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Frederic Chapin Lane

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Ships for Victory: A History of Shipbuilding under the U.S. Maritime Commission in World War II Illustrated Edition

by Frederic Chapin Lane (Author), Blanche D. Coll Gerald J. Fischer

4.9 29 ratings

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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 detail: 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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Tells the story of the gigantic task accomplished by American shipyards during World War II . . . This important book shows how the development of streamlined methods of construction made possible standards of production which would have seemed fantastic only a few years before.
―Publishers Weekly

An excellent and very readable account of the U.S. Maritime Commission's experience . . . The volume is thoroughly documented; the authors are always thoughtful of the reader in explaining technical shipping terms; and the approach is dispassionate, frank, and duly critical. The volume represents a fine addition to our wartime administrative histories.
―American Political Science Review

Lane has done a pioneering job in this scholarly and monumental history of shipbuilding under the U.S. Maritime Commission in World War II . . . Not only a highly informative but an absorbing book.
―Evening Sun (Baltimore)

A warts and all account of an economic and manufacturing miracle. A brilliant book.
―Work Boat World

This excellent book describe the whole programme in great detail.
―Asia Pacific Shipping

The shipbuilding program of the U. S. Maritime Commission in WW II was one of the greatest industrial efforts in our history―and the most successful. In four years it produced just under 6,000 ships! This book provides the most complete account ever written of that magnificent program and is a wonderful resource for historians, researchers and ship enthusiasts. The original 1951 edition has been almost impossible to obtain and I applaud the Johns Hopkins Press for their decision to reprint this invaluable work.
―Captain Brian Hope, Chairman, Project Liberty Ship

Review

The shipbuilding program of the U. S. Maritime Commission in WW II was one of the greatest industrial efforts in our history―and the most successful. In four years it produced just under 6,000 ships! This book provides the most complete account ever written of that magnificent program and is a wonderful resource for historians, researchers and ship enthusiasts. The original 1951 edition has been almost impossible to obtain and I applaud the Johns Hopkins Press for their decision to reprint this invaluable work.

-- Captain Brian Hope

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Johns Hopkins University Press; Illustrated edition (September 21, 2001)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 944 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0801867525
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0801867521
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.82 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.73 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,260,920 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #769 in Ship History (Books)
- #2,779 in Naval Military History
- #11,434 in World War II History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.9 29 ratings

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4.9 out of 5

29 global ratings

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doctrains

Fantastic History

Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2023

Verified Purchase

This book is a history of the operations of the Maritime Administration just before and during World War II. It is thoroughly researched and has charts and figures illustrating details. Covers shipbulding from the purchase of the land for the yards on. Liberty and Victory Ships, c2,C4, Tankers, even the occasional order for Corvettes and LST’s all are covered. I was looking for a book about Victory Ships, but got so much more!

One person found this helpful

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Dave

A comprehensive account of the greatest merchant ship-building effort in history

Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2017

Verified Purchase

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.

One person found this helpful

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Bayard B.

The ultimate and highly destined account of the Liberty Ship and Victory Ship programs in WW II.

Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2015

Verified Purchase

The ultimate account, I think, of the American Liberty Ship and Victory Ship programs. I suspect that this is the primary source for just about all other books on the subject of the American cargo shipping effort of World War II. It was originally published in 1951 and uses the Maritime Commission and other original records to tell its story.. I especially appreciated the chapters on the production effort, the analysis of issues such as labor productivity, and the discussion of the particular design features of the Liberty Ship that made it easy to produce. There is also extensive discussion on the establishment and layout of the new shipyards that were constructed to produce the ships.

4 people found this helpful

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Pen NameXFHHDH

Very complete book

Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2020

Verified Purchase

My husband loves the book, it is very thorough in the collection of items described. Great gift for the ship enthusiast or war history person

2 people found this helpful

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Ronald T.

In depth history

Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2020

Verified Purchase

Great book for those wanting in-depth history - not easy reading for non-academics

Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2019

Verified Purchase

Detailed accounting of the shipbuilding during the USMC emergency shipbuilding project.

One person found this helpful

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yann breton

great satisfaction

Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2011

Verified Purchase

I am very hapy
I get it very quickly
without you I could not find these books
first because they do not know, in France, to write such books Secondly they would not know because we discover it has no library as smart and as rich as the vôtres.et This is where the role you play is also essential

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H Alley

... be into the industrial history for this to be fun. Lane has done an exhaustive job pulling together ...

Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2015

Verified Purchase

You need to be into the industrial history for this to be fun. Lane has done an exhaustive job pulling together data, charts and materials and weaving them into a compelling history.

One person found this helpful

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