Outboard Profiles of Maritime Commission  Vessels

The EC2 (Liberty) Cargo Ship and his Subdesigns

All Drawings by Karsten-Kunibert Krueger-Kopiske 2007 

Design: EC2-S-C1 Alabama DD & SB Co., Mobile, Alabama
Cargo MCE-1 to 13 and 740 to 746 (20 Built) J.L.M.Curry, John Marshall, Henry Clay, Arthur Middleton, Alexander H.Stephens, Thomas Heyward, Judah P.Benjamin, Jefferson Davis, Thomas Lynch, Joel Chandler Harris, Nathaniel Bacon, Israel Putnam, Johseph Wheeler, James Hoban, Clark Mills, Benjamin H.Latrobe, Simon Willard, Colin P.Kelley Jr., William C.Gorgas, Lawton B.Evans
Bethlehem-Fairfield SY's Inc., Baltimore, Maryland
MCE-14 to 63, 301 to 312, 913 to 1022, 1755 to 1853, 2405 to 2419 and 2585 to 2683 (385 Built) Patrick Henry, Charles Carroll, Francis Scott KEy, Roger B.Taney, Richard Henry Lee, John Randolph, George Calvert (I), Christopher Newport, Carter Braxton, Samuel Chase, George Wythe, Benjamin Harrison, Francis L.Lee, Thomas Stone, Richard Bland, George Calvert (II), Thomas Nelson, John Witherspoon, Robert Treat Paine, St.Olaf, Esek Hopkins, Peter Minuit, Alexander Macomb, Henry St.G.Tucker, Eleazar Wheelock, Thomas Ruffin, William Johnson, Richard Bassett, Olliver Ellsworth, Theodore Foster, James Gunn, John Henry, Samuel Johnston, William Maclay, William Patterson, Luther Martin, William Wirt, Reverdy Johnson, John H.B.Latrobe, Richard H.Alvey, John P.Poe, Bernard Carter, John Carter Rose, Andrew Hamilton, Benjamin Chew, William Tilghman, Jared Ingersoll, Horace Binney, William Rawle, John Sergeant, Thomas McKean, William Paca, Benjamin Rush, Joseph Stanton, John Walker, Pierce Butler, Tristram Dalton, Jonathan Elmer, William Few, William Grayson, John Mitchell, John W.Brown, Benjamin Hawkins, Ralph Izard, James Caldwell, Caesar Rodney, Nicholas Biddle, George Weems, Grace Abbott, Cardinal Gibbons, Thomas Sim Lee, Cotton Mather, Will Rogers, Daniel Chester French, Daniel Willard, Thaddeus Kosciuszko, Pearl Habor, Lord Delaware, James Woodrow, Willard Hall, Woodbridge N.Ferris, William McKinley, Thomas R.Marshall, Andrew G.Curtin, Molly Pitcher, Horace Gray, Samuel Blatchford, Henry B.Brown, George Shiras, Rufus W.Peckham, William R.Day, Mahlon Pitney, Louis D.Brandeis, Nathan Clifford, George Sharswood, Henry L.Benning, Johns Hopkins, Thomas Cresap, James W.Denver, Henry Gilbert Costin, John Gallup, Clifford D.Mallory, William H.Welch, William Osler, Howard A.Kelly, William S.Halstead, Franklin P.Mall, John Howland, William H.Wilmer, John J.Abel, Santiago Iglesias, John Banvard, Edward N.Hurley, Charles M.Schwab, Charles Piez, Bernard N.Baker, Winfred L.Smith, Bushrod Washington
California SB Corp., Terminal Island, Los Angeles, California
MCE-65 to 94, 277 to 300, 631 to 739, 1632 to 1691, 1854 to 1879 and 1910 to 1915 (254 Built)
Delta SB Co.Inc., New Orleans, Louisiana
MCE-121 to 144 (24), 313 to 320 (8), 1023 to 1050 (28), 1732 to 1733 (2) and 1935 (1), 2448 to 2466 (19), 2790 to 2815 (26), 2817 to 2823 (7), 2825 to 2831 (7), 2833 to 2835 (3), 2837 to 2839 (3), 2841, 2843 and 2845 (3) (131 Built)
Houston SB Corp., Houston, Texas (from June 1944 Todd-Houston SB Corp.)
MCE-95 to 119 (25), 265 to 276 (12), 828 to 859 (32), 1936 to 1966 (31) and 2908 to 3003 (96) (186 Built)
J.A.Jones Construction Co., Brunswick, Georgia
MCE-1489 to 1518 (30) and 2350 to 2404 (55) (85 Built)
J.A.Jones Construction Co., Wainwright Yard, Panama City, Florida
MCE-1519 to 1533 (15), 1542 to 1551 (10) and 2293 to 2333 (42) (67 Built)
Kaiser Co.Inc., Vancouver, Washington
MCE-353 to 354 (2 Built) George Vancouver, Elias Howe
Marinship Corp., Sausalito, California
MCE-1223 to 1237 (15 Built) William A.Richardson, William T.Coleman, William Kent, John Muir, Philip Kearny, Thomas Hart Benton, Lyman Beecher, Francis Preston Blair, Mark Hopkins, Andrew D.White, Sebastian Cermeno, Peter Donahue, Sun Yat Sen, Henry Durant, Jack London
New England SB Corp.(East Yard), South Portland, Maine (former Portland SB Corp.)
MCE-768 to 792 (25), 814 to 815, 820 to 821, 823 to 824, 827 (7), 793 to 800 (8), 2188 to 2189, 2193 to 2194, 2196 to 2197, 2199 to 2201, 2205 to 2206, 2209 to 2210, 2212 to 2214, 2218 to 2219, 2222 to 2224 (21), 3005 to 3006, 3008 to 3009, 3012 to 3013, 3016 to 3018, 3021 to 3022, 3024 to 3025, 3029 to 3031, 3034 to 3035, 3037 to 3038, 3042 to 3044, 3047 to 3048, 3051 to 3052, 3056 to 3058, 3060 to 3061, 3064 to 3065, 3069 to 3071, 3073 to 3074, 3077 to 3078, 3082 to 3084, 3086 to 3087, 3090 to 3091, 3095 to 3097, 3099 to 3100, 3102 to 3103 and 3107 to 3109 (57) (121 Built)
New England SB Corp.(West Yard), South Portland, Maine (former Portland SB Corp.)
MCE-214 to 216 (3), 339 to 340 (2), 801 to 813 (13), 816 to 819 (4), 822, 825 to 826 (3), 2190 to 2192, 2195, 2198, 2203 to 2204, 2207 to 2208, 2211, 2215 to 2217, 2220 to 2221 (15), 3004, 3007, 3010 to 3011, 3014 to 3015, 3019 to 3020, 3023, 3026 to 3028, 3032 to 3033, 3036, 3039 to 3041, 3045 to 3046, 3049 to 3050, 3053 to 3055, 3059, 3062 to 3063, 3066 to 3068, 3072, 3075 to 3076, 3079 to 3081, 3085, 3088 to 3089, 3092 to 3094, 3098, 3101, 3104 to 3105, 3106, 3110 to 3111, 3114 and 3117 (52) (93 Built)
North Carolina SB Co., Wilmington, North Carolina
MCE-145 to169 (25), 217 to 228 (12), 860 to 912 (53) and 1967 to 2002 (36) (125 Built)
Oregon SB Corp., Portland, Oregon
MCE-170 to 200 (31), 229 to 240 (12), 543 to 630 (88), 1590 to 1631 (42), 1747 to 1754 (8), 2003 to 2098 (96), 2245 to 2261 (17), 2519 to 2537 (19) and 2568 to 2584 (17) (330 Built)
Permanente Metals Corp.(Richmond Yard No.1), Richmond, California
MCE-483 to 542 (60), 1552 to 1565 (14), 1692 to 1707 (16), 2099 to 2136 (38) and 2262 to 2271 (10) (138 Built)
Permanente Metals Corp.(Richmond Yard No.2), Richmond, California (former Richmond SB Corp.)
MCE-241 to 264 (24), 321 to 332 (12), 418 to 482 (65), 1099 to 1122 (24), 1566 to 1589 (24), 1708 to 1731 (24), 2137 to 2187 (51), 2272 to 2292 (21) and 2684 to 2789 (106) (351 Built)
St.John's River SB Co., Jacksonville, Florida
MCE-1193 to 1222 (30) and 2467 to 2518 (52) (82 Built)
Southeastern SB Corp., Savannah, Georgia
MCE-341 to 352 (12), 1051 to 1074 (24), 2432 to 2447 (16) and 2863 to 2898 (36) (88 Built)
Walsh-Kaiser Co., Providence, Rhode Island (former Rheem Manufacturing Co.)
MCE-1457 to 1462 and 3119 to 3123 (11 Built) 
Between 1941 and 1945 2580 so-called "Liberties" type EC2-S-C1 were built. This type with a speed of 11 knots only has been designed for cheap and fast mass production in a war emergeny program. They are flush-deckers with a full bodied torm. Originally they were named after deceased Americans who made notable contributions to the history and culture of America and after merchant seamen who lost their lives in service. A large number were loaned to the Navy during WWII for service as AK, AKN, ARG and AVS. Also a large number of vessels were transferred to Allies under the Lend / Lease program. After WWII a growing number of vessels were laid up on Reserve Fleet Sites throughout the Continental U.S.and several hundreds were sold between 1946 and 1951 under the Merchant Sales Act of 1946 to countries around the globe. The only remaining operational Liberties at this time are the JOHN W.BROWN at Baltimore, Md and the JEREMIAH O'BRIEN at San Francisco,Ca they served as living memorials for all her sister ships long gone now and to honor the men who served on these ships. The Liberties served up to the mid and late seventies, and some maybe longer (Drawing shows a typical Liberty).
While hundreds of Liberties served the seven seas under Liberian, Panamanian, Greek and many other flags, only one, the HEDWIGSHÜTTE (ex- George N.Drake) served under the flag of the Federal Republic of Germany by Hedwigshütte Kohlen- & Kokswerke AG.
Also under the flag of the German Democratic Republic served one Liberty, the ERNST MORITZ ARNDT by Deutsche Seeschiffahrts Reederei.
Like many other Shipping Companies, the Ellerman & Bucknell Steamship Co.bought from the Maritime Commission six Liberty ships for their world wide tramp service. Drawing shows the CITY OF CHELMSFORD (ex- SAMBRAKE).
Another large british Shipping Company who bought Liberties from the Maritime Commission was the A.Weir Shipping & Trading Co.Ltd..Twelve Liberties were bought and entered service for the companies Bank Line. Drawing shows the KELVINBANK (ex- SAMUTA). Lykes many Liberties SAMUTA was loaned to the British Ministry of War Transport under Lend / Lease and managed by their later buyer. Sold in April 1947 and renamed to KELVINBANK, she served for the Bank Line up to January 6th 1953 when she grounded at an reef at Sydney Point / Ocean Island. Declared a CTL on January 17th 1953 after several salvage tries.
The former SAMOVAR, launched as FRANK D.PHINNEY by the Permanente Metals Corp., Yard No.2 at Richmond, California. Tansferred to the BMoWT under Lend / Lease and renamed to SAMOVAR and was managed by the Th.& J.Brocklebank Ltd. Ret'd to U.S.custody and simultaneously sold to thew British & Burmese Steam Navigation Co.Ltd.under the Merchant Ship Sales Act of 1946, and renamed to KANSI. In mid 1949 she was resold to the Charente Steamship Co.Ltd.and renamed to COLONIAL as depicted in the drawing.
Another large buyer of wartime built Liberty ships, were Greek Shipping Companies. 98 vessels were bought by various Companies. A familiar view in every harbor around the globe in the fifthies and sixthies. Three vessels were sold by John P.Goulandris & Bros.and transferred to Greek Flag and Registry. Drawing shows the EVANTHIA (ex- GEORGE BELLOWS) in an early 1950's configuration.
One of two remaining Liberty ships and still operational, is the JEREMIAH O'BRIEN. Built in 1943 by the New England Shipbuilding Corp.(West Yard) at South Portland, Maine. After her wartime service, she was removed from operations in February 1946 and laid up at the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet. Withdrawn in October 1979, she was donated to the National Liberty Ship Memorial and located at San Franciscos, Fisherman's Wharf. Drawing shows the O'BRIEN in her WWII configuration.
MORRIS SIGMAN built by Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyards Inc.at Baltimore, Maryland was sold in April 1947 to the Arrow Steamship Co.Inc.of Wilmington, Delaware and renamed to ARTHUR FRIBOURG. She was resold in August 1956 to the Bethlehem Steel Co.and renamed to LOSMAR for service by Companies Calmar Steamship Co.as depicted in this drawing. Removed from operations in June 1966 and laid up at Baltimore. She was sold to Sea-Land Service Inc.in August 1968. In September 1968 Trade-In to Maritime Administration under the Ship Exchange Act. The vessel was finally sold in October 1968 to a German Shipbreaker (Eckhardt & Co.GmbH of Hamurg) and scrapped at Santander, Spain.

Liberty Ship Conversions
In the mid-fifthies a number of regular Liberties were lenghtened, for private account at yards in Japan. One sample to increase cargo capacity was the ANDROS FAIRPLAY (ex- Henry M.Stephens), lenghthened by Sasebo Ship Industry Co.Ltd.at Sasebo, Japan within weeks.
Another very interesting conversion was the ULTRAGAZ SAO PAULO (ex- Thomas F.Bayard), these special conversion to an LNG (Liquid Natural Gas) Carrier was done by Howaldtswerke Deutsche Werft AG at Kiel, Germany.
EC2-S-AW1 Delta SB Co.Inc., New Orleans, Louisiana
(Collier) MCE-2816, 2824, 2832, 2836, 2840, 2842, 2844 and 2846 to 2862 (24 Built) Jagger Seam, Sewanee Seam, Herrin Seam, La Salle Seam, Streator Seam, Linton Seam, Redstone Seam, Jewell Seam, Merrimac Seam, Jellicoe Seam, Bon Air Seam, Glamorgan Seam, Sewell Seam, Beckley Seam, Pocahontas Seam, Eagle Seam, Powellton Seam, Chilton Seam, Banner Seam, Roda Seam, Imboden Seam, Freeport Seam, Mingo Seam, Pittsburgh Seam
During WWII 24 colliers type EC2-S-AW1 were built with the same hull-form as type EC2-S-C1, but machinery aft. These vessels have five holds with two hatches each (remarkable the lifting gear for the steel hinged hatch covers) and were named after well-known American coal seams, therefore ending with SEAM. All vessels were sold in the late forties to U.S.Steamship Companies under the Merchant Sales Act (Drawing shows one AW1 operated by Mystic Steamship Co., Division of the Eastern Gas and Fuel Associates under U.S.Flag and Registry.
Z-EC2-S-C2 J.A.Jones Construction Co., Wainwright Yard, Panama City, Florida
(Tank Transport) MCE-1534 to 1541 (8 Built) Mary Ball, John Barton Payne, Frederic C.Howe, William B.Wilson, Sarah J.Hale, Nathan B.Forrest, Stephen R.Mallory, Edgar E.Clark
Z-EC2-S-C5 J.A.Jones Construction Co., Wainwright Yard, Panama City, Florida
(Boxed Air Planes) MCE-2334 to 2349 and 3137 to 3148 (28 Built) Frederick E.Williamson, Michael James Monahan, Charles A.Draper, Rafael R.Rivera, James W.Wheeler, Raymond Van Brogan, William J.Riddle, Dudley H.Thomas, John L.McCarley, Vernon S.Hood, Edwin D.Howard, Wesley W.Barrett, Warren P.Marks, Frank O.Peterson, Barney Kirschbaum, Mary Cullom Kimbro, James G.Squires, James F.Harrell, Claude Kitchin, Francis J.O'Gara, Frank Flowers, Edwin H.Duff, Joseph V.Connolly, Walter W.Schwenk, Charles H.Cugle, Robert F.Burns, Edward W.Burton, Ora Ellis
New England SB Corp.(East Yard), South Portland, Maine
MCE-3125 to 3132 (8 Built) Robert W.Hart, J.Howland Gardner, Samuel R.Aitken, Lorenzo C.McCarthy, Cardinal O'Connell Tom Treanor, Walter F.Perry, Albert M.Boe
Especially designed for the transport of Tanks and Boxed Airplanes the Z-EC2-S-C2 and Z-EC2-S-C5 type had the same hull-form are those of type EC2-S-C1, but with larger hatches and heavier loading gear. Typical for this type is the arrangement of two pairs of kingposts each on the forecastle and poop contrary to the two single kingposts on the forecastle and one kingpost on the poop with the EC2-S-C1 basic design. All vessels remained under U.S.Flag and Registry after WWII and were laid up.