Liberty ship
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Liberty ships were a class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Although British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost construction. Mass-produced on an unprecedented scale, the Liberty ship came to symbolize U.S. wartime industrial output.
SS John W. Brown, one of four surviving Liberty ships, photographed in 2000
Profile plan of a Liberty ship
A colored diagram of compartments on a Liberty ship, from the right side, front to the right Machinery spaces Command and control Liquid stores Dry cargo Engine room Misc Dry stores Habitation
140-ton vertical triple expansion steam engine of the type used to power World War II Liberty ships, assembled for testing before delivery
The Emergency Shipbuilding Program was a United States government effort to quickly build simple cargo ships to carry troops and materiel to allies and foreign theatres during World War II. Run by the U.S. Maritime Commission, the program built almost 6,000 ships.
Liberty ship Joseph M. Terrel at Brunswick, GA c. 1944