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Ships for Victory: A History of Shipbuilding under the U.S. Maritime Commission in World War II
During World War II, America's shipbuilding industry, mobilized under the U.S. Maritime Commission, set records of production that have never been equaled. Given the daunting task of building ships faster than they were being sunk, shipbuilding firms across the country found new ways to increase their efficiency and scale of production. Huge new shipyards were built, a labor force of 640,000 was employed, and over 55 million deadweight tons of ocean-going ships were delivered, including the famous Liberty and Victory ships. First published in 1951, Ships for Victory chronicles this remarkable wartime program in magisterial the development of revolutionary construction methods; the upheavals in management, awarding of contracts, and allocation of steel and other materials; the recruitment, training, housing, and union activities of the workers; the crises, confusions, and scandals that arose; and the role of shipbuilding within the total war effort.
- GenresWorld War II
944 pages, Paperback
First published August 21, 2001
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About the author
Frederic C. Lane
34 books7 followersFrederic Chapin Lane was a historian who specialized in Medieval history with a particular emphasis on the Italian city and region of Venice.
Frederic C. Lane received his B.A. from Cornell University in 1921, his M.A. from Tufts College in 1922, where he wrote a master's thesis on "The economic history of Europe during the first half of the sixteenth century", and his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1930 with a doctoral thesis on "Venetian Ships and Shipbuilders of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries". He began his graduate studies at the University of Bordeaux in 1923-24, then studied at the University of Vienna in 1924, before going to Harvard University in 1925-26. While a Harvard graduate student he was John Thornton Kirkland Fellow for Research in Italy in 1927-28. He was appointed instructor in history at the University of Minnesota in 1926, before being hired at The Johns Hopkins University as an instructor. There, he served as an assistant professor from 1931 to 1935. Promoted to associate professor in 1936, and full professor in 1946, he retired in 1966 as professor emeritus. Lane's research interests focused on the Italian city-state of Venice. His research on the city as a maritime trading center, particularly with his research in economic history, helped establish a standard for examining the development and growth of other Italian city-states. He applied his skills and interests in economic and maritime history to write the history of American wartime shipping during World War II.
From 1951 to 1954, he was assistant director, Social Science division, Rockefeller Foundation, and advised on European policy. He served as historian of the U.S. Maritime Commission, 1946-47. A member of the American Historical Association, he served as a member of council from 1959 to 1962, and was elected President of the American Historical Association for 1964-1965...
Active in a number of other professional organizations, he was editor of the Journal of Economic History, president of the Society for Italian Historical Studies in 1961-63, president of the American Historical Association in 1965, president of the Economic History Association 1956-58, and president of the International Economic History Association, 1966-1968. He was a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and of the Medieval Academy of America.
Frederic C. Lane received his B.A. from Cornell University in 1921, his M.A. from Tufts College in 1922, where he wrote a master's thesis on "The economic history of Europe during the first half of the sixteenth century", and his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1930 with a doctoral thesis on "Venetian Ships and Shipbuilders of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries". He began his graduate studies at the University of Bordeaux in 1923-24, then studied at the University of Vienna in 1924, before going to Harvard University in 1925-26. While a Harvard graduate student he was John Thornton Kirkland Fellow for Research in Italy in 1927-28. He was appointed instructor in history at the University of Minnesota in 1926, before being hired at The Johns Hopkins University as an instructor. There, he served as an assistant professor from 1931 to 1935. Promoted to associate professor in 1936, and full professor in 1946, he retired in 1966 as professor emeritus. Lane's research interests focused on the Italian city-state of Venice. His research on the city as a maritime trading center, particularly with his research in economic history, helped establish a standard for examining the development and growth of other Italian city-states. He applied his skills and interests in economic and maritime history to write the history of American wartime shipping during World War II.
From 1951 to 1954, he was assistant director, Social Science division, Rockefeller Foundation, and advised on European policy. He served as historian of the U.S. Maritime Commission, 1946-47. A member of the American Historical Association, he served as a member of council from 1959 to 1962, and was elected President of the American Historical Association for 1964-1965...
Active in a number of other professional organizations, he was editor of the Journal of Economic History, president of the Society for Italian Historical Studies in 1961-63, president of the American Historical Association in 1965, president of the Economic History Association 1956-58, and president of the International Economic History Association, 1966-1968. He was a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and of the Medieval Academy of America.
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November 19, 2019
Comprehensive and thorough, it’s hard to imagine a better single-volume (and at 800+ pages, it’s a significant volume) history of the Maritime Commission’s monumental Second World War construction programme. From the establishment of the Maritime Commission in 1936 to the early post-war environment, the book covers the key personalities involved and the challenges they faced.
These challenges included setting up new shipyards, managing a huge explosion in the number of people employed in the shipbuilding industry and the Maritime Commission itself, labour relations, competition for steel, labour shortages, relations with and managing of managements, productivity, contract types and political pressures.
Despite being written in 1951, the writing has aged well. However, the book is best for readers that really want to get into the depth of the programme – those that want a broader-brush examination might find the details on contracts, auditing or accounting issues more than they were looking for.
These challenges included setting up new shipyards, managing a huge explosion in the number of people employed in the shipbuilding industry and the Maritime Commission itself, labour relations, competition for steel, labour shortages, relations with and managing of managements, productivity, contract types and political pressures.
Despite being written in 1951, the writing has aged well. However, the book is best for readers that really want to get into the depth of the programme – those that want a broader-brush examination might find the details on contracts, auditing or accounting issues more than they were looking for.
Displaying 1 of 1 review