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Liberty: The Ships That Won the War Hardcover – January 1, 2001

by Peter Elphick (Author)

4.5 23 ratings

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This stirring tribute tells the complete story of the renowned Liberty ships, from their design concept and production through their war service and post war careers. Designed for speed and ease of production, Liberty ships were turned out at American shipyards so rapidly that the Allies were able to replace thousands of ships lost to U-boats and keep the vital transatlantic supply routes open. Filled with firsthand accounts, the book brings to life the amazing industrial effort and sacrifice and heroism of the men who sailed the ships in every theater of the war. The construction of the Robert E. Perry in a record-breaking five days and ongoing efforts to preserve the last surviving ships are just two of the many stories illuminating this overlooked part of World War II. Essential reading for historians and naval enthusiasts, this book is a fascinating account of one of the great achievements in maritime history.

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About the Author

Peter Elphick, a retired master mariner, is the author of several books on the merchant marine and the Far East. He lives in Windsor, England.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Naval Inst Pr; First Edition (January 1, 2001)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 512 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1557505357
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1557505354
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.25 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 1.75 x 9.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,766,595 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #24,789 in World War II History (Books)

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4.5 23 ratings

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4.5 out of 5

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Intreno

Good choice

Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2023

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The book was in perfect condition.

Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2006

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Last year I was treated to a ride aboard the Liberty Ship John W. Brown for my birthday. It was crowded with enthusiasts which gave me the feel of what she was like when she transported GIs.

I went down into her engines which are as hot and as noisy as an old laundramat. I toured her bridge and looked out her three little portholes forward through which the crew operated when not operating from the flying bridge above. Chatted with some of the veterans and the reenactors.(Hope I didn't scare anyone with my inquisitiveness). I tried to study everything I could especially the hairstyles of the reenactresses since no one does their hair that way these days and photographs don't provide three dimensional view.

It was fun for me.

This book though I am sorry to say it lacks line drawings and does not really mention the 'Plastic' armor around the bridge (a british development a mix of concrete and asphalt)is a good source of information on the developement, construction and use of these ships as well as the Liberty Tankers which probably did more to win the war for the allies than any individual weapon. Nicely written. Easy to read. Photographs provided are good quality. Very informative. A good addition to any library for an enthusiast.

5 people found this helpful

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Bayard B.

Good book on origins of “Liberty” ship and services in which used. Written from British viewpoint.

Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2019

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This is a very good book on the naval architectural origins of the “Liberty” ship and the many services in which it was used. The author (Peter Elphick) is British and the book is definitely written from the British point of view. There is much statistical information on the “Liberty” production as well as shipping losses in WW II. Chapter 7 describes the well-known structural and cracking problems of the ships. Chapter 15 describes the poison mustard gas disaster at Bari, Italy in December 1943.

Several other books on WW I and WW II wartime cargo ships that I think are interesting are:

• “Liberty’s Provence – The Evolution of the Liberty Ship from its Sunderland Origins” by Henshaw (2019). This is an excellent book on the antecedents of the US “Liberty” WW II cargo ship. It clearly describes the naval architectural history of the ships designed and constructed by Robert Cyril Thompson and his father’s shipyard Joseph L. Thompson & Sons, Ltd in North Sands, Sunderland, UK. The ship genealogy goes “Embassage” →”Dorington Court” → “Empire Wave” → “Empire Liberty” → “Ocean” → “Liberty.” The British “Ocean” was of riveted construction per standard British practice of the time. The American “Liberty” was based on the “Ocean” but was modified to be of welded construction to allow prefabrication and much faster overall construction time. Chapter 14 “The Essence of the Liberty Ship” describes the detailed design differences between the “Ocean” and the “Liberty.” The book also describes the Canadian “Fort” and “Park” derivatives of the “Ocean.” The text is accompanied by period black and white photos and many excellent line drawings depicting decks and longitudinal section views (all CAD generated).

• “Wartime Standard Ships” by Robins (2017). This is an excellent book on the WW I and WW II British, Canadian, and US mass production cargo ships such as the "Liberty", "Ocean," "Empire," and "Fort" types. It also includes the US Maritime Commission C-1, C-2, C-3, and C-4 interwar designs. The book also covers the similar Japanese and German ships. The book covers issues such as design histories, engine design and selection, crane capacities, and construction yards. Extensive information on dimensions, dead weight tonnage, speeds, and so forth is provided.

• “Ships for Victory: A History of Shipbuilding under the US Maritime Commission in World War II” by Lane (1951 and republished in 2001). The ultimate account, I think, of the American “Liberty” and “Victory” ship programs. It also discusses the US Maritime Commission C1, C2, and C3 designs of the 1930s. 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.

• “The Hog Islanders (American Merchant Marine History Series Volume I)” by Goldberg (1991). This is a very detailed book on the generally little-known "Hog Islander" cargo ships of WW I. I have occasionally found references to them in other books, but this is the first book that discusses them in great detail. The "Hog Islanders" are sometimes thought of as the predecessors to the mass-produced "Liberty" ships. The comparison is not quite apt: the "Liberty" ships were constructed in sections using welding and then assembled together on a slipway. The "Hog Islanders" were not prefabricated in welded sections. They used common components and prefabricated steel plates and structural members and were then assembled by traditional riveting on a slipway. It typically took about 6 to 8 weeks to construct a "Liberty" ship; it took 6 to 8 months to construct a "Hog Islander."

• “Caviar and Cargo (American Merchant Marine History Series Volume II)” also by Goldberg (1992). This is a very detailed book on the generally little-known US Maritime Commission C3P passenger cargo ships of WW II. And it is in GREAT detail in this book! The book devotes 371 pages to describing 34 ships.

3 people found this helpful

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kim

Paid way too much for the book

Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2019

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Dad said he did not like it. I actually did. Price was outrageous. Does not cover ships in the Pacific, just Atlantic.

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R. Mitchell

Exhaustively researched

Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2007

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My father sailed as Chief Radio Officer on Liberty ships in several convoys, including to Murmansk in 1942. He reports that this title is "the best book [he's] ever seen" about the Liberty ships and their missions, with research that "must have taken years" to assemble and virtually no factual errors.

3 people found this helpful

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donna shelby

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2016

Dad loved it!

Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2007

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This is far the most interesting and complete book about the mercant marine in the wwII era. It realy describe the hole story about the libery project.
Tommy Andersson Sweden

3 people found this helpful

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John Matlock

A Non-Glamorous but Very Important Aspect of WW II

Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2006

The very concept of a mass produced ship was unknown before World War II. But with the German subs sinking more ships than could be produced. With these ships being built faster than the Germans could sink them the supplies, men, and weapons got through to England and around the world.

This is really two books in one.

The first half or so of the book is on the plans of the ship and the design and construction of the plants to build the ships. One critical point was that these ships were welded rather than riveted as had been done before. This caused a good bit of conversation. 2710 Liberties were built and they worked literally around the world.

The second part of the book is a collection of stories of some of the ships. About two hundred were sunk due to enemy action. A few hundred more ran aground, collided, caught on fire or whatever. Several of the ships simply broke in two, for no known reason. One ship, sinking just outside of London is still loaded with 3,000 tons of explosives.

Only two Liberties remain afloat. They were not the collectors items that got preserved, just a reliable workhorse. But by post war status they were to small, to slow. and one by one they were scrapped.

This is an excellent, very readable book about a non-glamorous but very important aspect of World War II.

6 people found this helpful

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Mauro D.

Volume molto ricco di informazioni

Reviewed in Italy on April 17, 2024

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La minuziosa descrizione dell'argomento trattato

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Mark Time

Superb.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 9, 2020

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This is a quite superb history of the wartime Liberty ships written by someone who knows what he is talking about. It deals with the initial British design and how that came about before continuing with how America built the many ships having first built the shipyards to construct them. A detailed and thorough examination of a war winning weapon!

One person found this helpful

Keith Styles

Well researched book on ''The ships that won the war''

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 6, 2016

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A well researched and written history on a niche subject . I found the answers to all of my questions when researching the loss of several vessels both in wartime and post war. Very informative text and illustrations.

One person found this helpful

Dr H.

Liberty

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 28, 2015

Verified Purchase

Fascinating story about what I thought would be a dull subject

One person found this helpful

Keith D Gladwell

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 26, 2014