Know your merchant fleet
Identification chart: a painted convoy of merchant ships at the top, below it 29 black ship silhouettes in grid rows, each with a line of specifications, and an eagle-and-stars 'Ships for Victory' emblem. The technique is faint: the text claims the largest Merchant Marine in world history and the national emblem lends its standing to the fleet.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1944
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- U.S. Maritime Commission (Ships for Victory); artist Elmo White
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Roosevelt Administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Warn or inform
- Themes
- War and the military, Science and technology
- Event
- World War II
- Regime
- Roosevelt administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 44, World War II Posters, retrieved October 4, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain (U.S. government work)
U.S. Maritime Commission. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-1229 (NAID 514835).
Text on the object
KNOW YOUR MERCHANT FLEET * Today, the United States has the largest Merchant Marine in world history. In addition to such basic models as the C-1, C-2, C-3 (Cargo), Victory, Liberty, and T-2 (tanker) types, specialized designs have been created to serve the diversified war and peacetime transportation needs of the Nation * Know your merchant fleet. Here are illustrated 29 types of vessels which form part of our great merchant fleet. All have distinctive characteristics, easily recognized after close study of the silhouette models illustrated below [signature: Elmo White] S. S. AMERICA--Passenger liner now serving as U. S. Army transport West Point. Length (over-all), 723'. Beam, 93'3". Draft (loaded), 32'. Cruising radius, 11,000 miles. Gross tonnage, 26,482. Net tonnage, 14,320. Dead-weight tonnage, 14,361. Ship horsepower, 34,000 hp. Propulsion, turbine. C3-IN-P & C--Combination passenger and cargo type. Now in use as troop ship. Length, 489'. Beam, 69'6". Draft (loaded), 27'3". Cruising radius, 17,600 miles. Net tonnage, 8,200.* Dead-weight tonnage, 9,000.* Ship horsepower, 8,500 hp. Propulsion, turbine. *Estimated tonnage for peacetime use. Vessel actually completed as troop ship. C3 P & C--Combination passenger and cargo type. Length (over-all), 491'10". Beam, 69'6". Draft (loaded), 26'6". Cruising radius, 20,300 miles. Net tonnage, 5,157. Dead-weight tonnage, 9,937. Ship horsepower, 8,500 hp. Propulsion, turbine. RIO HUDSON--Combination passenger and cargo type. Length (over-all), 492'. Beam, 69'6". Draft (loaded), 27'3". Cruising radius, 18,600 miles. Net tonnage, 8,000.* Dead-weight tonnage, 9,000.* Ship horsepower, 8,500 hp. Propulsion, Diesel. *Estimated tonnages. AFRICAN COMET--Combination passenger and cargo type designed for South and East African trade routes. Length (over-all), 489'. Beam, 69'6". Draft (loaded), 27'3". Cruising radius, 17,600 miles. Net tonnage, 8,148. Dead-weight tonnage, 9,916. Ship horsepower, 8,500 hp. Propulsion, turbine. DELBRAZIL--Combination passenger and cargo type designed for routes between Gulf ports and South America. Length (over-all), 491'. Beam, 65'6". Draft (loaded), 25'6". Cruising radius, 16,500 miles. Net tonnage, 4,542. Dead-weight tonnage, 9,021. Ship horsepower, 7,800 hp. Propulsion, turbine. ROBIN LOCKSLEY--Combination passenger and cargo type designed for trade routes between New York and South and East African ports. Length (over-all), 479'8". Beam, 69'6". Draft (loaded), 27'. Cruising radius, 18,500 miles. Net tonnage, 4,258. Dead-weight tonnage, 10,048. Ship horsepower, 6,300 hp. Propulsion, turbine. EXPORTER--Fast freight steamer type intended for the New York-Mediterranean and Indian trade. Length (over-all), 473'1". Beam, 66'. Draft (loaded), 27'. Cruising radius, 14,480 miles. Net tonnage, 3,996. Dead-weight tonnage, 9,514. Ship horsepower, 8,000 hp. Propulsion, turbine. VC2-S-AP--The Victory type. Used for general cargo type designed for South American trade routes. Length (over-all), 455'3". Beam, 62'. Draft (loaded), 28'6". Speed, 17 knots. Cruising radius, 20,500 miles. Net tonnage, 4,555. Dead-weight tonnage, 10,850. Ship horsepower, 8,500 hp. Propulsion, turbine. EC2-S-C1--The Liberty type designed for general cargo type designed for South and East African trade routes. Length (over-all), 441'7 1/2". Beam, 56'10 3/4". Draft (loaded), 27'7". Cruising radius, 9,000 miles. Net tonnage, 9,916. Ship horsepower, 9,000 hp. Propulsion, steam-reciprocating. C1-A (Cargo)--Used for general cargo purposes. Length (over-all), 412'3". Beam, 60'. Draft (loaded), 23'6". Cruising radius, 18,900 miles. Net tonnage, 2,859. Dead-weight tonnage, 7,416. Ship horsepower, 9,000 hp. Propulsion, turbine. [Transcription cut at the 4000-character cap: the remaining ship entries, the SHIPS FOR VICTORY and UNITED STATES MARITIME COMMISSION lines, the EXPLANATION paragraph and the imprint are omitted. The ship-entry figures are in very small print and were read from a downscaled image.]
