List of ship launches in 1944
March
Table:
Date

Ship

Country

Builder

Location

Class / type

Notes

1 March

John Roach

United States

Permanente Metals, #1 Yard

Richmond, California

Liberty ship

2 March

Anna H. Branch

United States

Todd Houston Shipbuilding Corporation

Houston, Texas

Liberty ship

2 March

Henry M. Stephens

United States

Permanente Metals, #2 Yard

Richmond, California

Liberty ship

3 March

Jesse H. Metcalf

United States

Walsh-Kaiser Company

Providence, Rhode Island

Liberty ship

3 March

John E. Sweet

United States

Southeastern Shipbuilding Corporation

Savannah, Georgia

Liberty ship

3 March

Sameden

United States

Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyards

Baltimore

Liberty ship

3 March

Cape Esperance

United States

Kaiser Shipyards

Vancouver, Washington

Template:Sclass-

Converted S4 merchant hull

4 March

Frederick C. Hicks

United States

California Shipbuilding Corporation

Los Angeles

Liberty ship

4 March

George Steers

United States

Todd Houston Shipbuilding Corporation

Houston, Texas

Liberty ship

4 March

Harry Toulmin

United States

Delta Shipbuilding Company

New Orleans

Liberty ship

4 March

Mackinaw

United States

American Ship Building Company

Toledo, Ohio

Great Lakes icebreaker

4 March

Rebecca Lukens

United States

J. A. Jones Construction Company

Panama City, Florida

Liberty ship

4 March

Samcolne

United States

Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyards

Baltimore

Liberty ship

4 March

Stanton H. King

United States

New England Shipbuilding Company

South Portland, Maine

Liberty ship

4 March

Willet M. Hays

United States

Permanente Metals, #2 Yard

Richmond, California

Liberty ship

6 March

Cecil N. Bean

United States

Delta Shipbuilding Company

New Orleans

Liberty ship

6 March

Edward E. Hale

United States

Permanente Metals, #2 Yard

Richmond, California

Liberty ship

6 March

Isaac Shelby

United States

J. A. Jones Construction Company

Brunswick, Georgia

Liberty ship

6 March

Netherlands Victory

United States

Oregon Shipbuilding Company

Portland

Victory ship

6 March

United States Victory

United States

California Shipbuilding Corporation

Los Angeles

Victory ship

Looking at the following table along with the context paragraphs listed at the end.

Provide an answer to this question: What is the name of the ship whose country has 3.8 million square miles ? Return your answer as JSON: {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Base your answer solely on the given information.

The United States of America ( USA ) , commonly known as the United States ( U.S. or US ) or America , is a country consisting of 50 states , a federal district , five major self-governing territories , and various possessions . [ g ] At 3.8 million square miles ( 9.8 million km2 ) , it is the world 's third or fourth-largest country by total area [ b ] and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe . Most of the country is located in central North America between Canada and Mexico . With an estimated population of over 328 million , the U.S. is the third most populous country in the world . The capital is Washington , D.C. , and the most populous city is New York City . Paleo-Indians migrated from Siberia to the North American mainland at least 12,000 years ago . European colonization began in the 16th century . The United States emerged from the thirteen British colonies established along the East Coast . Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the colonies led to the American Revolutionary War lasting between 1775 and 1783 , leading to independence . The United States embarked on a vigorous expansion across North America throughout the 19th century - gradually acquiring new territories , displacing Native Americans , and admitting new states - until by 1848 it spanned the continent . During the second half of the 19th century , the American Civil War led to the abolition of slavery in the United States . The Spanish-American War and World War I confirmed the country 's status as a global military power .
Permanente Metals Corporation ( PMC ) is best known for having managed the Richmond Shipyards in Richmond , California , owned by one of industrialist Henry J. Kaiser 's many corporations , and also engaged in related corporate activities . These four of the seven west coast Kaiser Shipyards were known for their construction of Liberty ships and later Victory ships . The company was originally a major producer of magnesium during World War II and derives its name from the Permanente Creek in Santa Clara County , California where mining operations commenced in the early 1930s . To make use of its major product , powdered magnesium , PMC also developed and supplied an incendiary bomb mixture of magnesium powder , asphalt , gasoline and others components ( known as goop , with similar characteristics to napalm ) ; 17,000 short tons of goop-filled bombs were used in World War II ( approximately eight percent of the total tonnage of incendiaries that were dropped during that conflict ) . Permanente ranked 42nd among United States corporations in the value of World War II military production contracts .
The four Richmond Shipyards , located in the city of Richmond , California , United States , were run by Permanente Metals and part of the Kaiser Shipyards . During World War II , Richmond built more ships than any other shipyard , turning out as many as three ships in a single day . The shipyards are part of the Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park , whose the Rosie the Riveter memorial sits on the former grounds of Shipyard # 2 . Shipyard # 3 is listed on the National Register of Historic Places .
Richmond ( /ˈrɪtʃmənd/ ) is a city in western Contra Costa County , California , United States . The city was incorporated on August 7 , 1905 and has a city council . Located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area , Richmond borders the cities of San Pablo , Albany , El Cerrito and Pinole in addition to the unincorporated communities of North Richmond , Hasford Heights , Kensington , El Sobrante , Bayview-Montalvin Manor , Tara Hills , and East Richmond Heights , and for a short distance San Francisco on Red Rock Island in the San Francisco Bay . Richmond is one of two cities , the other being San Rafael , California , that sits on the shores of San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay simultaneously . During the mayoralty of Gayle McLaughlin , Richmond was the largest city in the United States served by a Green Party mayor . As of the 2010 U.S. Census , the city 's population is at 103,710 , making it the second largest city in the United States named Richmond . The largest , Richmond , Virginia , is the namesake of the California city .
Liberty ships were a class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II . Though British in concept , the design was adapted by the United States for its simple , low-cost construction . Mass-produced on an unprecedented scale , the Liberty ship came to symbolize U.S. wartime industrial output . The class was developed to meet British orders for transports to replace ships that had been lost . Eighteen American shipyards built 2,710 Liberty ships between 1941 and 1945 ( an average of three ships every two days ) , easily the largest number of ships ever produced to a single design . Their production mirrored ( albeit on a much larger scale ) the manufacture of Hog Islander and similar standardized ship types during World War I . The immensity of the effort , the number of ships built , the role of female workers in their construction , and the survival of some far longer than their original five-year design life combine to make them the subject of much continued interest .
Vigor Shipyards ( formerly Todd Shipyards ) was founded in 1916 as the William H. Todd Corporation through the merger of Robins Dry Dock & Repair Company of Erie Basin , Brooklyn , New York , the Tietjen & Long Dry Dock Company of Hoboken , New Jersey , and the Seattle Construction and Dry Dock Company . The Seattle shipyard could trace its history back to 1882 , when Robert Moran opened a marine repair shop at Yesler 's Wharf . This shop became the Moran Brothers Shipyard in 1906 and the Seattle Construction & Dry Dock Company at the end of 1911 . The shipyard has performed building and maintenance work for , among others , the U.S. and Royal Australian Navies , the United States Coast Guard , and the Washington State Ferries . Its headquarters and operations are on Harbor Island at the mouth of Seattle 's Duwamish Waterway . Todd ranked 26th among United States corporations in the value of World War II production contracts . The 105-foot-long ( 32 m ) hull of Disneyland 's Mark Twain riverboat was built at Todd Shipyards in San Pedro , California , in 1955 . Frank Sinatra worked after high school as a rivet catcher . In February 2011 , Vigor Industrial purchased Todd for US $ 130 million . This included the Seattle , Everett and Bremerton operations . Today , Vigor Shipyards is a government repair subsidiary of Vigor Industrial . Originally , the Coast Guard wanted to acquire 25 Offshore Patrol Cutters ( OPC ) and spend about $ 8 billion for them .
Houston ( /ˈhjuːstən/ ( listen ) HEW-stən ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas , fourth most populous city in the United States , most populous city in the Southern United States , as well as the sixth most populous in North America , with an estimated 2018 population of 2,325,502 . Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico , it is the seat of Harris County and the principal city of the Greater Houston metropolitan area , which is the fifth most populous metropolitan statistical area in the United States and the second most populous in Texas after the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex , with a population of 6,997,384 in 2018 . Comprising a total area of 637.4 square miles ( 1,651 km2 ) , Houston is the eighth most expansive city in the United States ( including consolidated city-counties ) . It is the largest city in the United States by total area , whose government is not consolidated with that of a county , parish or borough . Though primarily in Harris County , small portions of the city extend into Fort Bend and Montgomery counties , bordering other principal communities of Greater Houston such as Sugar Land and The Woodlands . The city of Houston was founded by land investors on August 30 , 1836 , at the confluence of Buffalo Bayou and White Oak Bayou ( a point now known as Allen 's Landing ) and incorporated as a city on June 5 , 1837 . The city is named after former General Sam Houston , who was president of the Republic of Texas and had won Texas ' independence from Mexico at the Battle of San Jacinto 25 miles ( 40 km ) east of Allen 's Landing . After briefly serving as the capital of the Texas Republic in the late 1830s , Houston grew steadily into a regional trading center for the remainder of the 19th century . The arrival of the 20th century saw a convergence of economic factors which fueled rapid growth in Houston , including a burgeoning port and railroad industry , the decline of Galveston as Texas ' primary port following a devastating 1900 hurricane , the subsequent construction of the Houston Ship Channel , and the Texas oil boom . In the mid-20th century , Houston 's economy diversified as it became home to the Texas Medical Center - the world 's largest concentration of healthcare and research institutions - and NASA 's Johnson Space Center , where the Mission Control Center is located . Houston 's economy since the late 19th century has a broad industrial base in energy , manufacturing , aeronautics , and transportation . Leading in healthcare sectors and building oilfield equipment , Houston has the second most Fortune 500 headquarters of any U.S. municipality within its city limits ( after New York City ) .
Walsh-Kaiser Co. , Inc. was a shipyard in both Cranston and Providence , Rhode Island . It was built during World War II and financed by the Maritime Commission as part of the country 's Emergency Shipbuilding Program . It was originally operated by Rheem Manufacturing , a company with no previous shipbuilding expertise . When Rheem had difficulty managing the yard , Kaiser Shipyards was retained to manage the operation .
Providence is the capital and most populous city of the state of Rhode Island and is one of the oldest cities in the United States . It was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams , a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay Colony . He named the area in honor of God 's merciful Providence which he believed was responsible for revealing such a haven for him and his followers . The city is situated at the mouth of the Providence River at the head of Narragansett Bay . Providence was one of the first cities in the country to industrialize and became noted for its textile manufacturing and subsequent machine tool , jewelry , and silverware industries . Today , the city of Providence is home to eight hospitals and seven institutions of higher learning which have shifted the city 's economy into service industries , though it still retains some manufacturing activity . The city is the third most populous city in New England after Boston and Worcester , Massachusetts .
The Southeastern Shipbuilding Corporation was formed in Savannah , Georgia , during World War II to build Liberty ships .
Savannah ( /səˈvænə/ ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County . Established in 1733 on the Savannah River , the city of Savannah became the British colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia . A strategic port city in the American Revolution and during the American Civil War , Savannah is today an industrial center and an important Atlantic seaport . It is Georgia 's fifth-largest city , with a 2018 estimated population of 145,862 . The Savannah metropolitan area , Georgia 's third-largest , had an estimated population of 389,494 in 2018 . Each year Savannah attracts millions of visitors to its cobblestone streets , parks , and notable historic buildings . These buildings include the birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low ( founder of the Girl Scouts of the USA ) , the Georgia Historical Society ( the oldest continually operating historical society in the South ) , the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences ( one of the South 's first public museums ) , the First African Baptist Church ( one of the oldest African-American Baptist congregations in the United States ) , Temple Mickve Israel ( the third-oldest synagogue in the U.S. ) , and the Central of Georgia Railway roundhouse complex ( the oldest standing antebellum rail facility in the U.S. ) . Savannah 's downtown area , which includes the Savannah Historic District , the Savannah Victorian Historic District , and 22 parklike squares , is one of the largest National Historic Landmark Districts in the United States ( designated by the U.S. government in 1966 ) . [ a ] Downtown Savannah largely retains the original town plan prescribed by founder James Oglethorpe ( a design now known as the Oglethorpe Plan ) . Savannah was the host city for the sailing competitions during the 1996 Summer Olympics held in Atlanta .
Bethlehem Steel Corporation Shipbuilding Division was created in 1905 when the Bethlehem Steel Corporation of Bethlehem , Pennsylvania , acquired the San Francisco shipyard Union Iron Works . In 1917 it was incorporated as Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation , Limited . Headquarters were in Quincy , Massachusetts , after acquiring the Fore River Shipyard in 1913 , and later in Sparrows Point , Maryland , southeast of Baltimore , Maryland , in formerly rural/now suburban Baltimore County , ( acquired 1916 ) , in 1964 . In 1940 , it was number 1 of the Big Three U.S. shipbuilders who could build any ship . Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock and New York Shipbuilding Corporation ( New York Ship ) were # 2 and # 3 . Bethlehem had 4 yards in early 1940 : Fore River , Sparrows Point , San Francisco , and Staten Island . Bethlehem expanded during World War II as a result of the Emergency Shipbuilding program administered under the United States Maritime Commission . The Quincy / Fore River yard was later sold to General Dynamics Corporation in the mid-1960s , and closed in 1986 . The Alameda Works Shipyard in California was closed by Bethlehem Steel in the early 1970s , while the San Francisco facility ( former Union Iron Works ) was sold to British Aerospace in the mid-1990s and survives today as BAE Systems San Francisco Ship Repair . Bethlehem Steel ceased shipbuilding activities in 1997 in an attempt to preserve its core steel making operations .
Baltimore ( /ˈbɔːltɪmɔːr/ BAWL-tim-or , locally : /ˈbɔːlmər/ ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland , as well as the 30th most populous city in the United States , with a population of 602,495 in 2018 and also the largest such independent city in the country . Baltimore was established by the Constitution of Maryland as an independent city in 1729 . As of 2017 , the population of the Baltimore metropolitan area was estimated to be just under 2.802 million , making it the 21st largest metropolitan area in the country . Baltimore is located about 40 miles ( 64 km ) northeast of Washington , D.C. , making it a principal city in the Washington-Baltimore combined statistical area ( CSA ) , the fourth-largest CSA in the nation , with a calculated 2018 population of 9,797,063 . The city 's Inner Harbor was once the second leading port of entry for immigrants to the United States . In addition , Baltimore was a major manufacturing center . After a decline in major manufacturing , heavy industry , and restructuring of the rail industry , Baltimore has shifted to a service-oriented economy . Johns Hopkins Hospital ( founded 1889 ) and Johns Hopkins University ( founded 1876 ) are the city 's top two employers . With hundreds of identified districts , Baltimore has been dubbed a city of neighborhoods . Famous residents have included writers Edgar Allan Poe , Edith Hamilton , Frederick Douglass , W.E.B . Du Bois , Ogden Nash , Gertrude Stein , F. Scott Fitzgerald , Dashiell Hammett , Upton Sinclair , Tom Clancy , Ta-Nehisi Coates , and H. L. Mencken ; musicians James Eubie Blake , Billie Holiday , Cab Calloway , Tori Amos , Frank Zappa , Tupac Shakur , Dan Deacon , Robbie Basho , Bill Frisell , Philip Glass , Cass Elliot , and Ric Ocasek ; actors and filmmakers John Waters , Barry Levinson , Divine , David Hasselhoff , Don Messick , John Kassir , Jada Pinkett Smith , and Mo'Nique ; artist Jeff Koons ; baseball player Babe Ruth ; swimmer Michael Phelps ; radio host Ira Glass ; television host Mike Rowe ; Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall ; Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi ; and United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson . During the War of 1812 , Francis Scott Key wrote The Star-Spangled Banner in Baltimore after the bombardment of Fort McHenry .
USS Cape Esperance ( CVE-88 ) was a Casablanca-class escort carrier of the United States Navy . She was named after the Battle of Cape Esperance , an inconclusive naval engagement in support of the Guadalcanal campaign . Built for service during World War II , the ship was launched in March 1944 , and commissioned in April , and served as a replenishment carrier . Postwar , she participated in Operation Magic Carpet . She was decommissioned in August 1946 , when she was mothballed in the Pacific Reserve Fleet . However , she was recommissioned in August 1950 , and assigned to become an auxiliary vessel as a part of Military Sealift Command . She was decommissioned again in January 1959 , and ultimately , she was sold for scrapping in May 1959 .
The Kaiser Shipyards were seven major shipbuilding yards located on the United States west coast during World War II . Kaiser ranked 20th among U.S. corporations in the value of wartime production contracts . The shipyards were owned by the Kaiser Shipbuilding Company , a creation of American industrialist Henry J. Kaiser ( 1882-1967 ) , who established the shipbuilding company around 1939 in order to help meet the construction goals set by the United States Maritime Commission for merchant shipping . Four of the Kaiser Shipyards were located in Richmond , California , and were called the Richmond Shipyards . Three other shipyards were located in the Pacific Northwest along the Columbia and Willamette rivers : the Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation and the Swan Island Shipyard in Portland , Oregon , and the Vancouver Shipyard in Vancouver , Washington . Henry Kaiser was known for developing new methods of ship building , which allowed his yards to outproduce other similar facilities and build 1,490 ships , 27 percent of the total Maritime Commission construction . Kaiser 's ships were completed in two-thirds the time and a quarter the cost of the average of all other shipyards . Liberty ships were typically assembled in a little over two weeks , and one in less than five days . Kaiser Shipyards shut down at the end of the war . The Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park was dedicated October 25 , 2000 on the site of one of the shipyards in Richmond .
Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington . It is the largest suburb of Portland , Oregon . Incorporated in 1857 , Vancouver had a population of 161,791 as of the 2010 U.S. census , making it the fourth-largest city in Washington state . Vancouver is the county seat of Clark County and forms part of the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan area , the 23rd largest metropolitan area in the United States . Originally established in 1825 around Fort Vancouver , a fur-trading outpost , the city is located on the Washington/Oregon border along the Columbia River , directly north of Portland . In 2005 , Money magazine named it No . 91 on its list of best places in America to live . In 2016 , WalletHub ranked Vancouver the 89th best place in the U.S. for families to live .
The Casablanca-class escort carrier were a series of escort carriers constructed for the United States Navy during World War II . They were the most numerous class of aircraft carriers ever built . Fifty were laid down , launched and commissioned within the space of less than two years - 3 November 1942 through to 8 July 1944 . These were nearly one third of the 151 carriers built in the United States during the war . Despite their numbers , and the preservation of more famous and larger carriers as museums , none of these modest ships survive today . Five were lost to enemy action during World War II and the remainder were scrapped . Casablanca was the first class to be designed from keel up as an escort carrier . It had a larger and more useful hangar deck than previous conversions . It also had a larger flight deck than the Bogue class . Unlike larger carriers which had extensive armor , protection was limited to splinter plating . Their small size made them useful for transporting assembled aircraft of various sizes , but fighters were limited to smaller and lighter aircraft such as the Grumman F4F Wildcat . The hull numbers were assigned consecutively , from CVE-55 Casablanca to CVE-104 Munda .
California Shipbuilding Corporation built 467 Liberty and Victory ships during World War II , including Haskell-class attack transports . California Shipbuilding Corporation was often referred to as Calship . The Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships sometimes refers to this shipyard as California Shipbuilding Co. , but Co [ mpany ] appears to be an error . The Calship shipyard was created at Terminal Island in Los Angeles , California , United States as part of America 's massive shipbuilding effort of World War II . W. A. Bechtel Co. was given sponsorship and executive direction of Calship . As of 1940 , Los Angeles shipyards had not built a large ship in 20 years . By late 1941 though , shipbuilding had become the second largest manufacturing industry in the Los Angeles area . Calship was created from scratch and began production of Liberty Ships in May 1941 . In the early 1940s , contracts from the U.S.Department of Maritime Commission and a number of U.S. Navy contracts led to prosperity shipbuilding business in Los Angeles . The yard was located on 175 acres on the north side of Terminal Island , north of Dock Street , near present-day berths 210-213 . It initially had 8 ways , and later increased this to 14 . 40,000 men and women worked under the military contract to construction of 467 vessels over 5 years .
Los Angeles ( /lɔːs ˈændʒələs/ ( listen ) ; [ a ] Spanish : Los Ángeles ; Spanish for The Angels ) , officially the City of Los Angeles and often known by its initials L.A. , is the most populous city in California ; the second most populous city in the United States , after New York City ; and the third most populous city in North America , after Mexico City and New York City . With an estimated population of nearly four million people , Los Angeles is the cultural , financial , and commercial center of Southern California . The city is known for its Mediterranean climate , ethnic diversity , Hollywood , the entertainment industry , and its sprawling metropolis . Los Angeles lies in a basin in Southern California , adjacent to the Pacific Ocean , with mountains as high as 10,000 feet ( 3,000 m ) , and deserts . The city , which covers about 469 square miles ( 1,210 km2 ) , is the seat of Los Angeles County , the most populous county in the United States . The Los Angeles metropolitan area ( MSA ) is the second-largest metropolitan area in the nation with a population of 13.1 million people . Greater Los Angeles , which includes the metro area of Riverside and San Bernardino , is the nation 's second most populous combined statistical area , with a 2015 estimate of 18.7 million people . Historically home to the Chumash and Tongva , Los Angeles was claimed by Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo for Spain in 1542 . The city was officially founded on September 4 , 1781 , by Spanish governor Felipe de Neve . It became a part of Mexico in 1821 following the Mexican War of Independence . In 1848 , at the end of the Mexican-American War , Los Angeles and the rest of California were purchased as part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo , and thus became part of the United States . Los Angeles was incorporated as a municipality on April 4 , 1850 , five months before California achieved statehood .
USS Seginus ( AK-133 ) was a Crater-class cargo ship commissioned by the U.S. Navy for service in World War II . She was responsible for delivering troops , goods and equipment to locations in the war zone .
The American Ship Building Company was the dominant shipbuilder on the Great Lakes before the Second World War . It started as Cleveland Shipbuilding in Cleveland , Ohio in 1888 and opened the yard in Lorain , Ohio in 1898 . It changed its name to the American Ship Building Company in 1900 , when it acquired Superior Shipbuilding , in Superior , Wisconsin ; Toledo Shipbuilding , in Toledo , Ohio ; and West Bay Shipbuilding , in West Bay City , Michigan . With the coming of World War I , the company also acquired Buffalo Dry Dock , in Buffalo , New York ; Chicago Shipbuilding , in Chicago , Illinois ; and Detroit Shipbuilding , in Wyandotte , Michigan . American Shipbuilding ranked 81st among United States corporations in the value of World War II military production contracts .
New Orleans ( /ˈɔːrl ( i ) ənz , ɔːrˈliːnz/ , locally /ˈɔːrlənz/ ; French : La Nouvelle-Orléans [ la nuvɛlɔʁleɑ̃ ] ( listen ) ) is a consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of Louisiana . With an estimated population of 391,006 in 2018 , it is the most populous city in Louisiana . Serving as a major port , New Orleans is considered an economic and commercial hub for the broader Gulf Coast region of the United States . New Orleans is world-renowned for its distinct music , Creole cuisine , unique dialect , and its annual celebrations and festivals , most notably Mardi Gras . The historic heart of the city is the French Quarter , known for its French and Spanish Creole architecture and vibrant nightlife along Bourbon Street . The city has been described as the most unique in the United States , owing in large part to its cross-cultural and multilingual heritage . Founded in 1718 by French colonists , New Orleans was once the territorial capital of French Louisiana before being traded to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 . New Orleans in 1840 was the third-most populous city in the United States , and it was the largest city in the American South from the Antebellum era until after World War II . The city has historically been very vulnerable to flooding , due to such factors as high rainfall , low lying elevation , poor natural drainage and location next to multiple bodies of water . State and federal authorities have installed a complex system of levees and drainage pumps in an effort to protect the city . New Orleans was severely affected by Hurricane Katrina on August 29 , 2005 , which resulted in flooding more than 80% of the city , thousands of deaths , and so much displacement because of damaged communities and lost housing as to cause a population decline of over 50% . Since Katrina , major redevelopment efforts have led to a rebound in the city 's population .
USCGC Mackinaw ( WAGB-83 ) is a 290-foot ( 88 m ) vessel specifically designed for ice breaking duties on the Great Lakes . LR number : 6119534 According to the Ice Breaker Mackinaw Maritime Museum , the vessel has been known as the Queen of the Great Lakes and The Largest Icebreaker on the Great Lakes ; the site states that she was built . during World War II to meet the heavy demands of war materials and transportation during the winter months . Mackinaw was homeported in Cheboygan , Michigan during active service . Due to Mackinaw 's age and expensive upkeep , the cutter was decommissioned and replaced with a smaller multipurpose cutter USCGC Mackinaw ( WLBB-30 ) , which was commissioned in Cheboygan the same day . In 2002 the crew of this cutter painted and refurbished the Fourteen Foot Shoal Light . The old Mackinaw moved under its own power on 21 June 2006 from the port of its decommissioning to a permanent berth at the SS Chief Wawatam dock at the ship 's namesake port , Mackinaw City , Michigan where she now serves as a museum ship known as Icebreaker Mackinaw Maritime Museum . The vessel is docked on the eastern end of the old railroad dock ; entry to the dock area is just south of the Sheplers Marine Service .
The American Ship Building Company was the dominant shipbuilder on the Great Lakes before the Second World War . It started as Cleveland Shipbuilding in Cleveland , Ohio in 1888 and opened the yard in Lorain , Ohio in 1898 . It changed its name to the American Ship Building Company in 1900 , when it acquired Superior Shipbuilding , in Superior , Wisconsin ; Toledo Shipbuilding , in Toledo , Ohio ; and West Bay Shipbuilding , in West Bay City , Michigan . With the coming of World War I , the company also acquired Buffalo Dry Dock , in Buffalo , New York ; Chicago Shipbuilding , in Chicago , Illinois ; and Detroit Shipbuilding , in Wyandotte , Michigan . American Shipbuilding ranked 81st among United States corporations in the value of World War II military production contracts .
Toledo ( /təˈliːdoʊ/ ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County , Ohio , United States . Toledo is in northwest Ohio , at the western end of Lake Erie bordering the state of Michigan . The city was founded in 1833 on the west bank of the Maumee River , and originally incorporated as part of Monroe County , Michigan Territory . It was re-founded in 1837 , after conclusion of the Toledo War , when it was incorporated in Ohio . After the 1845 completion of the Miami and Erie Canal , Toledo grew quickly ; it also benefited from its position on the railway line between New York City and Chicago . The first of many glass manufacturers arrived in the 1880s , eventually earning Toledo its nickname : The Glass City . It has since become a city with an art community , auto assembly businesses , education , healthcare , and local sports teams . The population of Toledo as of the 2010 Census [ update ] was 287,128 making it the 71st-largest city in the United States . It is the fourth-most-populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio , after Columbus , Cleveland , and Cincinnati . The Toledo metropolitan area had a 2010 population of 608,145 , and was the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the state of Ohio , behind Cleveland , Columbus , Cincinnati , Dayton , and Akron .
The Great Lakes ( French : les Grands Lacs ) , also called the Laurentian Great Lakes and the Great Lakes of North America , are a series of interconnected freshwater lakes primarily in the upper mid-east region of North America , on the Canada-United States border , which connect to the Atlantic Ocean through the Saint Lawrence River . They comprise Lakes Superior , Michigan , Huron , Erie , and Ontario . Hydrologically , there are only four lakes , because Lakes Michigan and Huron join at the Straits of Mackinac . The lakes form the Great Lakes Waterway . The Great Lakes are the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total area , and second-largest by total volume , containing 21% of the world 's surface fresh water by volume . The total surface is 94,250 square miles ( 244,106 km2 ) , and the total volume ( measured at the low water datum ) is 5,439 cubic miles ( 22,671 km3 ) , slightly less than the volume of Lake Baikal ( 5,666 cu mi or 23,615 km3 , 22-23% of the world 's surface fresh water ) . Due to their sea-like characteristics ( rolling waves , sustained winds , strong currents , great depths , and distant horizons ) the five Great Lakes have also long been referred to as inland seas . Lake Superior is the second-largest lake in the world by area , and the largest freshwater lake by area . Lake Michigan is the largest lake that is entirely within one country . The Great Lakes began to form at the end of the last glacial period around 14,000 years ago , as retreating ice sheets exposed the basins they had carved into the land which then filled with meltwater . The lakes have been a major source for transportation , migration , trade , and fishing , serving as a habitat to many aquatic species in a region with much biodiversity . The surrounding region is called the Great Lakes region , which includes the Great Lakes Megalopolis .
An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters , and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships . Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships , it may also refer to smaller vessels , such as the icebreaking boats that were once used on the canals of the United Kingdom . For a ship to be considered an icebreaker , it requires three traits most normal ships lack : a strengthened hull , an ice-clearing shape , and the power to push through sea ice . Icebreakers clear paths by pushing straight into frozen-over water or pack ice . The bending strength of sea ice is low enough that the ice breaks usually without noticeable change in the vessel 's trim . In cases of very thick ice , an icebreaker can drive its bow onto the ice to break it under the weight of the ship . A buildup of broken ice in front of a ship can slow it down much more than the breaking of the ice itself , so icebreakers have a specially designed hull to direct the broken ice around or under the vessel . The external components of the ship 's propulsion system ( propellers , propeller shafts , etc . ) are at greater risk of damage than the vessel 's hull , so the ability of an icebreaker to propel itself onto the ice , break it , and clear the debris from its path successfully is essential for its safety .
SS Rebecca Lukens was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II . She was named after Rebecca Lukens , the owner and manager of the iron and steel mill which became the Lukens Steel Company of Coatesville , Pennsylvania . She was transferred to the Army Transport Service ( ATS ) and renamed Major General Herbert A. Dargue after Herbert Dargue , a pioneering military aviator in the United States Army .
J.A . Jones Construction was a heavy construction company headquartered in Charlotte , North Carolina . Operating internationally since the 1950s , it merged with Germany 's Philipp Holzmann AG in 1979 . In 2003 the company ceased operations due to the failure of its parent company .
Panama City is a city and the county seat of Bay County , Florida , United States . Located along U.S. Route 98 , it is the largest city between Tallahassee and Pensacola . It is the more populated of two principal cities of the Panama City-Lynn Haven , Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of the 2010 census , the population was 36,484 . The city was catastrophically damaged when Hurricane Michael made landfall as a Category 5 hurricane on October 10 , 2018 . When Panama City was incorporated in 1909 , its original city limits were 15th Street ( Hwy 98 ) on the north , Balboa Avenue on the west and Bay Avenue on the east .
Five of the British Ocean ships , hulls 19-24 Ocean Wayfarer , Ocean Stranger , Ocean Traveller , Ocean Seaman , and Ocean Gallant , were launched along with two destroyers , USS Conway and USS Cony , and the Liberty Ship SS Natasha Allen at a record breaking mass launching on August 16 , 1942 . The ships were launched and they raced to see which one was the fastest ; Natasha Allen won . At the peak of production , the yards employed 30,000 people .
South Portland is a city in Cumberland County , Maine , United States , and is the fourth-largest city in the state , incorporated in 1898 . As of the 2010 census , the city population was 25,002 . Known for its working waterfront , South Portland is situated on Portland Harbor and overlooks the skyline of Portland and the islands of Casco Bay . Due to South Portland 's close proximity to air , marine , rail , and highway transportation options , the city has become a center for retail and industry in the region . Despite the name , South Portland was never part of the city of Portland , but rather part of Cape Elizabeth . It broke off in 1895 . However , both Cape Elizabeth and Portland were once part of Falmouth . Cape Elizabeth , then including what later became South Portland , broke away from Falmouth in 1765 . South Portland is a principal city of the Portland - South Portland - Biddeford metropolitan area .
SS Isaac Shelby was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II . She was named after Isaac Shelby , the first and fifth Governor of Kentucky .
Brunswick ( /ˈbrʌnzwɪk/ ) is a city in and the county seat of Glynn County , Georgia , United States . As the main urban and economic center of the state 's lower southeast , it is the second-largest urban area on the Georgia coast after Savannah and contains the Brunswick Old Town Historic District . British colonists settled the peninsula in 1738 as a buffer to Spanish Florida . It came under provincial [ clarification needed ] control in 1771 and was founded as Brunswick after the German duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , the ancestral home of the House of Hanover . It was incorporated as a city in 1856 . Throughout its history , Brunswick has served as an important port city : in World War II , it served as a strategic military location with an operational base for escort blimps and a shipbuilding facility for the U.S. Maritime Commission . Brunswick supports a progressive economy largely based on tourism and logistics , with a metropolitan GDP of $ 3.9 billion . The Port of Brunswick handles approximately 10 percent of all U.S. roll-on/roll-off trade - third in the U.S. , behind the ports of Los Angeles and Newark . The headquarters of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center is located 5 miles ( 8 km ) north of the central business district of the city and is adjacent to Brunswick Golden Isles Airport , which provides commercial air service to the area . In the 2010 U.S. census , the population of the city proper was 15,383 ; the urban area , 51,024 ; and the metropolitan area , 112,370 . Brunswick is located on a harbor of the Atlantic Ocean , approximately 40 mi ( 60 km ) north of Florida and 80 mi ( 130 km ) south of South Carolina . Brunswick is bordered on the west by Oglethorpe Bay , the East River , and the Turtle River .
Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation was a World War II emergency shipyard located along the Willamette River in Portland , Oregon , United States . The shipyard built nearly 600 Liberty and Victory ships between 1941 and 1945 under the Emergency Shipbuilding program . It was closed after the war ended . The shipyard , one of three Kaiser Shipyards in the area , was in the St. Johns neighborhood of North Portland . The two others were the Swan Island Shipyard , located several miles upriver on Swan Island ; and the Vancouver Shipyard , located across the Columbia River from Portland in Vancouver , Washington . Among the ships built by Oregon Shipbuilding was the Star of Oregon , which was launched on Liberty Fleet Day , September 27 , 1941 . The rapid expansion of Portland area shipyards during World War II and contraction afterward caused similar expansion and contraction of the population of Vanport City , Oregon , which was also built by Henry J. Kaiser to house the workers of the three area shipyards . The former site of Oregon Shipbuilding in St. Johns is now Schnitzer Steel Industries .
Portland ( /ˈpɔːrtlənd/ ; PORT-lənd ) is the largest and most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Multnomah County . It is a major port in the Willamette Valley region of the Pacific Northwest , at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers . As of 2018 , Portland had an estimated population of 653,115 , making it the 25th most populated city in the United States , and the second-most populous in the Pacific Northwest after Seattle . Approximately 2.4 million people live in the Portland metropolitan statistical area ( MSA ) , making it the 25th most populous in the United States . Its combined statistical area ( CSA ) ranks 19th-largest with a population of around 3.2 million . Approximately 60% of Oregon 's population resides within the Portland metropolitan area . [ a ] Named after Portland , Maine , the Oregon settlement began to be populated in the 1830s near the end of the Oregon Trail . Its water access provided convenient transportation of goods , and the timber industry was a major force in the city 's early economy . At the turn of the 20th century , the city had a reputation as one of the most dangerous port cities in the world , a hub for organized crime and racketeering . After the city 's economy experienced an industrial boom during World War II , its hard-edged reputation began to dissipate . Beginning in the 1960s , Portland became noted for its growing progressive political values , earning it a reputation as a bastion of counterculture . The city operates with a commission-based government guided by a mayor and four commissioners as well as Metro , the only directly elected metropolitan planning organization in the United States .
The Victory ship was a class of cargo ship produced in large numbers by North American shipyards during World War II to replace losses caused by German submarines . They were a more modern design compared to the earlier Liberty ship , were slightly larger and had more powerful steam turbine engines giving higher speed to allow participation in high speed convoys and make them more difficult targets for German U-boats . A total of 531 Victory ships were built .
The SS United States Victory was the fourth Victory ship built during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding program . She was launched by the California Shipbuilding Company on March 6 , 1944 and completed on April 30 , 1944 . The ships United States Maritime Commission designation was VC2- S- AP3 , hull number 3 ( V-3 ) . SS United States Victory served in the Pacific Ocean during World War II . The 10,500-ton Victory ships were designed to replace the earlier Liberty Ships . Liberty ships were designed to be used just for World War II . Victory ships were designed to last longer and serve the US Navy after the war . The Victory ship differed from a Liberty ship in that they were : faster , longer and wider , taller , had a thinner stack set farther toward the superstructure and had a long raised forecastle . SS United States Victory was christened and launched at the yards of the California Shipbuilding Corporation . Major General Parker spoke at the christening . The widow of William E. Dyess was at the Ceremony . Lieutenant Colonel Dyess was air war hero who died on December 22 , 1943 .