"Gene Kearns" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 02 Aug 2005 05:16:54 GMT, "Bill McKee"
wrote:


"Gene Kearns" wrote in message
. ..

Neat stories about their construction, too, from my dad. He worked at
Newport News building them, until he was conscripted in WWII.

Liberty ships were steel, as well as the Victory ships. My dad spent the
war building them in Richmond, CA and my mom spent the time as a nurse at
the shipyard hospital. The hospital became the first Kaiser hospital. I
remember the small stamped models that we had at home. Probably worth a
lot
of money now. First boat I got to pilot.


I have to assume that he saw what he saw...

Apparently, as steel became scarce they, experimented with other forms
of material. One of the stories he recounted was the, to him,
excessive number of hours spent in vibrating the mix in the mold....
sometimes two shifts. He always expected to see the hull come out with
aggregate on the bottom and sand and cement on top.... though he never
saw one come out that way.

I assume vibrating a steel ship would just be loud....

There were concrete ships made, just not Liberty or Victory ships. They
were also made in WW-1. One was never used as the war ended and was bought
and towed to the beach south of Santa Cruz, CA. Was fishing pier, dance
hall for a coupe of years. About 1928-1930. You can see it at Sea Cliff
Beach State Park.