Evening star., 1941-09-27

had let it be known that the impress
siveness of today's mass .launchings
and the improved time on produc-
tion of most of the ships involved
would not be accepted as enough in
these days of great effort.
While We are proud of what we
are doing he remarked this is
certainly no time to be content. We
must build more cargo ships and still
more cargo ships. Our ship
building programmed only that Of
the Maritime Commission, but Of
the Navy-iS one of our answers to
the aggreSSors who would strike at
our liberty"
The first of the IA cargo ships
slid down the ways at 6:06 O'Clock
in the Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock
Co. yards at Chester, Pa.
She was the S.800-ton motorship,
Surprise, a CO. cargo vessel.
Sponsoring the ship was Mrs.
Walter F. George, wife of
Senator George of Georgia. AS
the ship hit the water of the Della
ware River, Mrs. George released six
carrier pigeons that winged south
ward bearing news of the successful
launching to the Maritime Commis-
sion in Washington.
Mrs. George Sponsors Ship.
Next to go was The James Mckay,
C-1 ship. at the Sparrows Point
Yards in Baltimore at 10 o'clock.
At noon, or few minutes later. as
the tides may dictate, the Patrick
Henry was to go down the ways in
Baltimore with Mrs. Henry A. Wal
lace to break the traditional bottle
across the ships sharp steel prov.
At about the same time, the Ocean
Voice, built for Britain. was to be
launched at Richmond, Calf.
Two Pacific Coast launchings were
to come at 1:30 Eastern standard
time. with the Army transport
Frederick Funston to 60 down the
ways at Seattle and the Alcoa
Polaris, C-l cargo vessel, to be
christened at Los Angeles.
Largest to Slide Into Gull.
The largest of the days new ships,
the African Planet, a C-3 merchant
passenger vessel, will be launched at
Pascagoula, Miss, at 2:30 o'clock,
with Thomas NJ. Woodward, vice
chairman of the Maritime Commits
sion, among the speakers.
The Louise Lykes, CO ship. was
to be launche dat Kearney, N. j.,
at 2:30 o'clock also, and the Adabelle
Lykes was to slide into the water at
Wilmington a half hour later. The
Steel Artisan, a CO cargo boat, was
to be launched in San Francisco at
3 o'clock.
The tanker Sinclair Superflame
was due for launching at Quincy,
Mass at 3:45 pm.
The other Liberty ships, the John
| G. Fremont and the Star of Oregon,
were to be chriStened at $50 and
$3.50 o'clock, respectively. The first
is to be launched at Los Angeles and
to be sponsored by Mrs Sheridan
Downey, wife of the junior Senator
from California, while the second is
to be launched at Portland, Greg,
and will be sponsored by Mrs.
Charles A. Sprague, wife of the Gov
ernor of Oregon.
The final launching of the day at
$50 O'Clock, E. S. T., will be that of
the Ocean Venture, second of the
British ordered ships, at Richmond
Calf
British Congratulate Land.
| Congratulations of the British
people and shipyard workers on this
days record in American shipbuild-
ing were forwarded to Chairman
Emory S. Land of the United States
Maritime Commission by Lord
Leathers, British Minister Of War
Transport, and Sir Arthur Slater,
head of the British Merchant Ship
ping Mission.
Liberty Fleet Day symbolizes for
us and our allies" the British mes
saged, "the cause for which we are
fighting. Only by the freedom of
| the seas can the freedom of the
world be secured
Chairman Land, principal speaker
at the Patrick Henry launching
touched off the Nations observance
of Liberty Fleet Day" in a radio ad-
dress discussing the program to turn
out approximately 1000 merchant
ships between today and the end OF
1943.