My Great Uncle was a helmsman on Liberty Ship from '43 to '45. He had some good stories about how these ships handled and rode underway. One of them that has stuck with me is thus, Liberty Ships rode like a bathtub. They wallowed, they corked about. They rode like a ship shouldn't. If the sea was glass smooth was the only time that the ships rode in any peaceable manner. If there was even the slightest swell they loved to roll. Which brings us to the following; as they were passing Iceland towards the UK, the galley had served something completely awful for breakfast and this REALLY pissed off the Captain, who my uncle described as a likeable man as long as it didn't involve anything that didn't involve his ship, the ocean, or anything wet..., so as he stalked onto the bridge that morning my uncle was at the wheel. The Captain picked up his glass, looked out to sea for a bit, set the glasses down, called to my uncle to, "put the ship sideways to the next swell." He did as he was ordered and the ship rolled into the turn and then was tossed about by the swell. From the bridge was heard the shattering of crockery and the clanging of pots and pans and the loud and violent swearing of the mess crew. The Captain then turned to my uncle, "that'll teach those bastards to serve that kind of swill to us."

My grandma was a RN at the start of the war. When women were needed to take the place of men, she was chosen to be a welder in a factory. She became so good that she eventually reached the rank of master welder. Funniest thing ever was her response when I said so you were a Rosey the Riveter? She looked at me with such a stern face and said, "I was a master welder, not a riveter."

@calska140

3 жыл бұрын

You almost caught a left hook from gram gram

@jerredwayne8401

3 жыл бұрын

I'll bet she could weld anything from the crack of your ass to broken dreams

@jwflyaway

3 жыл бұрын

My mother were frist class welding in Liberty Ship yard, My older brother had welder and wanted my mother to weld a bead, it have been 30 years she had welding, it were one of petty welding bead I'm seen, she still had it after 30 years.

@IsaacConejo

2 жыл бұрын

LMAO Go Grandma ! Get your Info Correct before you talk to me! Lol 😅

@solarfinder

2 жыл бұрын

Just beautiful! The pride in her eyes wouldve been a sight to see. Congrats grandma, and to your family. Great example

Germans: No way anyone can build ships faster than we can sink them. Americans: Actually, it's super easy, barely an inconvenience.

@pforce9

3 жыл бұрын

Not to put too fine a point on it but it was a German that was getting those ships built. Henry Kaiser not only built those ships but he started Kaiser Plan.

@Lilgoth89

3 жыл бұрын

Building ships this quickly is TIGHT

@cleverusername9369

3 жыл бұрын

A VERY rapid ship building process, wow wow wow, wow 🙂

@daniellastuart3145

3 жыл бұрын

just to point that the The Liberty ships which one most important design of war was from a British ship design but the speed the American ship builders constructed them was amazing

@pforce9

3 жыл бұрын

@@daniellastuart3145 It was not the American Ship builders. It was Henry Kaiser. At the time the American shipbuilders hated him like the car manufacturers hate Elon Musk today.

There is an old adage, "Soldiers win battles, logistics win wars." The Liberty ships were an integral component of the Ally logistics.

@arthas640

3 жыл бұрын

its kind of bonkers to think about but the US went from semi-isolationist to being responsible for over 75% of the worlds international shipping in a matter of a few years. The main American strategy was to simply out build their enemies in every sector, with even the Sherman being designed with the idea of protecting the crew so they could jail out and hop in a new tank and drive right back to the front line.

@SpecialEDy

3 жыл бұрын

Check out the "Red Ball Express", the USA brought in 6000 cargo trucks to run supplies between the Mulberry Harbours and the front-line. By the end of WW2, the USA was manufacturing 4 times as much supplies as all of the Axis powers combined.

@TheEDFLegacy

3 жыл бұрын

It's depressing that such a feat can no longer be replicated by the modern US. China, on the other hand... 😳

@currentbatches6205

3 жыл бұрын

@@TheEDFLegacy BS

@currentbatches6205

3 жыл бұрын

It's a common assumption that Germany had the economic ability to win WWII: False. "Wages of Destruction" (Adam Tooze) makes it clear that Germany was only slightly more economically capable than was Japan. Neither had a ghost of a chance of winning the war; 'fighting-spirit-super-men' are as easily mowed-down by MG fire from bitching GIs in sloppy uniforms as are cowards. At best, both hoped to frighten the allies into negotiations after early victories. When that didn't happen, they were doomed. By January '43, it was no longer in question; neither of the axis powers ever again mounted a successful strategic offense. It's a shame the Japanese and Nazis wasted the number of lives and amount of treasure they did after that; they alone could choose to end the war. And they both finally did after all that wastage... Oh, and Overy ("Why the Allies Won") is full of it: '"World War", (not 'optional war'; Vietnam) is an economic competition and the Allies economies won the war. His claims otherwise are internally contradictory in every case he cites.

While they were arguing with Henry Kaiser about the feasibility of the Liberty Ships, he built a scale model of one in 20 minutes; End of argument, and he got the contract for his design.

@sofa-lofa4241

3 жыл бұрын

Kaiser was a brilliant engineer, his cars are very underrated

simon. anything about cargo ships would be fantastic. then again i would probably listen to you describe a beige painted wall.

@dannyobrian5957

3 жыл бұрын

Ha true

@14gears55

3 жыл бұрын

I don’t know about Simon talking about a beige wall. Blue, maybe but not beige. That would be like watching paint dry

@philthewriter

3 жыл бұрын

What's this about a wall? Tell me more

@TheMightyZwom

3 жыл бұрын

I don't know... I get my required level of beige from another channel already :p

@emporororretargds8601

3 жыл бұрын

Beige is a great color

Interesting Fact: The S.S. Jeremiah O'Brien was used in the filming of the movie Titanic. They used footage of her engine since she has one of the few large triple expansion steam engines still in operation anywhere in the world.

@SephirothRyu

2 жыл бұрын

Another interesting fact, a number of these vessels were equipped with a weapon known as a Holman Projector. A literal steam-powered anti-aircraft cannon, with one vessel shooting down two German aircraft with them. So not only were they delightfully anachronistic, they had actual steampunk weaponry.

@bsa45acp

8 ай бұрын

Also she was used in the movie 'Sphere' and 'Birth of the Dragon" and numerous other films meant for TV.

Germany: Haha, we're sinking your ships, faster than you can build them. US: Hold my beer.

@TheOriginalJphyper

3 жыл бұрын

They say "In God We Trust", but we all know "Hold My Beer" is America's real motto, for better or worse.

@killjoy1887

3 жыл бұрын

@@TheOriginalJphyper The real reason we say hold my beer is because our beer is terrible all our accomplishments are just obstacles overcome in search of a better beer.

@kaito1213

3 жыл бұрын

**Japan Have Bomb Pearl Harbor**

@harrymu148

2 жыл бұрын

@@kaito1213 **Hold my nuclear program. Heads up i'm dropping it on you**

@roberthudson1959

2 жыл бұрын

The Liberty ships were just part of the story. By the end of 1943, American industries were producing enough to supply all the military needs of the Allies. The other countries simply needed to supply the personnel to use the equipment.

Cargo ships would be interesting, yes. Modern logistics in general is pretty lit.

@martythestines

3 жыл бұрын

Id use a different word than lit, but I'm an old man and speak 90's talk. But yeah logistics is wicked sick, super dope, radical, awesome, cowabunga! Dumb👉(me) 😂😂😂😂😂

@DedMan516

3 жыл бұрын

@@martythestines 😂😂👌🏽 rad bro

@horatiohuffnagel7978

3 жыл бұрын

Dont say lit plz

@mrexists5400

3 жыл бұрын

@@martythestines respect @horatio huffnagel lit lit lit lit lit lit lit lit lit lit lit

@Will-tm5bj

3 жыл бұрын

@@horatiohuffnagel7978 lit lit lit this shit is lit

You should do a Megaprojects on the Cheyenne Mountain complex

@EthanThomson

3 жыл бұрын

including the star gate?

@Luke..luke..luke..

3 жыл бұрын

Omg yes!

@TigerXGame

3 жыл бұрын

Yes. It houses NORAD. And nothing else...

@afewspokesloose2699

3 жыл бұрын

Definitely on board with that. I know it qualifies as a mega project but not much about the actual logistics. Also; Stargate 😍

@ericvacca551

3 жыл бұрын

@@TigerXGame As of 2008 its only used for flight crew training and a backup command.

My father was a freshly minted ensign 90 day wonder. His first duty was gunnery officer on a the Jonathan worth (built in 30 days)a liberty ship in the North Atlantic in the dead of winter. U boats followed the convoy striking at will . In one his letters to my mother he was visibly shaken by the sudden disappearance of the ship forward of his position in a quick explosion . That became almost a daily event. I recently had the chance to tour a partially restored liberty ship and I couldn’t wait to get off about as soon as I boarded . Cramped, low ceilings, asbestos , dark , dank narrow companionways. All that and people you can’t see trying to kill you. I came off of that ship with a different view of my father

My dad served aboard the USS Oxford AGTR-1 which was originally the SS Samuel R. Aitken Liberty ship. Recommissioned as a "technical research ship" or "spy ship" and served aboard her from the Cuban Missle Crisis through Viet Nam. I still have the photos of him aboard the Ox as she was known and other pictures of the ship at sail. Great video, thank you

Germany: No, you can't just build more ships, our U-boats are sinking them USA: Haha shipyard go brrrr

@SpecialEDy

3 жыл бұрын

Germans: Quality over Quantity Soviets: Quantity over Quality Americans: Yes!

@ztoob8898

3 жыл бұрын

Shipyard: "Hold my brrrr."

Just a few things. 1) My late grandmother worked on Liberty Ships as a welder. Quite a common occupation for women stuck at home during WWII. 2) SS John Burke was lost with all hands after a kamikaze attack in one of the largest non-nuclear explosions of the war. 3) A good cargo ship to do a video on would be the Seawise Giant. Worth asking the owner to go do a show on it in person because they seem to be open to it. 4) A megaproject topic that I would love to see would be about the road system of the United States.

@jefferynelson

3 жыл бұрын

Not a joke- thanks to your Grandmother & her contribution to WW2

@111muz111

3 жыл бұрын

Not associated to any channel but a fan of the subject. Check out the channel extra credit "lend lease" if you wanted a strategic view of how the crews were both brave and critical to the war. This is a great short doco :)

@michaelmatasso4477

3 жыл бұрын

A look into the United States Highway system would be really interesting, I agree.

As a percentage, the loss of merchant seamen was the greatest of any service.

@nsahandler

2 жыл бұрын

Moreso if you include all the port calls

You should do a story on the guy who built the Liberty ships, Kaiser, a guy who new nothing about ships or ship building and was asked by the government to take a look at how these ships were being built and went on to revolutionize ship building and created one of the biggest corporations in the world! During WW2 everybody new who he was. The way ships are built today all goes back to him! During WW2 one of Kaisers shipyards built an entire liberty ship, launched it in a record 24 hours!

@hugowiberg1843

6 ай бұрын

My personal hero. Came within a Truman- eyelash of being Roosevelt's VP.

There was a famous Hitler quote from I think 1944 when he got a report that the Kaiser ship works were producing 3 fully loaded ships a day... ... it was said his reply was: "My god, we don't have that many torpedoes".

@nerd1000ify

3 жыл бұрын

By that time the U-boat's job was also a lot harder due to vast improvements in Allied anti-submarine warfare tactics and equipment, particularly through proliferation of another remarkably unremarkable ship: the Flower class corvette.

@buffaloj0e

3 жыл бұрын

I was waiting for this to make the video, I love his despair at not being able to sink them as fast as they could make them.

@Emperorvalse

3 жыл бұрын

@@nerd1000ify No the Flowers had done their very important role as a stop gap. Better designed escorts were coming on, improved strategy, tactics, sensors, weapons, aircraft, breaking of codes, on shore logistics etc. No one single thing won the Battle of the Atlantic it was the concerted effort of 100,000's of people, resources a brains that gave the Allies the victory.

The US Merchant Marine Academy sent many of it's students out on these vessels during their Sophmore and Junior year sea periods. 142 of them never came home. A total of 210 students and graduates were lost in the supply effort to keep the Allies going. I was thrilled to be able to tour the Jeremiah O'Brien when she came by the Academy after participating in the D-Day anniversary celebrations. Truly astounding what the men had to work with at the time. Really makes you appreciate what we have today.

Thank you for doing Liberty Ships. It has an emotional appeal to me. My father sailed on Liberty ships during the war. People don't realize that the merchant seamen had a higher percentage of deaths than any of our armed services. Yes, the ship was very boring, until you realize that they are sailing at 9 knots and people are trying to kill you. My father told me of sitting in the Philadelphia union hall. A man took a ship, and a few hours later he was back. What happened? Sunk just outside the harbor. That man had to board three ships that day because the first two were sunk.

Simon:"So do you guys want me to cover..." Comment Section: YES

@SephirothRyu

2 жыл бұрын

Holman projectors, please!

Should have mentioned that American Merchant Sailors did not receive veteran status until 1988!

@nickdanger3802

3 жыл бұрын

They were civilians who got paid twice as much as much as USN sailors including hazardous duty and clothing allowance. They could quit if they wanted to, but would have been immediately drafted into the USN.

@somethinglikethat2176

3 жыл бұрын

@@nickdanger3802 they were only paid while sailing which meant if they were in port or bobbing up and down in the Atlantic a waiting rescue they didn't earn a dime. They were on the frontlines doing one of the most dangerous jobs of the war. I think they earned the right to be called veterans.

@julieenslow5915

3 жыл бұрын

People. The debate on this topic is over. The Merchant Sailors received veteran status in 1988. You can debate all the other topics - including who had it harder, who got paid the best, whatever. I would even suggest a debate on whether that should have been done fifty some years earlier. But it was done so now its a fact - they were veterans! It means they got benefits (if still alive) and their families got benefits (late - but better late than never). Respect and thanks to all Veterans, then and now.

@benlittle5436

3 жыл бұрын

Nick Danger no, they didn’t have to do those things. And yet with over 30,000 of them dying, they tended to have worse survival odds in combat than actual soldiers did. So no, they didn’t have to guard prisoners or stack bodies... but the people who guarded prisoners and stacked bodies actually had a higher survival rate than the merchant navy, keep your lips zipped when you wanna say some dumb shit

@MrTarmonbarry

3 жыл бұрын

It was much the same for the British merchant sailors , they only got any kind of recognition after a very long time and a lot of campaining . Aprox 32,248 lost thier lives during ww2 and still get little recognition for what they did

I'd like to hear about the Great Green Wall. (It's a forest strip that is being planted through Africa from east to west in order to stop the spread of the Sahara).

@cigibso

3 жыл бұрын

What a great idea. I'd love to hear more of this one Simon.

Sailed on a liberty ship while in college. It was seriously cool, lots of history. Now it’s a reef.

@arthas640

3 жыл бұрын

@Dillon Brunschon well lets just say they didnt write so many songs about drunken sailors for nothing.

@Nick-rs5if

3 жыл бұрын

What's her name? :o

@ghostofluck1811

3 жыл бұрын

That's awesome. I love diving to sunken ships. Where is it located?

@WenrichSam

3 жыл бұрын

Haha, the only time I’ve been “on” a Liberty ship was while diving. Many of them eventually ended up as intentional reefs. Due to their simple construction, it was relatively easy to remove all the parts and fluids you don’t want to sink.

@TheVirtualObserver

3 жыл бұрын

I visited one with my dad during middle school! We didn’t sail on it but it was a really cool experience regardless.

I had to do a project on the Liberty ships when I was at college studying engineering. The deck hatches where all squares which caused fracture points in the corners. They solved the problem by making the corners round to disperse the stress over a larger area.

@drcthru7672

2 жыл бұрын

Square windows doomed the DeHaviland Comet!

I don't care what it is Simon. WE WANT MORE SHIPS.

@nickbalmes6640

3 жыл бұрын

☝️ THIS ☝️

@louisimisson9065

3 жыл бұрын

The truth is displayed above 👍

@stevendelaet2454

3 жыл бұрын

And planes

@leopardone2386

3 жыл бұрын

Like....YAMATO.

Is three a day a lot? Depends. Steps, no. Ships, yes.

@Adiscretefirm

3 жыл бұрын

Coffees: under quota Beers: a little high for an average, fine for an evening with friends.

@sailinbob11

3 жыл бұрын

Been living on a sailboat for 12 years. I wouldn't want to cross the Atlantic on one,and I live on a sailboat. Been through 4 hurricanes, 1 at sea,3 at anchor, but still, N. Atlantic? Subs ? Loaded with bombs? No thanks !

@georgemiller7717

3 жыл бұрын

Someone likes doctor who lol

@charlestorruella8591

3 жыл бұрын

Dam the topedos full steam ahead well get there may not where we want to go but we'll get there

@davidhutchison3343

3 жыл бұрын

The first Liberty ship took 270 days to build, by the end, they were taking 40-60 days to build. The record was 4 1/2 days but that was a special project.

Simon: "Do you want me to make a video about..." Us: "Yes!' Simon: "I was going to say, "the color, white."" Us: "Did we stutter?" Me: "If you mispronounce "white", I'm going to get angry."

@Nicmadis

3 жыл бұрын

xD Not gonna lie, man could likely make a one hour documentary on the color white easily.

@mattmatthews5414

2 жыл бұрын

Woieet

One of my uncles came back from New Guinea at the end of WWII on a transport he called a liberty ship. There were assembled on an island in preparation to come home, and he was offered the chance to go to the US in the transport which brought him to the island, or wait for an aircraft carrier which was coming 'soon'. He said he could see the 'old rustbucket' in the harbor, and despite scanning the horizon he couldn't see the carrier, and he was done taking the Army's word for things, so he got back on the liberty ship. On the way back they went through a typhoon locked in the hold, but when they got to San Francisco the captain told everyone to get off, since he had no water or food left. The promised carrier was in the harbor - it beat them back by days - but the men on it were stuck for some time, waiting to be discharged, and he felt the tossing around was worth it to get out of the Army a week or two early.

Some who never returned? How about: 3.1 million tons of merchant ships were lost in World War II. Mariners died at a rate of 1 in 26, which was the highest rate of casualties of any service. All told, 733 American cargo ships were lost and 8,651 of the 215,000 who served perished in troubled waters and off enemy shores.

@cabbievonbump

3 жыл бұрын

Correction: The German U-Boat service in World War Two suffered 75 percent casualties. Comparing a 4% casualty rate to a one in four survival rate … I rest my case.

@CoolKid-qk7tl

3 жыл бұрын

American bomber pilots had similar survival rates to the u boat crews

@somethinglikethat2176

3 жыл бұрын

@@cabbievonbump I think they are referring to US personal with their comment.

@a24396

3 жыл бұрын

@Dillon Brunschon I understood "service" to refer to branch of service, i.e. Army, Navy, etc...

FYI: The 1943, Humphrey Bogart film, "Action In The North Atlantic," depicts the lives, strategies, and tactics of the Merchant Marine Core during WWII. The film was considered so accurate in it's overall telling of the experience of the Merchant Marine Core, that the actual core, still in the midst of WWII, adopted the film into the core's library of cadet training films.

@canuckloyalist4681

3 жыл бұрын

My favorite Bogart movie...think I'll watch it later!

@sarran1955

3 жыл бұрын

....and the little Kitten is sooo cute.... oh, and leave that door open please.. Cordialement,

@grizzlygrizzle

3 жыл бұрын

A more recent movie, "The Finest Hours," tells the story of what remains the most daring small-boat rescue in the history of the U.S. Coast Guard. During a hellish Nor'easter off the coast of Cape Cod in 1950, a former Liberty Ship split in half in heavy seas, and most of the Chatham station's resources went out to rescue the crew. While this was going on, a SECOND former Liberty Ship split in half, and there were only a few Guardsmen left in the station and a small boat with a rated capacity of about 12 passengers. They went out anyway, and came back with something like 30 crewmen from the second ship, plus the 4 who crewed the small boat. If you search for "Bernie Webber" you can find the real story. -- It's a real balls-of-steel story. With a lot of odd twists. Sort of a cross between "The Perfect Storm" and "The Guardian," more uplifting than the former, but unlike the latter, a true freaking story. (If you're a "Perfect Storm" fan, the book by Sebastian Junger is HUGELY better than the movie.)

@canuckloyalist4681

3 жыл бұрын

@@sarran1955 The first kitten (Peaches) didn't fare too good...like the bloke with the record player.

@ziggy2shus624

3 жыл бұрын

Bogart sailed on cargo ships in WW1.

2:10 - Chapter 1 - 1940 3:20 - Chapter 2 - Construction 8:15 - Chapter 3 - Reaction 9:10 - Mid roll ads 10:40 - Chapter 4 - The drawbacks 12:35 - Chapter 5 - A change of jobs 16:55 - Chapter 6 - Victory ships 17:45 - Chapter 7 - Post war 18:40 - Chapter 8 - The ugly duckling

My father was a shipyard electrician during WWll. He work on the building of the SS Robert E. Peary. He told that there were so many people working on it that it resembled an anthill.

I’ve learned more history from Simon during Covid than in 17 years of schooling.

@Overworkedandunderpaid

3 жыл бұрын

IKR

@dadillen5902

3 жыл бұрын

Not sure if that is a condemnation of your teachers or your span of attention. 😉

@MatthewStinar

3 жыл бұрын

Don't let your schooling get in the way of your education.

@dadillen5902

3 жыл бұрын

@@MatthewStinar So true

@--enyo--

3 жыл бұрын

I think something being 'work' makes a huge difference in our mindset. I used to read textbooks out of interest, but then as soon as I started studying the exact same thing (sometimes even the same textbook) just that fact of 'having' to do something made my motivation go down. Weird, but anyway.

Hey Simon, have you heard of liberty ships? They are pretty awesome and you should do a video on them.

@marcbeebee6969

3 жыл бұрын

Lol

@Harshhaze

3 жыл бұрын

I agree, we should get a video

@TheMightyZwom

3 жыл бұрын

That would be an awesome video. I bet he'd say "in five days!" a lot :D

@horatiohuffnagel7978

3 жыл бұрын

You guys need a life lol

@David-vl4yu

3 жыл бұрын

Lol

The cargos of that day were "loose cargo", they were individually loaded or on pallets. Today's cargo is in intermodal containers. They are stacked on ships and in the holds. They are unloaded, placed on rail cars, taken to distribution hubs, and then taken by truck to the final destination. It speeds up the loading/unloading time and reduces cargo damage and loss. Considering all the drawbacks of that time, they did a remarkable job.

My father worked on Liberty Ships at the Long Beach, CA shipyards during the later years of the war. He was a surveyor charged with leveling the gun mounts. He said all the ships he worked on were destroyed during the Hydrogen Bomb tests at Bikini Atoll. I noticed you did not mention that in your "What happened to them..." segment. He also worked on the fuel oil storage tanks under Red Hill in Honolulu. These provide a gravity fed fuel supply to Pearl Harbor to this day. In June 1995, the Facility was designated a Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers and referred as the eighth great wonder of the world. There was a celebration honoring the (few) surviving workers; and, my father being one, my mother and I accompanied him on a tour of the facility. It might make a good subject for Megaprojects.

There is one more Liberty ship the "Hellas Liberty" (former Arthur M. Huddell) that has being restored and is currently a museum ship at the port of Piraeus, Greece.

@raymondleggs5508

3 жыл бұрын

Theres a fouth one used as a landlocked cannery in alaska, renamed Star of Kodiak

@davidhanson4909

3 жыл бұрын

@@raymondleggs5508 There used to be one in Dutch Harbor too, Royal Aleutian Seafoods. Though actually I can't remember now if i was told Liberty Ship or Victory Ship. Got bought out by Unisea 10-15 years ago and "accidentally" sank while being towed somewhere else. Allegedly.

An interesting story I learned from a man who participated with me in our daughters reading class. Dad's and children participated in reading and discussion on the book we shared. One Dad was named 'Liberty'. His story was that after the war, his family came to America from Europe. His mother was over 8 months pregnant as they fled Italy, and she gave birth to a son on the way over on a Liberty ship pressed into service to ferry refugee's. They named him Liberty to always remember the ship that brought them to America. I met him over 25 years ago, and I still remember his story, though I have only met him once since. In a used book store.

The cracking was addressed with a patchwork type remedy. They welded additional bands of steel along the hull. You can see them in one of the photos in this video.

@johnmothershead1690

3 жыл бұрын

And, as Simon points out, it wasn't limited to Liberty ships. The SS Schenectady, a T-2 tanker (the tanker equivalent of the Libertys) actually broke in half while moored to the pier in the Willamette River. Steel embrittlement may have been a factor in the loss of RMS Titanic, as well. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Schenectady

I was able to go on a three hour tour on board the SS Brown ten years or so ago. We were attacked by both German and Japanese aircraft but our valiant crew fought them off. (I'd never heard of WWII reenactors until that day, and the engine room of that ship under power one of the coolest rooms I've ever been in. Interestingly, the Liberty Ships had the same type of engines as the Titanic. When they were making the movie Titanic they filmed engine room scenes on board the Jeremiah O'Brien.

I'd like to see a video about the Glomar Explorer. That was an amazing ship, and the mission was top secret, and had a really interesting cover story.

@9HighFlyer9

3 жыл бұрын

I remember in 4th grade my teacher had a poster on the wall. It showed the ship and what it's "mission" was. How it would my mine the ocean floor for rare elements. To me that's a pretty deep cover story. Going so far as fooling 4th graders.

@arakheno4051

3 жыл бұрын

@@9HighFlyer9 Heh, this is one of those "actually" moments .. it was an incrediable cover story .. that became reality, it went so far as to mine the ocean floor and discovered at it was actually profitable ..

@9HighFlyer9

3 жыл бұрын

@@arakheno4051 when was it profitable? I cant find anything but estimates of future profits.

@arakheno4051

3 жыл бұрын

@@9HighFlyer9 After the partial recovery of the soviet sub, they went to the west coast of africa and discovered rare earth elements, they returned after 6 months with proof of concept and turned a profit on what they found. The ships "cover" story had turned out to be possible and true, new ships were built and this kind of mining is now fairly common, since resources can be easily mined in that form today .. there are few ships out there now doing exactly that.

@andrewallason4530

3 жыл бұрын

@@arakheno4051 yes. I just watched a Mighty Ships episode about a deBeers mining ship working the western coastline of Africa vacuuming up silt and gravel to extract diamonds.

Fun fact: The UK finally paid off the debt they owed for all of these ships and supplies in 2006.

@BLACKAAROW

3 жыл бұрын

Seriously???

@streaky81

3 жыл бұрын

@@BLACKAAROW every penny, with interest. Didn't get our war debt forgiven like Germany.

@josephtreacy667

3 жыл бұрын

And no Marshall plan assistance.

@bicyclist2

3 жыл бұрын

WOW!

@Erakius323

3 жыл бұрын

We could afford to pay. Just. Germany? Not so much. Hard to repay debt when your living in a crater. Plus they had to go easy on Germany. They had just helped to smash their country to pieces. If they had demanded crushing reparations, and not helped Germany out, there was a good chance of it going communist and joining the U.S.S.R. Before the Second World War, the communist party (socialism) was the largest party second only to the Nazis (socialism). Germany was a very, pro-Socialist country.

The Casablanca-class of Escort Carriers was also based on the Liberty design.

MSC was my thing for years in the service. Anything, anywhere, anytime. When I was a kid, we had a hired hand. he was was a Merchant Marine sailor in the war. One day I asked him how many ships he had shot out of under him, He said 5, five! Like nothing to it. He was a cool guy. Long gone. The Victory ships. The follow on boats. I got to sail on one after helping fix it up (for years) .

What about the Esso Atlantic class super tankers as a large ship option to do a Megaprojects video on? They sort of had a troubled past that might make an interesting video.

@jwenting

3 жыл бұрын

kzread.info/dash/bejne/X5hnuqqKhrCudLA.html roll Northumbria!

@louisimisson9065

3 жыл бұрын

Mint idea for next video, I'd love to see those metal giants get the Megaprojects treatment

Simon ask yourself this. How many times have you said "this could be boring" and turns out its not?

@AzoreanProud

3 жыл бұрын

Simon is an actor dude...

@Hbhmini

3 жыл бұрын

It’s British. It’s genetically encoded to be boring :)

@HJZ75driver

3 жыл бұрын

Hbhmini He’s really not

@bicyclist2

3 жыл бұрын

Much agreed.

I got the chance to sail on the O'Brien. We did a 4 hour Tour of San Francisco Bay and back to Pier 45. I might as well been transported back in time above and below decks. I mingled with, and talked to, several WWII Vets who had travelled on a Liberty ship to England and then to Normandy for D Day. They talked about playing cards and killing time writing letters home. They could hear the BOOM of ships being torpedoed at night while in Convoy. Then awoke the next day to see that the ship next to them had been sunk. One even got below deck and correctly pointed out which way the engine room was and the Mess Deck where he had eaten many a meal on the way to England. Truly a ship that belongs alongside the members of that Greatest Generation.

It’s alleged that the famous “Kilroy was here” graffiti came from Liberty Ship inspector James Kilroy, who scribbled the symbol after giving a passing inspection. Since Liberty Ships generally lacked interior paint, soldiers ferried oversees may have seen the graffiti and adopted it.

@revenevan11

3 жыл бұрын

Wow, I had never heard that but that origin story would make sense.

@associatedblacksheepandmisfits

3 жыл бұрын

?

The Pioneering Spirit is not a cargo ship! It is a specialized offshore installation/removal vessel. However, for simplicity sake I understand why you would call it a cargo ship...

I toured the SS Jeremiah O'Brien years ago. Crude but effective, as Kaiser intended. (There are also many other museum ships in San Francisco including the U.S.S. Pampanito with a recorded narration by Edward Beach. If you're a ship geek they are all worth checking out.) And thank you for this episode, Mr. Whistler.

@georgewest8468

3 жыл бұрын

Captain Edward L. Beach, who was the commissioning CO of the USS Triton (SSN 586) retraced the voyage of Magellan, by remaining submerged. When a crewman had to be medivaced the ship broached (not a surfacing) and he was sent off by helicopter. He captained a WWII diesel boat and wrote the first submarine novel I ever read while still in school (which became a movie with Bert Lancaster and Clark Gable), Run Silent Run Deep. During my 11 weeks of Navy boot camp I was asked if I had considered being a crew member aboard a Navy sub. I did and served aboard 5 during my career.

Liberty ships taught us something fundamental about metallurgy that we didnt know until then. Liberty ships sent to the north atlantic were being lost without any known cause and they were breaking in half. It was learned that the carbon steel's properties changed when the temperature got below about 32°F. It became very brittle, particularly in the heat affected zone of the welds. The result was the cold rough seas caused the ships to break in half at the midships weld. The fix was to weld a reinforcing band all around the ship to help prevent flexing at the welds. Until that fix was developed they were redeployed to more southern ports. A major metallurgical test (the Charpy test) was developed in order to investigate this effect. Metallurgy was more of a black art than a science up until WWII. The war brought metallurgy out of the dark ages.

Ships to talk about: LST USS Iowa Other things to talk about: Heavy Press Program Apollo

My grandfather was a welder with The California Shipbuilding Corporation, during World War II

well, since we are talking about "quantity over quality for the war efforts" here, how about a video about T-34 tank? Those things were built in the same fashion.

@adamlewellen5081

3 жыл бұрын

Coff coff, sherman...

@tbeller80

3 жыл бұрын

@@adamlewellen5081 tens of thousands of both were made, but the T-34 was specifically made with the idea that it was going to be short lived, so take every shortcut you can find in its construction. Substandard parts, rough welds were left in place, generally good enough was considered a finished product. Also they were built in American designed factories.

@julieenslow5915

2 жыл бұрын

I was taught that in virtually every project there three main factors that influenced every decision: Time, Money, and Quality. These factors were perpetually linked. How much time and money was available and what was the quality desired. If you want to do it in less time, it will cost more money and or reduced quality of the output. You can favor one of these factors but must keep the balance by reducing one or both of the other factors.

3:05 The pier in the photo is still there in South Portland Maine, extended to take modern oil tankers. Next to it is a park with a memorial to the shipyards on the site that employed ~10,000 workers churning out Liberty ships. I worked right next door in a factory (Portland Valve) that was one of the shipyard's shops in WW2.

Oh god, yes please to cargo ships! They're such genius and fascinating pieces of engineering! Would love to see a video hosted by you on the subject.

Simon. Dude. Do the Starship Enterprise. I don’t care make it up.

@johnilarde8440

3 жыл бұрын

But there are 7 Starship Enterprises... so what USS Enterprise are you talking about?

@ssreeser95

3 жыл бұрын

@@johnilarde8440 This is Megaprojects, the obvious choice is the Galaxy Class.

@torchedmonkee

3 жыл бұрын

@@johnilarde8440 I would say have a long video covering all, the real USS Enterprises, there are nine listed on Wikipedia (although the newest is under construction so not sure how much would be available about it), The Space shuttle and the various Star Trek spacecraft, that would be legendary

@johnilarde8440

3 жыл бұрын

Samuel Reeser Nah men, it doesn’t even get close to the REAL large USS Enterprise.. aka Enterprise-J

@mattroxursoul

3 жыл бұрын

God don't say that. He will make a new channel

Casablanca-class escort carrier, the liberty ship of carriers, the US had more of this one class of carrier than any other country has or has had carriers total.

@laurencefraser

3 жыл бұрын

Not that that's a Particularly high bar to clear...

When you got to the part about the ships developing cracks it reminded me of my father who was in the British royal navy . He was on a ship that was sent out to meet a convoy and several of the crew on his ship were transfered to liberty ships to help out , he spent a good amount of his time with a canvas sheet trying to shield welders as they tried to repair the cracks. Your point about quantity ober quality is true for those times , the soviet T-34 is a prime example of that with very rough castings and welding but they turned out huge numbers of them

My dad served in the USN as a member of the "armed guard" on a WWII liberty ship, at times, on the Murmansk run. He was a 20mm anti-aircraft gunner. He came home safely but never talked much about the war - like most others. He did say that some later liberty ships had a design change - a steel "belt" running around the ship to prevent cracks and break ups at sea.

Don't forget the concrete ships built during the war. There is at least one used as a dock near the St. John's bridge in Portland, Oregon.

Do a video on the long history of the Jahre Viking (Seawise Giant) and how it eventually became the biggest ship.

@AndrewTubbiolo

3 жыл бұрын

I was going to suggest the same.

@ericvacca551

3 жыл бұрын

I think one of his channels covered or at least talked about it in a video recent. Not that that precludes him from doing it here.

Very well documented. A similar story is that of the LSTs (Landing Ship Tank), used in the landings of D-day, Sicily and the Pacific campaign.

My Dad served with the USMM during ww2 sailed in both Atlantic and Pacific. He served on a C-4 class. He said the C class out preformed in speed the liberty class. He did enjoyed his service and had alot of interesting stories.

Well if everybody going crazy for ship videos then might as well do a video on the seawise giant the largest ship ever made

'Decimated' has a definite meaning: 1 out of 10.

@Krieger-jo2kf

3 жыл бұрын

@@chaist94 your speaking modern English. The only correct way is old English.

My Dad was aide to Vice Admiral Howard Vickery, who was in Charge of the Liberty/Victory Ship Program. The beauty of the thing was that Kaiser and Bechtel had to create whole new types of shipyards to allow for the component storage and assemblage of these vessels. California had the first of these new yards and they were created for the British, whose yards were traditional. Using a lot of unskilled labor, they also built housing, schools, and shops for the workers. Kaiser Permante is part of that legacy.

Many Liberty ships still had riveted hulls, including the SS John W. Brown. As you said, welded hulls allowed cracks to propagate. By having riveted hull plates, a crack would stop at the end of the plate. Also, the ships internal structure had many sharp corners. This made them easier to manufacture, but introduced stress concentrations where cracks could start. These spots were often reinforced later to try to minimize cracking. The SS John W. Brown has some buckling in the lower 3 Hold where many Liberties broke in two, but she's still doing great! If COVID ever relents, they'll be doing living history cruises and classes again.

My grandfather was on a post war liberty ship in the British merchant Navy.

Simon, ships are the biggest, heaviest vehicles that people have ever made. the fact that there are ships bigger than skyscrapers that can move over 20 miles an hour is astounding to me. You bet I'd love hearing about more of them.

My Dad served on a Liberty that in the Pacific. It was converted to a Fleet Maintenance ship that served the Pacific Fleet. If a ship was damaged they would send crew to that ship to make repairs. Along with damage repair these 2 ship had desalination units on them providing fresh water to ships that did not have that capability.

My Dad was a Fireman and Water tender in these ships engine room at seventeen years old. My dad 's Libertyship was in a river in Marsailles and the ship was anchored on the right bank of the shore when a V2 rocket came down and exploded in the baseball park across the river. The Captain ordered Let's GTFOH , they fired the ship up and got... When the war ended the longshoremen went on strike, and as an engineer, he and his ship were stuck there, so he went and joined the Air Force as A&P Mechanic and then flight engineer and eventually Sac air refueling missions all over the Arctic, I was in third grade in school in Fairbanks, Alaska. SAC was in the air 24/7 with, bombers, re-fuelers, recon, chow halls. schools, you name it. And it was cold.

Germany early war: Hey man, this is pretty easy... Germany late war: ACH SCHEISSE, STOP !!! SLOW DOWN FFS! >Germany has left the chat

@dustinwilton5343

3 жыл бұрын

Heiliege SCHEISSE!!!

@gerrye114

3 жыл бұрын

I can't imagine even attempting to sink more than three ships a day. That's impossible

@SpudEater

3 жыл бұрын

This US used to be a powerhouse of industry and we’ve been reduced to a bunch of whiny bitches

Spitfire was a clear mega-project. The rJ Mitchell design would still be considered modern, by today’s standards. Gone were wood, canvas and lower speeds. This was a stressed-skin design, using groundbreaking production techniques that allowed the Spitfire to fly at dive speeds that killed many, many pilots in aircraft like the P-38. The aerodynamics were truly creative, from early attempts at a super-critical wing design, to what might be considered “area running”, the blending of fairings to make aerodynamic Improvements where hard edges exist between wings and fuselage, or wing root and aircraft belly. These aerodynamics tricks make the Spitfire as attractive as it is, even by today’s standards. The Merlin engine would power the Spitfire, Hurricane, Lancaster and one of the most potent WWII fighter, light bomber and ground attack aircraft, the Mosquito. The Merlin also powered the P=51 Mustang, and aircraft that wouldn’t exist without an order placed by the British, for a design they named, and provided the engine for. The Spitfire was SO reliable, and repairable, that they would routinely fly five sorties per day, during the Battle of Britain. The Spitfire kept Britain from being invaded. When Hitler asked Goering what he needed, to win the air war against the British, he answered, “Spitfire”. The progression, from a sub-1,000 HP engine, to the later Mark 20+ designs, with their 2,300+ HP engines, even allowed the Spitfire to take on, and even shoot down, a handful of early German jet fighters, like the Me 262, of which the Luftwaffe received more than 1,400 examples. By comparison, more than 20,300 Spitfires were built, and it remained the ONLY British fighter that was continuously produced throughout WWII. Now, consider the following. Supermarine, whose head of design was RJ Mitchell, developed the forerunner to the Spitfire in 1928, a float plane that was designed to fly in the Schneider Air Race, around the Isle of Wight, at speeds of more than 300 mph, back when most bi-planes could barely fly at half that speed. The technological achievement made with this design is difficult to comprehend, given that Mitchell died in 1937, before his design commenced deliveries to the British government. No single aircraft design has advanced aviation technology so quickly, both in civil and military spheres.

@kieranh2005

3 жыл бұрын

It wasn't the Spitfire alone that kept Britain from being invaded. The Hawker Hurricane did the greater share of the work, in greater numbers and flying as many sorties if not more. The P40 was also there as were others.

@spikespa5208

3 жыл бұрын

Uhhhh....guess you guys didn't notice that this video and chat was about Liberty ships?

Simon thanks for this history. My Grandfather moved from Kansas to Southern California to join the war effort and was a welder on Liberty Ships in Long Beach California it great to know more about the product of his work.

I was stationed on the USS Skywatcher AGR3 1964-1965. It was a converted Liberty ship, formerly the Rafael S. Rivera. It was used during the cold war as a radar picket ship. Top heavy with radar. Would rock at the pier. One voyage so rough the hull cracked amidship. These ships were originally made for 1 voyage, US to GB. Decommissioned April of 1965 in Bayonne, NJ.

Going through my dad's papers long after his death, I found his in-cruise flyers from the SS Mexico Victory. He was one of the men landed in NYC on 12/6/1945. He was discharged finally on December 12th, his mother's wedding anniversary (dad died when he was 5), and got home that day.

I listened to this mix whilst I slept. I love the dreams that these type of informative videos give me. Simon, keep up the great work over all your channels.

This story which I read from the book "The Liberty Ships" by Leonard Arthur Sawyer and William Harry Mitchell, illustrated the interchangeability of the parts of a Liberty ship. It involved a British-flagged Liberty, the Sambrian, operated by Clan Line for the Ministry of War Transport. On the morning of August 31, 1946, Sambrian sailed from Port Said in Egypt to Naples to pick up military cargo. A few minutes into the voyage, she was shaking so bad from stem to stern, which culminated by a fearsome noise at around midday. The bridge crew thought that engine suffered catastrophic damage, but the engine room reported something else. "The propeller's gone." In fact, the propeller and tail end shaft were sheared off and gone! Fortunately, the the stern post and rudder were not damaged in that incident. After anchoring overnight, another MoWT Liberty, the Saminver, which was operated by Blue Star Line, came to Sambrian's aid and towed her to Alexandria. In the harbor were two Liberty wrecks, the Samsylarna and the Thomas G. Masaryk. The Samsylarna's stern was severely damaged, but the Masaryk's stern was fairly intact, with the tail end shaft and prop in good condition. With the aid of a floating crane, the tail end shaft and prop were removed, and, by flooding Sambrian's No. 1 and No. 2 holds, the "new" prop and tail end shaft was fitted without the need for drydocking. The entire operation lasted less than ten days, after which Sambrian went on her way to Naples.

Liberty ships metal hulls cracked usually in middle. It was prevented by welding a wide metal band from bow to stern.

"Give me liberty or give me death." "Cake please."

@musgrovebarry

3 жыл бұрын

Strawberry tart and cream

What about the moon landing? If it's too big for one video, you could do a video on say the Saturn V, the lander / rendezvous capsule itself, etc

@14gears55

3 жыл бұрын

In conjunction with that, the crawler transport could be its own megaproject

As child I can remember seeing what my father told me were the mothballed fleet of Liberty ships on the Hudson As I remember after 50+ years later, were below West Point, the Bear Mountain bridge, and somewhat across the from The Indian Point Nuclear Power Plants

In 1963 I boarded the SS Wasserman, a WWII Victory ship, and sailed from NY harbor to Rotterdam in Europe. It was then a student ship and hadn't been upgraded much since the end of the war. It took 10 or 11 days to cross the Atlantic. Since it was a Dutch boat it served only Heinekins beer. At 10 cents a bottle it was a good deal.

"World of warships the thinking man's action game" Unless you've got a smolensk

@edmundthespiffing2920

3 жыл бұрын

Or money

@steeljawX

3 жыл бұрын

Or a "Skilla-kaze". . . .

@0Zolrender0

3 жыл бұрын

or a Kremlin, or a Stalingrad.

@SonOfAB_tch2ndClass

3 жыл бұрын

Smolensk, Kremlin, Conqueror, Yamato, Midway, Hakuryu, Kaga, Colbert, Stalingrad

@ainzooalgown7589

3 жыл бұрын

Payfast, Pay2Rico, Colbert

Proud to say I live in a house built from materials salvaged from one of the shipyards that built the Liberty Ships.

@revenevan11

3 жыл бұрын

Wow, that's a cool bit of history literally surrounding you in day to day life! Thanks for sharing 😁

My grandfather was on one of these merchant marines vessels. What a great piece of history of the everyday man that was absolutely essential to win this war.

Back in 2013 I went on a cruise in Baltimore Bay on the John W. Brown. I tell you it was an amazing experience. Not only did they do an outstanding job in creating a top notch reenactment atmosphere and an awesome dog fight, but the ship itself was a sight to behold. We were able to tour through (yes, through) the engine as well as the cargo bays. I would highly recommend getting a ticket to experience this historical ship!

Had a tour at Jeremiah O'Brien liberty ship in San Francsico bay, fun fact, Titanic engine room in the movie was filmed in that ship

Code is "readyforbattle2020", ya...appropiate.

My father was a bridge officer and served as navigator on four different Liberty ships during the war. Your video helps to shed light on their importance during WW2.

I worked in the test lab of a major pipe manufacturer. One of the tests we did was the Battell drop weight tear test or bdwtt for short. The test piece was 15 inches long by 3 inches wide and full wall thickness. A notch was pressed in and the sample was cooled down to different temperatures. A weigh of about 2000 pounds (my memory is a little foggy) on about a 10 foot long arm was swung down and broke the sample. There was a temperature where the fracture transitioned from a ductile to a brittle fracture and absorbed very little energy. So I can see where the cold North Atlantic water led to the brittle fractures of the ships. One time we got some icebreaker steel in and were asked to test it at minus 100 degrees fahrenheit. It stopped the pendulum and the whole building shook. Dust came down from the rafters. Wow that steel was tough, I had never seen anything like that. Icebreakers are in a class of their own.

Hmm... Drinking game; take a shot every time Simon says "5 days!"

@donise8406

3 жыл бұрын

But the sign on the ship says 4 days

Nasa Transport Crawler! Sheesh!

@securityguy1984

3 жыл бұрын

Hell ya

@QBCPerdition

3 жыл бұрын

And all of the launch complex at Kennedy would be cool

@888johnmac

3 жыл бұрын

oh yeah , liking this up the chart

I think you missed the most interesting aspect of the story: the story of Henry Kaiser. Prior to being given charge of the program, he had NO experience in shipbuilding whatsoever, but was very highly regarded for his reputation for entering an industry and re-inventing it. He conceived the concept of a modular construction system, which enabled smaller shipyards and other manufacturers to build subassemblies which could be then welded together. Not exciting stuff, but many historians have said that he may have been the guy who saved Britain, and allowed the U.S. to utilize it's industrial might to successfully fight a two ocean war.

@hugowiberg1843

6 ай бұрын

I'm a fan of HJK. I even own a 1954 Kaiser Manhattan.

@hughbarton5743

5 ай бұрын

Hugowiberg: thanks

My maternal grandfather built them, my paternal grandfather commanded several of them, my father and 2 uncles served on them in varying capacities. They were the merchant marine equivalent of the Ford F150.

A single liberty ship is nothing special? SS Richard Montgomery has entered the chat.

@sofa-lofa4241

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah, it's special to me, if it blows up it will take me with it, I went out on the river Medway on my bosses boat about 30 years ago, we went inside the outer ring of bouys, then he explained what was below us.... Gulp!

@andersjjensen

3 жыл бұрын

@@sofa-lofa4241 Big oof! Just read up on it... yikes!

@francisboyle1739

3 жыл бұрын

@@sofa-lofa4241 Invest in steel shutters. And then never open them.

Simon: 5 Days! Me: Allegedly...

@gratefuldean69

3 жыл бұрын

You absolute legend.

My father (now 94 years old) served on the John C. Breckenridge, during WW2. He was a gunner on the 20MM, and the 3"-50. The John W. Brown is a twin to his ship.

Speaking of Health and Safety. My father worked for a company that supplied material to the Liberty ship builders. He told me that welders had specific daily goals measured in feet of welded plate. Sometimes to meet their goals, the welders would lay welding rod in the plate joints and weld over them, hence meeting the daily goal but making the joint only partially welded, hence a weak joint. Also, it was not uncommon for most men to smoke on the job. In the engine room, the exhaust stacks were sprayed with chopped asbestos as insulation. The men who sprayed the chopped asbestos regularly had a cigarette in their mouths while doing the job. Back then, the link between cancer and smoking was little known.