Liberty: The Ships That Won the War [Hardcover]

Peter Elphick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2001

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.

Editorial Reviews

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

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: Naval Institute Press (September 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557505357
• ISBN-13: 978-1557505354
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,357,447 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Non-Glamorous but Very Important Aspect of WW II, June 28, 2006

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Liberty: The Ships That Won the War (Paperback)

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.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A much-needed history of a vital type of ship., January 30, 2002

By 

Ned Middleton (British professional underwater photo-journalist & author) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Liberty: The Ships That Won the War (Paperback)

In the UK, most scuba divers know of the Liberty Ship "James Eagan Layne" which sank in Whitesand Bay near Plymouth on 21 March 1945 after having been torpedoed by U-1195. Whilst most people are able to recognise a tanker or vehicle ferry, however, for many the term Liberty Ship means nothing at all. Well not any more. This is a excellent book written by a Master Mariner with considerable experience of ships and the sea who has produced a first class piece of work of equal interest to amateur and professional ship historians alike.

Liberty Ships were made in the USA during World War Two from prefabricated sections and I was fascinated to learn that the record for building one of these ships was just 4 days. The many shipyards involved combined to provide the Allied Forces with the most positive response to the high rate of shipping losses sustained through enemy action.

Measuring 9½" x 6½", "Liberty - The ships that Won the War" comprises over 500 pages of mostly text but with a good selection of 26 historic photographs and a most informative exploded-view of how the prefabricated Liberty Ship was designed and built. Everything and anything you ever wanted to know about this type of ship from conception to watery grave or scrap-yard is here.

It was also most interesting to note that the shipbuilding firm of J. L. Thompson of Sunderland provided 3 prototype vessels from which the Liberty Ship eventually evolved. This is the company which also built the Thistlegorm and it is most interesting to see the resemblance between that particular ship and those early prototypes. Altogether, excellent reference material.

NM

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SS John W. Brown, June 23, 2006

By 

Michael N. Ryan (Bel AIr, Maryland USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Liberty: The Ships That Won the War (Hardcover)

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.