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SS Geronimo (USMC 1122) (United
States Maritime Commission)
The Keel of the SS Geronimo (USMC 1122) was laid on May 5, 2025 at Permanente Metals Corporation (Shipbuilding Division) Yard No. 2 in Richmond, California. Geronimo was launched on May 29, 1943 and delivered on June 9, 1943. That is a period of only 35 days from Keel to Commission. Twenty Days to a month was the average time of construction for a Liberty Ship with one ship being constructed in only 4 days. (The Permenente No. 2 Shipyard built 351 Standard Liberty Ships. It's sister yard, {No. 1} constructed 30 British Liberty and 138 Standard Liberty Ships) The SS Geronimo was scrapped at Tacoma, Washington in 1960. In 1941, the U.S. Maritime Commission (USMC) began a massive expansion of the merchant marine fleet under the auspices of the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. The centerpiece of the new program was the standard Liberty ship; an all-welded cargo ship with a displacement of 7,000 tons. Originally only 60 Liberty ships were to be constructed under the Lend-Lease Program. On March 27, 1941 the Defense Aid Supplemental Appropriations Act was passed by Congress which called for an additional 200 Ships for the lend-lease program. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States shipbuilding program was placed in high gear and a total of 2,580 standard Liberty Ships were eventually constructed and delivered by 16 different shipyards. 119 additional Liberty ships were constructed with modified designs. The ships were originally called Emergency Ships, (They were often referred to as, "Ugly Ducklings") however when the first Liberty Ship - SS Patrick Henry was launched, President Roosevelt's dedication referred to Patrick Henry's famous speech which ended with "Give me Liberty or give me Death" and he further stated that, "These ships would bring liberty to Europe." From that day on the ships became known as "Liberty Ships." The typical liberty ship displaced 10,000 tons standard and contained 5 holds with a 9,000 ton capacity. The standard ship was 441 feet in length overall with a beam of 56 feet. Propulsion was provided by a 3 cylinder 2500 hp - reciprocating steam engine capable of producing a top speed of 11 knots. The ship's crew consisted of 44 civilian merchant sailors and between 12 to 25 Naval Armed Guards. The Liberty Ship's armament consisted of one 4 inch stern gun, two 37 mm bow guns, four .50 caliber machine guns, and two .30 caliber machine guns.
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