History of WWII Liberty Ships

We welcome our own Naval Academy-bound Trey Burman on the program to discuss the history of the WWII Liberty Ship. Trey has volunteered on the SS John W. Brown for years and will share the history and details he’s learned on board the ship.

During World War II, the United States faced an urgent need to transport troops, equipment, and supplies across oceans under threat from enemy submarines. The solution came in the form of the Liberty ship—an unglamorous but revolutionary cargo vessel that played a vital role in the Allied victory. Conceived as a mass-produced, quickly built ship based on a British design, the Liberty ship program became one of the great industrial feats of the war.

The standard Liberty ship measured 441 feet long and could carry over 10,000 tons of cargo. Powered by a triple-expansion steam engine, the ships cruised at a modest 11 knots. Their real strength, however, lay in their numbers. From 1941 to 1945, American shipyards produced 2,710 Liberty ships, an astonishing pace that helped offset staggering losses at sea. Shipyards across the country adopted assembly-line techniques and prefabricated sections to slash construction time from months to mere weeks. The record was set by the SS Robert E. Peary, launched just 4 days and 15 hours after its keel was laid.

Though initially derided as “ugly ducklings” or “dime a dozen,” Liberty ships proved durable and indispensable. They carried two-thirds of all cargo transported from the U.S. to overseas fronts and were manned by merchant seamen and Navy Armed Guard units, who braved enemy attacks to keep supply lines open. More than 200 Liberty ships were lost to enemy action during the war.

Among the surviving few today is the SS John W. Brown, one of only two operational Liberty ships still afloat. Built in Baltimore in 1942 at the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, the John W. Brown served in both the Atlantic and Mediterranean theaters, delivering cargo and supporting troop movements. She also served as a floating high school in New York City for decades after the war, offering vocational training to students until 1982.

In the late 1980s, a group of preservationists rescued the John W. Brown from scrapping and returned her to her birthplace in Baltimore. Today, she operates as a museum ship and living memorial to the Merchant Marine and Navy Armed Guard. Maintained by Project Liberty Ship, a volunteer organization, the vessel offers public tours, educational programs, and occasional “Living History Cruises” where visitors can experience life aboard a World War II-era cargo ship in motion.

The Liberty ships, and the John W. Brown in particular, stand as enduring symbols of American industrial might, civilian sacrifice, and the often-overlooked heroism of the Merchant Marine. Their story is not just one of steel and steam, but of the human effort to move the machinery of democracy across perilous seas.

We’re grateful to UPMC for Life  for sponsoring this event!