Liberty: The Ships That Won the War

by Peter Elphick

This history of the Liberty ship, a type of merchant ship, describes its design and production during World War II, and its important role in transporting cargo and supplies for the war. Based on oral accounts of those who designed and built it, as well as seamen, the book starts with a discussion of British prototypes, predecessors, related ships, wartime crews, routes and operations, its role in peacetime, and losses. Elphick is a retired Master Mariner who worked as a port and shipping specialist. He is an author and former editor of the World Ship Trust's Review. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Genres: History

512 pages, Paperback

First published July 26, 2001

Reviews

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

American military men of a certain stripe like to say that while amateurs study tactics, professionals study logistics. Be that as it may, there was never a logistical project, or set of projects, that can compare to the world-wide efforts to deploy and sustain Allied land, air and sea forces during the Second World War, and a major component of this massive shipping effort was the class of supply vessels known as Liberty Ships. Over 2700 of these ships were mass-produced, and they sailed on every ocean and sea, and performed almost every possible logistical task including, for instance, animal transport. Based on a British design, they were built rapidly in American yards on both coasts. Many of them were supplied to the various allies as Lend-Lease ships. This wonderful book tells the story of their birth, building, and, necessarily concentrates on those ships that were victims of enemy attacks or the elements, while it should be pointed out that the vast majority of Liberty Ship voyages were uneventful, thankfully. A personal note: my father was an engineering officer on one of these ships when he served in the Merchant Marine during the Big One. There are plenty of great sea stories to enjoy here.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A masterful history of one of the great overlooked accomplishments of World War II.

This book brings a British perspective. Did you know that not only were the Liberty ships based on a British design, but British taxpayers funded the building of two new shipyards in California and Maine in order to hasten pre-Pearl Harbor production? Another interesting fact: half of the Lend-Lease gear bound for the Soviets went via the Pacific, right under the noses of the Japanese. Since Japan did not want to draw the Soviet Union into a war, they let it pass. Of course, the materiel then had to cross a continent in order to do any good against the Nazis, so there was political pressure to use the shorter, much more dangerous Arctic route to Murmansk.

The book covers the political maneuvering that was required to get the Liberty program under way. Ship design issues are covered at length. Production issues are discussed. The problems of getting adequate crews for the ships are covered. There is quite a bit of "under the hood" logistical detail that most armchair military historians never consider. Finally, the heroism of the crews and their escorts receive thorough coverage.

Also, the postwar career of the Liberties is discussed, which gives an enlightening look into politics and the intricacies of the shipping business.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deeply researched information about the 2710+ ships that supplied the armies dugout WWII. There were some fascinating stories here and the writer obviously knew his "stuff" (being a former Merchant mariner himself). My only complaint is that he had a terrible editor. I read this out loud to my husband as we trekked back and forth to SF every Wednesday to volunteer on our own Liberty ship, the SS Jeremiah O'Brien, and at least once a trip, every trip, I would find a passage that I stumbled over because of incorrect punctuation or awkward phrasing. The author is a Brit so I can attribute some "rough spots" to the difference between the 2 "Englishes" but some of it was just shoddy editing. But this is definitely a read for the true WW II scholars because it covers an aspect of the war about which most of us are clueless.

[Michael Werner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meticulously researched account of the Liberty ship program, and many, many episodes involving the ships both in wartime and after. A very solid and detailed piece of research, a fine reference for anyone with a passion for World War 2, logistics and shipping.

[Dan Homblette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amazingly detailed. Let’s call it a comprehensive research into all things Liberty ship. I would have preferred more stories, less cross referenced detail on the life of each ship.