Greg H. Williams – författare

This book details the Liberty ships and the Emergency Shipbuilding Program during World War II. For the first time, comprehensive information is provided about the builders, the namesakes, and the operators under one cover. Included is a list of all 2,710 Liberty ships delivered by U.S. shipyards, giving each ship's namesake and detailed descriptions of the companies that built the ships and the steamship companies that operated them during the war. This book also details the formation of two shipyards in South Portland, Maine, the Todd-Bath Iron Shipbuilding Co. and the South Portland Shipbuilding Corp. South Portland's shady operations were investigated by the U.S. Congress and resulted in the merger of both companies into the New England Shipbuilding Corporation in April 1943. Also featured is the Jeremiah O'Brien. Built by New England Ship in 1943 and one of only two operational Liberty ships left in the world, its service history and crew information are given along with its postwar restoration and return to Normandy in 1994.

Not long after the eruption of civil war, the United States found itself mired in claims against the government. Loyal citizens living in insurrectionary districts complained about property seizure. Military pay disputes abounded, and some of the army's attempts at procurement were called into question. Charged with resolving these cases was the United States Court of Claims. Originally set up to advise Congress on pension matters, by 1863 the newly expanded court was the chief body dealing with claims resulting from the war. The entries in this book present the particulars of the Civil War cases heard by the United States Court of Claims. Cases include disputed contracts; pay disputes; compensation for use of property or property lost, destroyed or damaged; and quartermaster or paymaster money stolen, captured, or lost. Suits filed by loyal states to recover war expenses are also listed. Appendices include 1860 census data, military regulations regarding pay and expenditures, relevant acts of Congress and other documents, and information about the 1864 Kentucky Draft Case claimants.

Before December 1941, the United States had determinedly maintained an isolationist foreign policy and stubbornly remained neutral in the European war. With the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, this position changed overnight. Now faced with the prospect of war yet ill-prepared for the eventuality, the United States government found itself scrambling to launch a war effort. The Great Depression economy led to an inadequate supply of fast, modern ships and this, coupled with wartime losses worldwide quickly created a demand which far outstripped production. This generally left the government only one realistic option--seizure of vessels and other property from private owners. Although the government had this power, under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution private property owners were entitled to just compensation for their goods. During and after the war, multiple lawsuits were filed against the government seeking retribution for transportation of pre- and post-war refugees, repatriation of destitute seamen, loss of pay, patent infringement and requisition of vessels for government service.This volume contains all naval and maritime-related claims brought against the United States government from World War II. These cases are presented chronologically according to the date of the incident which led to the lawsuit. Additional background is included when necessary to fully explain the nature of the claim. Each lawsuit was initially filed in a United States district court then petitioned to Congress or filed directly with the Court of Claims in Washington, D.C. Appeals were made to the Supreme Court but are mentioned only if the decision of the lower court was reversed. Appendices contain a glossary of shipping terms and a list of pertinent acts of Congress. Photographs and an index are also included.

During the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic eras, France was plagued by war and massive crop failures and was desperately in need of supplies. Both legally and illegally, French privateers and cruisers took cargo from merchant vessels of every flag engaged in foreign trade, and perhaps no country was as affected as the United States. While it is impossible to know the true number of vessels, their value, or the value of cargoes confiscated or destroyed, 6,479 claims involving more than 2,300 vessels were filed under the French Spoliation Act of 1885. Filed by the descendants of vessel and cargo owners, insurance agents, and anyone else who had a financial interest in a voyage or lost property to French land forces, these claims give the closest possible approximation of American goods lost to the French. Section I presents a comprehensive index of losses as reported to the State Department, while Section II presents court cases detailing important questions of American and international law which relate to the French assault on American shipping. Section III presents the disposition of claims filed by insurance companies, administrators, executors, receivers, and trustees in the federal Court of Claims under the French Spoliation Act. Also included are a glossary, a list of important geographical locations, and an overview of relevant acts of Congress, proclamations, treaties, and foreign decrees.

During World War II, the U.S. Navy swiftly expanded to include an array of vessels, from smaller yachts and fishing boats bought early in the war for patrol work to fast, modern commercial ships built to haul troops and supplies. After the Allied victory, this diverse fleet became unnecessary and the Navy sold many of its vessels. This comprehensive catalog documents the Navy ships and boats sold after the war and registered under the American flag for commercial or recreational purposes. Focusing on those vessels with names or clearly identifiable hull numbers and crew accommodations, it chronicles each craft's prewar ownership, wartime history, and postwar fate. The product of painstaking detective work in a wide range of primary sources, this meticulous directory highlights an unexplored but illuminating aspect of U.S. maritime history.

During World War I, the American Merchant Marine meant dangerous duty. Sailors on cargo ships faced the daily threat of enemy submarines, along with the usual hazards of life at sea, and help was rarely close enough for swift rescues.Pre-war shipping in America depended mainly on foreign vessels, but with the outbreak of war these were no longer available. Construction began quickly on new ships, most of which were not completed until long after the end of the war. Drawing on contemporary newspapers, magazines and trade publications, and Shipping Board, Department of Commerce and Coast Guard records, this book provides the first complete overview of the American Merchant Marine during World War I. Detailed accounts cover the expansion of trans-Atlantic shipping, shipbuilding records 1914-1918, operating companies, ship losses from enemy action, the role of the Naval Overseas Transportation Service and mariner experiences.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor (December 7), American sailors of the Asiatic Fleet (where it was December 8) were abandoned by Washington and left to conduct a war on their own, isolated from the rest of the U.S. naval forces. Their fate in the Philippines and Dutch East Indies was often grim--many died aboard burning ships, were executed upon capture or spent years as prisoners of war.Many books have been written about the ships of the U.S. Asiatic Fleet, yet few look into the experiences of the common sailor. Drawing on official reports, past research, personal memoirs and the writings of war correspondents, the author tells the story of those who never came home in 1945.