United States Merchant Marine, Liberty Ships and Z-Men

About the Book

This book shows the indoninable spirit of the American people during World War ii. At outset of the war, we had virtually no ships to carry the supplies, weapons, ammunition and men to the front. Henry Kaiser, a man of 60 who had never before built a ship, took the challenge. At first his objective was to build ships faster than the enemy could sink them. This he accomplished by the beginning of 1943. He built shipyards, and recruited farmers and housewives as ship builders. These women came to be known as Rosie the Reviter. Boys as young as 14 and men as old as 70 manned the ships. They were all volunteers. Most of these men had never been to sea before. Kaiser challenged his people to build ships in record time. His crowning accomplishment was a ship that was built in 4 days, 15 hours and 29 minutes. Torpedoes sank many ships and men were killed or were on lifeboats hoping for rescue. Atrocities by the enemy-especially the Japanese-included beheadings. A number of men were P.O.W's under extreme conditions in Japanese camps.

The merchant marine was at every invasion. Without the supplies and equipment they carried, the troops could not have won the war. They were probably the largest collection of wild, crazy, young men doing an invaluable job ever assembled. These men received very little recognition from the American public. No one met them at the dock with a band when the ship came in. They were not given parades. They simply left one ship and signed on another. They had a job to do and they did it.

This book has "sea tales" which show the spirit of the men. After all, they were just "kids" and they did crazy stuff. You will enjoy the day to day experiences that show how human these guys were. They were called Z-men because they carried papers with a Z number.

About the Author

The author George E. Ward, Jr. following time as a seaman served two years in the U.S. Army. His professional life includs teaching and coaching, serving as intramural sports director and athletic director. Ward has received five degrees including a PhD.

After managing large departmemt stores and his own business, George has now retired and is very active in the U.S. Merchant Marine Veteran Program.