The Ocean Class of Second World War

by Malcolm Cooper

Overview

This new book tells the story of the Ocean class of standard cargo ships, their design, building and careers, and the author places them firmly in the context of the battle of the Atlantic which was raging at the time of the first launchings. While their achievements alone would merit an important place in histories of the war at sea, the impact of the oceans stretched far beyond the direct contribution of the ships themselves. The yards where they were built also served as models for a series of new American shipyards and the oceans' blueprints were used as the basis for the American Liberty ship. This comprehensive new history, based on extensive archival research and lavishly illustrated with contemporary photographs, restores the Oceans to their rightful place in history. The ships' design antecedents are explained, and their ordering, financing and construction analyzed in full. Wartime operations are covered in depth, by theater and with full details of war losses and other casualties. The book concludes with an assessment of their subsequent peacetime careers and a comparison to other war-built designs. This is a model history of a highly significant class of ship.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781399015530
Publisher:	Naval Institute Press
Publication date:	07/15/2022
Pages:	144
Product dimensions:	9.50(w) x 10.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

After completing his doctoral research in military history at Oxford University, Malcolm Cooper held a research fellowship at Downing College, Cambridge where he completed a study of British air policy during World War I, before transferring his attention to maritime history, spending a year teaching at the Memorial University of Newfoundland. After a two-decade career in financial services in the City of London, he returned to maritime, naval, and military history research and writing. He has published a series of fleet histories of nineteenth and twentieth century shipping companies.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements vi

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 Genesis 4

Chapter 2 Mission to America 20

Chapter 3 Building the Oceans 36

Chapter 4 The Oceans at War 58

Chapter 5 Wartime Casualties 92

Chapter 6 The Oceans at Peace 116

Chapter 7 Evaluation and Conclusions 150

Appendix 1 Ocean Class Vessel Specifications 156

Appendix 2 Ocean Class Vessel Histories 159

Appendix 3 Valour and Strength in the Firing Line: Two Oceans at War 197

Appendix 4 Manning the Oceans 201

Appendix 5 The Cost of War 203

Bibliography 206

Index 208