Scale Plastic Model Kits
The construction of Liberty cargo ships was authorized by the Merchant Marine
Act of 1936. An act designed to rebuild the merchant fleet of the United States.
Production was somewhat slow in the first years. But when Britain went to war
with Germany, and British ships were being destroyed by enemy submarines faster
than her shipyards could replace them, British officials came to America in
September of 1940 to seek shipbuilding assistance. After considerable controversy,
America answered the British request by increasing shipyard production. Shortly
thereafter, Pearl Harbor was bombed by Japan and the U.S. entered the war. It
was evident that vast numbers of cargo ships would be needed. Mass production
of Liberty ships began. Over 2,500 were built in a three-year period. The Liberty
ships gave tremendous and gallant service throughout World War II, often sustaining
and surviving terrific punishment under the most extreme conditions. After the
war, The United States found itself again, the leading maritime nation, a position
she wished to maintain. However, the abundance of Liberty ships was overwhelming.
America allocated enough ships for a sufficient peacetime U.S. Merchant Marine
fleet and, with the Merchant Ship Sales Act of 1946, sold many Liberty ships
to her allies and also to her former foe, Italy; the remaining ships went to
the scrap yard.
A few of these remarkable war heroes still remain; one of them, the S.S.
JEREMIAH O'BRIEN, has been restored to operating condition and is open to the
public in San Francisco, California. We consider our true-to-scale model of
the Liberty ship a memorial to the several million men and women who not only
built the Liberty ships, but also sailed, defended, repaired, and supplied them
during World War II. The standardization of these vessels allows the modeler
to build the Liberty of his choice.
Instructions:
Check items you wish to purchase & then click the "Submit" button at the
bottom of the page.
This page was last updated July 11th 2005.
