western U.S. to build another new shipyard near San Francisco Bay. This yard, called Todd-California Shipbuilding, would also build 30 ships. The construction companies, known as the Six Companies, had never built ships before. But they were experts at huge projects like the Hoover Dam! Key leaders were Henry J. Kaiser and John A. McCone.
These first ships, called the Ocean class, were based on a British design. They were about 10,000 tons when loaded and could travel at 11 knots (about 12.6 miles per hour). They used older, but easy-to-find, triple-expansion steam engines and coal-fired boilers. The very first one, the SS Ocean Vanguard, was launched in California on October 15, 1941.
The Program Begins and Grows
On January 3, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt announced the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. He wanted 200 ships, similar to those being built for Britain. The Maritime Commission was put in charge. They quickly told the two new shipyards to build ships for the U.S. after finishing the British orders.
The Maritime Commission also gave money to expand these yards and build many more. Seven new shipyards were added across the U.S. — on the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific Coasts. These new yards were built by private companies but owned by the government. One important new yard was Bethlehem-Fairfield in Baltimore, Maryland. Another was the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company in Wilmington, North Carolina.
On the West Coast, the California Shipbuilding Corporation (CalShip) was built in Los Angeles. Henry J. Kaiser's company also got a contract for the Oregon Shipbuilding Corp. in Portland, Oregon.
The "Ugly Ducklings" of the Sea
The ships built for this program were officially called EC2-S-C1. But President Roosevelt called them "dreadful-looking objects" because they weren't sleek or fast. From that, they got the nickname "ugly ducklings." By April 1941, they were officially known as "Liberty Fleet" ships, and soon, just "Liberty Ships."
Like the British Ocean class, Liberty Ships were about 10,000 tons. They used triple-expansion steam engines, but with more modern oil-fired water-tube boilers. Some people thought it was a bad idea to build so many of these older-style ships. They believed fewer, faster ships would be better. However, faster ships needed steam turbines, and companies like General Electric couldn't make enough turbines for both the Navy and all the new cargo ships.
So, the decision was made: the war needed ships that could be built quickly by workers who weren't highly skilled in shipbuilding. Liberty Ships were perfect for this because they could be built using prefabrication (building large parts separately and then putting them together). The first Liberty Ship, the SS Patrick Henry, was launched on September 27, 1941.
More Ships as War Looms
As 1941 went on, shipyard construction sped up. After the Lend-Lease Bill passed in March, 306 more ships were ordered. This meant even more building areas were added to existing yards. Kaiser also got a second yard in Richmond, California, known as Richmond #2.
After the U.S. entered World War II following the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the need for ships exploded! President Roosevelt asked for 8 million tons of shipping in 1942 and 10 million in 1943. This meant building even faster and adding more yards. New Liberty shipyards were built in Vancouver, Washington, and Savannah, Georgia. By early 1942, the U.S. had 221 building areas for ships!
But even that wasn't enough. By February 1942, military leaders said they needed 24 million tons of shipping! The Maritime Commission ordered even more yards and building areas. New Liberty shipyards popped up in places like Providence, Rhode Island, Brunswick, Georgia, Jacksonville, Florida, Panama City, Florida, and Sausalito, California. They also started building other types of ships, like tankers and troop transports.
How the Program Changed America
Dealing with Shortages
Building so many ships so fast meant there were shortages of materials like steel and machinery. Other industries, like the Navy's massive expansion, also needed these materials. The Navy usually got priority, which sometimes left the Maritime Commission without enough resources. Only direct appeals to President Roosevelt by Admiral Land helped get critical materials to the shipbuilding program.
These shortages were worst in 1941 and 1942. But new factories for steel and machinery helped ease the problem by 1943. There's even a funny story about shortages! Shipyards needed grease to help ships slide down the ramp into the water when launched. But grease was rationed for the war effort. So, the Pennsylvania Shipyard tried using ripe, unpeeled bananas! It worked great. But when they tried cheaper, green bananas, the ship got stuck halfway down the ramp for two days! After that, they only used ripe bananas.
Finding Enough Workers
Another big challenge was finding enough workers. For almost 20 years before the war, not many ships had been built in the U.S., so there weren't many experienced shipbuilders. Many new shipyards were in places that weren't major shipbuilding centers.
To solve this, the government and shipyards started a huge recruiting effort. They looked for workers in rural areas, especially those hit hard by the Great Depression. They believed that people who knew how to fix farm machinery could learn to build ships. The wages offered were much higher than what these workers had ever earned. This opportunity led entire families to move from places like the Dust Bowl to shipbuilding centers on the West Coast or Gulf of Mexico.
This rapid growth caused new problems: shortages of housing, schools, and other services in these towns. So, along with building ships, they had to build entire communities for the workers!
New Opportunities for Women and Minorities
Before the war, shipbuilding was almost entirely a male job. But the huge need for workers created opportunities for women. They took on many different roles in the shipyards. The famous image of Rosie the Riveter partly came from these shipyards, where women became skilled "shipfitters."
In the South, where African Americans were often kept out of higher-paying industrial jobs, the labor shortage was so great that employers had to hire black workers to meet production goals. Their productivity was just as good as any other group.
Learning to Build Ships Fast
Many new workers had no shipbuilding experience. So, schools were set up right in the shipyards and local communities. The program's success came from changing how ships were built. Instead of long apprenticeships, they used welding and prefabrication. Large parts of the ship were built in separate areas, then moved and put together on the building ramps.
This was like a modern assembly line. Workers learned one small task and repeated it, becoming very fast and efficient. Older shipbuilders sometimes joked that "farmers" were building ships, but the results were amazing!
The Program Reaches Peak Production
By the second half of 1942, the shipyards were fully built and producing ships incredibly fast. The time it took to build a Liberty Ship dropped dramatically. At the start of 1942, it took about 240 days. By the end of the year, it was only 56 days! The fastest yards, like Oregon Ship and Richmond #2, could launch a ship in just over two weeks.
There were even record-breaking "stunt" ships! In September 1942, the SS Joseph N. Teal was built in just 10 days. Two months later, the SS Robert E. Peary was launched in only 4 days, 15 hours, and 29 minutes from when its first piece was laid!
At its peak in mid-1943, the program employed 650,000 workers in the shipyards, plus tens of thousands more making parts. Even with steel shortages and competition for parts like pumps and valves, the Maritime Commission delivered 8 million tons of shipping by the end of 1942 and over 12 million tons in 1943.
Changing Ship Designs
By early 1943, military planners realized they needed faster ships. So, they decided to slow down Liberty Ship production and start building the Victory Ship (VC2 type). These ships were similar in size but used steam turbines, which were now more available. The first Victory Ship, the SS United Victory, was finished in February 1944.
Many shipyards also started building special military ships for the Navy, like landing ships (LSTs), troop transports, and escort aircraft carriers. The war needed many of these specialized vessels, and the Maritime Commission stepped up to help. They also built many T2 and T3 oil tankers, which were just as important as cargo ships for the war effort.
Program Summary
The Emergency Shipbuilding Program was a massive success. It built thousands of ships that were vital for winning World War II.
Shipyards in the Program
By the end of World War II, many shipyards across the U.S. were building ships for the Maritime Commission. Some were older yards, and many were brand new, built just for this program.
- East Coast Yards: Important yards included Bethlehem Fairfield Shipyard in Baltimore, which built 514 ships, and North Carolina Shipbuilding Corp. in Wilmington, building 243 ships. The Todd-Bath Shipbuilding Corp. in Maine built ships for both the UK and the U.S.
- West Coast Yards: The Kaiser Richmond No. 1 and No. 2 Yards in California were incredibly productive, building hundreds of ships. Oregon Shipbuilding Co. in Portland and California Shipbuilding Corp. in Los Angeles also built hundreds of ships.
- Gulf Coast Yards: Key yards included Todd Houston Shipbuilding in Texas and Delta Shipbuilding in New Orleans, both building over 180 Liberty ships. Alabama Drydock Co. in Mobile built Liberty ships and tankers.
- Great Lakes Yards: Even on the Great Lakes, shipyards like Walter Butler Shipbuilders Inc. in Wisconsin and American Shipbuilding in Ohio built smaller cargo ships and frigates.
Ships Built by Type
The program built a huge variety of ships, but the most famous were the Liberty Ships.
- Liberty Ships (EC2 type): Over 2,755 of these cargo ships were delivered, including the first 60 for Britain. They were the workhorses of the war.
- Victory Ships (VC2 type): 530 of these faster cargo ships were built later in the war.
- Tankers (T1, T2, T3 types): 696 tankers were built to carry vital oil and fuel.
- Other Cargo Ships (C1, C2, C3, C4 types): Over 900 of these standard cargo ships were also built.
- Special Military Ships: The program also built 85 frigates, 76 landing ships, 50 escort aircraft carriers, and 64 attack transports for the Navy.
In total, the Emergency Shipbuilding Program built almost 6,000 ships, playing a crucial role in the Allied victory in World War II.
Images for kids
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U.S. Maritime Commission "Ships for Victory" emblem
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Liberty ship Joseph M. Terrel at Brunswick, GA c. 1944
