Liberty ship: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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===Variants===

The basic EC2-S-C1 cargo design was modified during construction into three major variants with the same basic dimensions and slight variance in tonnage. One variant, with basically the same features but different type numbers, had four rather than five [[Hold (partition)|holds]] served by large hatches and [[kingpost]] with large capacity booms. Those four hold ships were designated for transport of tanks and boxed aircraft.<ref name=FRtab>{{cite journalbook |title=Federal Register |volume=11 |issue=161 |pages=8974 |publisher=U.S. Government |date=17 August 1946|url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1946-08-17/pdf/FR-1946-08-17.pdf |access-date=20 June 2019}}</ref>

In the detailed Federal Register publication of the post war prices of Maritime Commission types the Liberty variants are noted as:<ref name=FRtab/>

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Fifty-eight Liberty ships were lengthened by {{convert|70|ft}} starting in 1958,<ref name="From Archive.org-6791407">{{cite web |url=http://www.modernshiphistory.com/ |title=The Calendar of Modern Shipping |work=modernshiphistory.com |date=26 February 2010 |access-date=9 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100226151708/http://www.modernshiphistory.com/ |archive-date=26 February 2010 |url-status=dead |author1=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->}}</ref> giving them additional carrying capacity at a small additional cost.<ref name="From Archive.org-6791407"/>{{Citation needed|date=June 2009}} The bridges of most of these were also enclosed in the mid-1960s in accordance with a design by naval architect Ion Livas.

In the 1950s, the [[Maritime Administration]] instituted the Liberty Ship Conversion and Engine Improvement Program, which had a goal to increase the speed of Liberty ships to {{convert|15|knots}}, making them competitive with more modern designs, as well as gaining experience with alternate propulsion systems. Four ships were converted in the $11 million program.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Liberty ship new look |url=http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/archive/1955/Vol12_No5_May1955.pdf |titlejournal=Proceedings of the Merchant Marine Council|volume=12| issue = 5|date=May 1955|page=85|access-date=10 March 2022}}</ref> [[SS Benjamin Chew|SS ''Benjamin Chew'']] had its existing condensers modified and a new superheater and geared turbine installed to give the ship 6,000 shp, up from 2,500. [[SS Thomas Nelson|SS ''Thomas Nelson'']] had its bow lengthened, diesel engines installed in place of the original steam engine, and movable cranes outfitted in place of the original cargo handling gear. The GTS (Gas Turbine Ship) ''[[SS John Sergeant|John Sergeant]]'' had its bow extended, and its steam engine replaced with a General Electric gas turbine of 6,600 shp, connected to a reversible pitch propeller via reduction gearing. ''John Sergeant'' was considered overall to be a success, but problems with the reversible pitch propeller ended its trial after three years. GTS ''[[SS William Patterson|William Patterson]]'' had its bow extended and its steam engine replaced with 6 General Electric GE-14 free-piston gas generators, connected to two reversible turbines and capable of 6,000 shp total. ''William Patterson'' was considered to be a failure as reliability was poor and the scalability of the design was poor.<ref name="Specht">Specht D. ''Evaluation of free piston-gas turbine marine propulsion machinery in GTS'' William Patterson ''(1961) SAE''</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |url=https://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/archive/1957/Vol14_No11_Nov1957.pdf |title=Lykes Bros. Operates GTS William Patterson |journal=Proceedings of the Merchant Marine Council |volume= 14| issue = 11|date=November 1957|page=183|access-date=10 March 2022}}</ref> All four vessels were fueled with [[Bunker C]] fuel oil, though ''John Sergeant'' required a quality of fuel available at limited ports and also required further treatment to reduce contaminants.<ref name="Innovation">National Research Council (U.S.) ''Innovation in the Maritime Industry'' (1979) Maritime Transportation Research Board pp. 127–131</ref> Three were scrapped in 1971 or 1972 and the diesel-equipped ''Thomas Nelson'' was scrapped in 1981.

In 2011, the [[United States Postal Service]] issued a postage stamp featuring the Liberty ship as part of a set on the [[U.S. Merchant Marine]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Postal Service Salutes U.S. Merchant Marine on Forever Stamps|url=http://about.usps.com/news/national-releases/2011/pr11_092.htm|work=Press Release|publisher=USPS|access-date=25 May 2012|date=28 July 2011}}</ref>

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**[[USS Luzon (ARG-2)|''Luzon''-class Internal Combustion repair ships (ARG)]] 12 conversions

**[[Xanthus-class repair ship|''Xanthus''-class repair ship (AR)]] 5 ships (1944–1946)

**Five converted to [[List of unclassified miscellaneous vessels of the United States Navy|unclassified miscellaneous (IX)]] dry bulk storage ships for [[Service Squadron]] use<ref group=A>[[these bulk storage ships were [[USS P.H. Burnett|USS Peter H. Burnett (IX-104)]], [[USS Antelope (IX-109)]], [[USS Don Marquis|USS Don Marquis (IX-215)]], [[USS Triana (IX-223)]], [[USS Inca (IX-229)]]</ref>

* EC2-S-C1 converted for US Coast Guard use

**[[USAS American Mariner|American Mariner-class ship]], US Coast Guard training (1943–1950)