10. One Liberty ship was built and delivered in less than eight days
American morale in late 1942 needed a boost, particularly on the home front. Henry J. Kaiser decided to deliver one. With the approval of President Roosevelt, he announced a competition between his shipyards to determine which could complete a Liberty ship from keel laying to delivery in the shortest time. To accomplish the fastest time, he had all the components of the ship completed and pre-positioned for assembly at his Richmond yard #2. He also assembled his most experienced supervisors for the “competition”. One minute after midnight in the morning of November 8, with the press and newsreel crews in attendance, the workers began laying the keel of a Liberty ship. By noon the easily recognizable hull and most of the transverse bulkheads were complete, with work on the upper deck underway.
By mid-afternoon of November 12, all of the ship’s miles of wiring, piping, and ventilation were installed. External painting and fittings were complete, and the ship was launched after being christened SS Robert E. Peary by Mrs. James F. Byrnes. Once in the water, it still required final fitting out, which took place prior to its delivery to its operator, the Weyerhauser Steamship Company. The latter accepted the ship three days later, November 15, 1942. The entire 14,000-ton vessel went from keel laying to launch in 4 days and 15 hours, and to delivery in 7 days and 14 hours, both records. The Richmond shipyards, owned by Kaiser, built 747 ships during World War II, more than any other shipyard in the world. Nearly all were built using prefabricated parts delivered to the slipways for assembly by previously unskilled workers. One was another notable Liberty ship, SS Stephen Hopkins.