The Liberty ship was originally a British design that was produced by and bought from American shipyards. According to History Collection, the U.S. Navy chose to adopt it once the British method of riveting the ship’s components was replaced by welding. The new method made the design faster to construct, as welding required far fewer workers. This was a welcome benefit; even with the employment of women taking the place of men in industry, labor shortages were a constant issue. The design and production of the Liberty ship was so efficient that many were finished after barely a week of construction. One, the SS Robert E. Peary, was completed in only four days (via Kaiser Permanente).

The downside to all this is that the Liberty ships, despite being the most numerous type of ship utilized during the war, were not made to last. They did their jobs when called upon, from transporting cargo to patrolling coastal waters, but their quick construction left them prone to leakage and cracking. Some vessels were reported to have even split in two, prompting American planners to supplement them with the larger and sturdier Victory Ships (via National Park Service). In spite of its deficiencies, the Liberty ship not only helped overcome the U-boat threat, but served the U.S. and other nations decades after its intended lifespan. According to an article posted last May by History Collection, of the 2,700 built, just two remain operational today.