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Liberty ship

The Liberty ship was a class of cargo ship built in great numbers during World War II by the United States Maritime Commission[?].

The project was was managed by Henry Kaiser[?].

The first Liberty ship was the Patrick Henry, launched 7 September 1941. Early on, each ship took about 230 days to build, but the average eventually dropped to 42 days, with the record being set by the Robert G. Peary, which was launched 4 days and 15 1/2 hours after the keel was laid. In 1943, three new Liberty ships were being completed every day. They were all named after famous Americans.

Many Liberty ships survived the war, and made up a large percentage of the postwar cargo fleet. The term "Liberty-size cargo" for 10,000 tons may still be heard in the shipping business.

The two remaining liberty ships are the Jeremiah O'Brien[?] and the John. W. Brown.

The Jeremiah O'Brien is converted into a museum ship.

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