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Who Likes Ships? We Have Aircraft and Trains.

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Liberty Ships. Famous for being produced quickly, and introducing welded construction instead of using rivets, these freighters were built in quantity not only for domestic wartime use in the Merchant Marine but also to replenish lost British shipping during WWII. Due to men being called into service, a large percentage of the construction crews were women.
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Using the simplest of propulsion, an obsolete steam piston engine design was chosen because it was not only cheap and easy to manufacture, it was also extremely reliable. 2500 horsepower gave a speed of about 12 mph.
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Probably the most mass produced ship design, these 10,000 ton freighters were built at eighteen different ship yards at the same time, with 2,710 having been completed between 1941-1945. In 1943 production peaked with three per day being launched, costing about $2 million per vessel. There was no way for the Axis powers to compete with this manufacturing level.
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After the end of the war, hundreds of the 2,400 surviving vessels were sold off to shipping companies, many of whom got their start with these freighters.
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Liberty Ships. Famous for being produced quickly, and introducing welded construction instead of using rivets, these freighters were built in quantity not only for domestic wartime use in the Merchant Marine but also to replenish lost British shipping during WWII. Due to men being called into service, a large percentage of the construction crews were women.
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Using the simplest of propulsion, an obsolete steam piston engine design was chosen because it was not only cheap and easy to manufacture, it was also extremely reliable. 2500 horsepower gave a speed of about 12 mph.
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Probably the most mass produced ship design, these 10,000 ton freighters were built at eighteen different ship yards at the same time, with 2,710 having been completed between 1941-1945. In 1943 production peaked with three per day being launched, costing about $2 million per vessel. There was no way for the Axis powers to compete with this manufacturing level.
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After the end of the war, hundreds of the 2,400 surviving vessels were sold off to shipping companies, many of whom got their start with these freighters.
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Now look where we are. The US couldn't supply enough steel to do this, besides the shipyards. Everything has been shut down.
 
I always wondered how they kept those deck mounted guns on submarines from rusting up solid in a submerged, salt water environment - especially when they had to be able to be brought into action immediately. I doubt stainless steel metallurgy was progressed enough to use in most of the pieces. Cosmoline or something similar could only do so much and would have to be cleaned out of the barrel and the breech/firing mechanism before use. Always a mystery to me.
 
I always wondered how they kept those deck mounted guns on submarines from rusting up solid in a submerged, salt water environment - especially when they had to be able to be brought into action immediately. I doubt stainless steel metallurgy was progressed enough to use in most of the pieces. Cosmoline or something similar could only do so much and would have to be cleaned out of the barrel and the breech/firing mechanism before use. Always a mystery to me.
Although the deck guns were heavily greased and had water-tight plugs on the end for submerged running, the simple answer is that before nuclear power, submarines stayed on the surface most of the time anyway and were submerged only to hide or sneak up on an enemy ship. The battery power didn't last that long and the subs were much slower when submerged.

Surface ships had the same problems in keeping salt spray corrosion minimized, leading to the development of resistant alloys.
 
The "Wilfred Sykes" sailing into the mist on the St. Clair river a couple of weeks ago. One of the last (I believe there are two others) steam powered lakers still plying the Great Lakes. The Ski Nautique and the slalom skier were a bonus.

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The "Icon Of The Seas" sets sail in January 2024. 5610 passengers, 2350 crew members, 5 times larger and heavier than the Titanic, 19 floors with more than 40 bars, restaurants and bowling alleys. What a monstrosity!
Not a ship. Floating hotel/resort.
USS Berkeley (DDG 15) was an Adams Class Destroyer. My brother and I were stationed on her during the 1965-66 Viet Nam campaign where we provided shore bombardment in the Golf of Tonkin for our troops fighting in the jungles of North Viet Nam. We returned to California in 66 and my brother got out and I got transferred to another ship headed back to the South China Seas.
The second ship I was stationed on is the USS Long Beach (CGN-9) The only Nuclear powered Cruiser in the Navy fleet. I spent two years on her during the 1966-67 Viet Nam tour and was released from duty in March of 1968. Some pictures of Long Beach leading USS Enterprise and a host of destroyers and destroyer escorts. Pic of our Talos missile system. A pic of Enterprise, Long Beach and Bainbridge (all three nuclear powered) She was well known as "The Gray lady with the big box". Both ships are near and dear to me but neither one exists anymore.

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Adam's class were always a good looking destroyer. Low slung, 2 funnels, glad they were around when I was in, in the '80s they got stuck on plane guard, we were a little to slow to keep up with carrier when launching F-14s
 
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This was a few years back. The Earnslaw will be well over 100 years old now. Perhaps one of our Kiwi friends could provide a status?
 
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