Liberty Program and Ship Sales Act

So, the Liberty Program was born and it has the main objective the realization of shipyards and the construction of Liberty ships. It was constructed a total of 2.710 copies; they were derived by English model “Ocean” but they were rapidly modified to make easier the production: superstructures and engines and holds positioning were modified. Their peculiarity was to be made by same sections, which were independent of the constructor and so interchangeable. They were simply assembled by means of electric welding reducing so a lot of time in the construction. Time record was 4 days, 15 hours and 30 minutes; it was necessary further 3 days to complete the setting up.
On the 27 of September of 1941 was launched the first Liberty, Patrick Henry, 134 meters, 12 knots of speed and approximately 10.000 tons of gross burden. The Liberty ships had a primary importance during the II World War because they quickly reversed the record hold by U-boot on the sunken tonnage. Planned to be used only in the war period and with the concrete possibility to use them also for a only one trip, the Liberty were be able to carry a lot quantities of merchandises, provisions, war supplies such as jeeps, tanks or packed airplanes, as well as armed soldiers.
They have generally 5 holds, 3 on the bow and 2 on the breast, 3 masts that were utilized also as support for crane to load the holds, a triple expansion steam turbine, let alone a defensive arm with four inch and three inch guns. Generally, the bigger was positioned on the breast while the others on the superstructures. It was progressively developed with the increasing of the war.
The end of the II World War established the whole decimation of merchant fleets for many nations; on the contrary, survived a lot of Liberty ships which had an excellent result considering the period, system and time of construction.
A substantial help to the renaissance of these fleets was really given by the United States and the number of safe Liberty after the conflict. As a matter of fact was ratified the Ship Sales Act with the approval of the Congress. The act established the sale of the Liberty ships, with facilities, to the Allied, which suffered serious loss in their fleet.