Too Many Ships, Too Late: The Emergency Fleet Corporation and Its Redundant Armada

When the United States entered World War I in April 1917 and launched a military recruitment drive, it was clear that the merchant fleet was inadequate to ferry the nascent American Expeditionary Force across the Atlantic and subsequently keep it supplied and fed. The United States Shipping Board (USSB) immediately established the Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) to acquire, construct, maintain, and operate merchant ships to meet the needs of national defense and foreign and domestic commerce. To build up a range of merchant ships--quickly--the EFC took over American shipyards and established new ones. With steel supplies largely going to the Navy, ships built of wood and even concrete had to be part of the plan. When the war ended earlier than predicted, the nation found itself with a large surplus of new and partially built ships. Featuring detailed drawings of the many types of ships built, this book tells the story of the EFC's efforts to raise a massive merchant fleet capable of serving the United States in a global war. Read more