The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-09-15

moving pACbuISe --still the name offends some of the effete and aesthetic old sea- dogs in Washington and so they must become Liberty Ships, each one named after great American who made considerable contribu- ton to the countyy's liberty-Pat- rick Henry, John o. Fremont and the like,
 Whatever you call these babies, the first three of them will be slid- Ing down the ways in mass launching on September 27, which the new publicity conscious Mari time Commission, with e high-pow- cred New York advertising man in charge of It's public relations, is go- ing to call Liberty Fleet Day"
 ITS GONNA BE
 A GREAT DAY
 In addition to the three = Ug = pardon-Liherty Ships, nine other merchant ships will be simultan- eously launched at yards on the Ate lantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts, in what promises to be quite day. The President or other competent literate will probably say Q few words into the mikes, and there will be champagne bottles shattered all the way from quincy, Mass, around the coast line to Portland, Ore, by way of Pascagoula, Miss. The bands will play, the crowds will shout and radio spielers turn inside out in ape proved form,
 September Saturday morn sar- casm aside, this Silipbuilding pro- gram is something to give you Q tremendous lift. Already 1t has knocked oil World War shipbuilding records galley west. At Hog Island, last war, the best record was SIX months and Ave days S!on keel lay. ing to launching. Tn the case of the first three Liberty Ships, the times from keel laying to launching run from four months and three days to four months and twenty-seVen days. And when production of these ships really gets going, two ships will go sliding down the ways every single working day, which means launch- Ing new bottoms almost as fast as Hitler's submarines can sink them. BRAINS AND
 RESOURCES
 To achieve this magnificent pro- duction schedule has required the marshalling of Americas best tech- nical brains and resources and ex- aetly this has been done under Ad- miral Emory s. Land, chairman of the Maritime Commission, and J. F. Schmeltzer, director of the commits sion's division of construction.
 Tn 1887, shortly after the cons mission was organized, Q program of one new ship every two weeks was inaugurated to re-etsablish su. premacy of the American Merchant Marine. Stepping that up to two new ships every day, the goal of l942 and i943, gives you an Idea of the pace that has been set.
 Tn 1886, there were 10 shipyards In some degree of activity, with only 46 ways big enough to take Ao0-foot ships. Today there arc 10 yards and i45 ways authorized for the Mari time. Commission program, and ships are being built on over half the ways.
 Today's overall program calls for the construction of .400 non- naval ships by the end of is4S, and the total cost of new yards, ways and ships will be in the neighbor- hood of $8 billion.
 Of the l400 merchant or cargo vessels in the Maritime Commission program, only 3l2 have so far been designated as the Liberty Ship type, 20 to go in service by the end of the year. But still on the books is a recent authorization for 800 ships, of types not yet designated. Surveys are now being made to see what the shipping demands will be, and what the steel and ship fittings capacity of the country will be. Decision will, be made later on how many of theses 500 will be Lihertys, how many will be tankers, and how many will be the standard types of fast cargo vessels, C-1, ca, or C-3, which the commission is building for merch- ant marine expansion.
 When they're all bu:lt, the hope is that the country won't be dums enough to scrap 'em, junk 'em, and make 'eY11 intn f1iVVerS