Long before container ships put Savannah on the maritime map, another kind of ship had a huge impact here — not only for our ports but for a country at war.
On Nov. 20, 1942, the SS James Oglethorpe “slid down the ways” at Southeastern Shipbuilding in Savannah, marking the launch of the first Liberty Ship built in Savannah.
Liberty Ships — the name given quickly constructed wartime freighters designed to bring supplies and equipment overseas — are widely credited with turning the tide in the Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous military campaign in World War II.
The Oglethorpe sailed the following March, sent across the Atlantic in a large convoy. Several months into her voyage, she was attacked by German U-Boats and sunk.
With the 70th anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic approaching next year, retired master mariner Nick Farley and fellow Brit Robert Baugniet have joined forces with the Maritime Bethel at Savannah to pay tribute to all those who served in the Liberty Ship effort — in the shipyards and on the water — with two scale models of the Oglethorpe to be displayed here and in London.
The exhibits, planned for next year, will be displayed in a special floating museum aboard the Royal Navy sloop HMS Wellington, which is moored in London, and here at the Savannah International Trade and Convention Center.
Cost of the project is estimated at $50,000.
“Few people today are aware of the intensity and importance of the Battle of the Atlantic as the Allies struggled to keep the vital supply routes open for food, equipment and men in one of the most serious engagements of the war,” said Farley, a native of London who served in the British merchant navy.
At its height from 1940 through 1943, the battle pitted German U-boats and aircraft against Allied merchant shipping. Considered a strategic victory for the Allies in that the German blockade failed, the six-year battle exacted a huge toll. Nearly 3,000 merchant ships were sunk and 50,000 mariners gave their lives.
Donations will be accepted through the Maritime Bethel, a 501(c)3 Georgia charity that Farley calls “a fitting partner.”
“The Bethel is dedicated to advocating for the spiritual, physical and emotional support of seafarers who are far from home,” he said. “This project is a way to memorialize those seafarers whose efforts helped turn the tide of the war.”
For more information on the project or ways to donate, go to www.maritimebethelatsavannah.org.
East Coast ports back in business
Logistics operations along the East Coast are recovering this week from the shutdowns caused by Hurricane Sandy, as other ports are experiencing higher than normal volumes due to last week’s delays.
At the Port of New York/New Jersey — the East Coast’s largest — longshoremen began unloading a variety of cargo Sunday at the Maher and APM container terminals along Newark Bay in Elizabeth, working ships for the first time in almost a week since the massive facility had been swamped by Sandy’s surge.
The Port Newark terminal in Newark and the Global terminal in Jersey City opened their gates Monday morning, anticipating the first vessel’s arrival that evening, the Port Authority said.
The ports of Baltimore and Norfolk reopened on Halloween day.
The Port of Savannah, while never closed, also experienced the effects of Sandy, with more than a half-dozen ships delayed the week following Sandy’s landfall — a volume the port made up for last week in additional sailings.
It’s been estimated Sandy caused about $1 billion in damages to the cargo industry in the Northeast.
Senior business reporter Mary Carr Mayle covers the ports for the Savannah Morning News. She can be reached at 912-652-0324 or at mary.mayle@savannahnow.com.
SHIPPING SCHEDULE
These are the ships expected to call on Georgia Ports Authority’s Garden City and Ocean Terminals in the next week. Sailing schedules are provided by Georgia Ports Authority and are subject to change.
Terminal Ship name Arrival
Ships through 11/15
GCT HOECHST EXPRESS Today
GCT MUSTAFA DAYI Today
GCT HANJIN IRENE Today
GCT EVER DECENT Today
GCT CSCL VANCOUVER Today
GCT MAERSK ROUBAIX Today
GCT MSC TEXAS Today
GCT HANJIN MALTA Today
OT GRANDE MAROCCO Today
GCT MSC FLORENTINA Saturday
GCT APL CYPRINE Saturday
GCT STOLT SURF Saturday
GCT FSL NEW YORK Saturday
GCT YORKTOWN EXPRESS Saturday
OT HARBEL CUTLASS Saturday
GCT LONDON EXPRESS Sunday
GCT PUSAN EXPRESS Sunday
GCT HLL BALTIC Sunday
GCT NYK ROMULUS Sunday
GCT NYK LAURA Sunday
GCT CMA CGM FIGARO Sunday
GCT HANJIN OTTAWA Monday
GCT YM KEELUNG Monday
GCT E. R. MELBOURNE Monday
GCT NYK KAI Monday
GCT BOX TRADER Monday
GCT AL ABDALI Monday
OT AMORITA Monday
OT ATLANTIC ELAND Monday
GCT IBRAHIM DEDE Tuesday
GCT MOL EFFICIENCY Tuesday
GCT MAERSK MERLION Tuesday
GCT ZIM QINGDAO Tuesday
GCT DALLAS EXPRESS Tuesday
GCT NYK CLARA Tuesday
OT SAFMARINE SUMBA Tuesday
GCT FOUMA Wednesday
GCT MOL PARADISE Wednesday
GCT APL QATAR Wednesday
GCT APL SPINEL Wednesday
GCT SEA-LAND RACER Wednesday
GCT ARSOS Wednesday
GCT HANJIN WILMINGTON Wednesday
OT ANIARA Wednesday
OT ORANGE ISLAND Wednesday
GCT MAERSK VIRGINIA Thursday
GCT MSC TORONTO Thursday
GCT UASC SHUAIBA Thursday
GCT YM MOBILITY Thursday
GCT ISLANDIA Thursday
GCT OOCL OAKLAND Thursday
GCT NYK DAEDALUS Thursday
GCT MSC INGRID Thursday
GCT ZIM HAIFA Thursday
GCT UASC SHUAIBA Thursday