The American war machine in World War II was an enormous effort and is credited as a key factor in the Allied victory. One mass-produced ship was a workhorse on the seas.

As the United States Navy celebrates its 250th anniversary on Oct. 13, it’s a time to commemorate the Liberty ships, which were used for cargo and other utility purposes in the second global conflict.

Liberty ships were cranked out in massive numbers and served the American fleet around the world. Many of the ships were named for individuals from Illinois.

Some 2,710 Liberty ships were built by 18 shipyards nationwide at $2 million each. While they are credited for their role in the American victory, their appearance was suspect.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt, a former assistant secretary of the Navy, called Liberty ships a “dreadful-looking object,” while Time magazine referred to the ship as an “Ugly Duckling.”

The ships, which had a crew of 44, were usually 441 feet long, with a 57-foot beam and 27 feet of draft. Each vessel weighed 14,474 tons and could carry the equivalent of four trains of 75 cars each. A Liberty ship could also haul 2,840 Jeeps, 440 tanks, or 230 million rounds of ammunition.

Liberty ships were built with remarkable speed. As production evolved, assembly of a Liberty ship required only 39-42 days on average.

Among many other contributions, Liberty ships played a pivotal role in the supply chain of Allied forces in preparation for D-Day. An estimated 194 Liberty ships were in the invasion fleet at Normandy. Liberty ships were also found in the South Pacific and countless other theaters and campaigns.

Around 200 Liberty ships were lost to enemy combat during the war. Others suffered from a major design flaw, as brittle steel led to hull fractures.

Twelve Liberty ships suddenly broke in half due to the cracks, and a reported 1,500 examples of brittle fractures were recorded. Still, the Libertys had an untold impact on the Allied effort.

The naming of Liberty ships was offered to any person or group who raised $2 million in war bonds. The ships were frequently named for American historical or social figures, including dozens from Illinois.

Several 19th-century Illinois governors, including Richard Yates, John M. Palmer, Richard Oglesby and John Altgeld, were honored on Liberty ships.

Other prominent political figures from the state whose names were on the ships included Stephen A. Douglas, three-time U.S. Presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan of Salem, and Henry Rainey of Carrollton, a U.S. Speaker of the House.

Liberty ships also carried the names of David Davis, a Bloomington judge who was a U.S. Supreme Court appointee by President Lincoln, as well as two of Lincoln’s White House secretaries, John Hay and John Nicolay.

Lincoln’s eldest son, Chicago corporate attorney Robert Todd Lincoln, was also on a ship, as was Edward Baker, a former Carrollton resident and U.S. Senator from Oregon, whom Lincoln’s second son was named for.

Others from Illinois whose names were on Liberty ships included Civil War cavalryman Benjamin Grierson of Jacksonville, cattle baron and Macoupin County native Charles Goodnight, Grand Canyon explorer John Wesley Powell, anti-slavery martyr Elijah Lovejoy of Alton, frontier preacher Peter Cartwright, Western historical figure Wyatt Earp of Monmouth, farm youth advocate Will Otwell of Carlinville, Chicago Tribune publisher Joseph Medill, authors Vachel Lindsay and Sherwood Anderson, sculptor Lorado Taft, and farm implement tycoon John Deere.

The names of several Illinois women, including reformer Jane Addams of Chicago, Civil War nurse Mary Bickerdyke of Galesburg, and author Mary Hunter Austin of Carlinville, also graced Liberty ships. They were among the 114 women for whom Liberty ships were named.

Eighteen Liberty ships honored African-Americans, while others were named for Confederate leaders, including Jefferson Davis and James Longstreet.

In addition, several Liberty ships honored individuals for whom Illinois counties are named, including Revolutionary War generals Daniel Morgan, Nathaniel Greene, Richard Montgomery and others.

After the war, approximately 835 Liberty ships were retained in the postwar cargo fleet, while over 500 were sold to Greek shipping magnates. It is believed that tycoon Aristotle Onassis began his massive fleet with former Liberty ships.

Another 98 were purchased by Italian businesses, and many others eventually found their way into foreign service.

Only two Liberty ships survive in U.S. waters today, while a third remains as a floating museum in Greece. A fourth, now landlocked, serves as the headquarters of an Alaskan seafood cannery. In 2011, the U.S. Postal Service issued a stamp in honor of Liberty ships.

• Tom Emery is a freelance writer and historical researcher from Carlinville, Illinois. He may be reached at 217-710-8392 or ilcivilwar@yahoo.com.