Type C1 was a designation for

cargo ship A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's List of seas, seas and Ocean, oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. ...

s built for the

United States Maritime Commission The United States Maritime Commission was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which was passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and was abolished on May 24, 1950. The co ...

before and during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Total production was 493 ships built from 1940 to 1945. The first C1 types were the smallest of the three original Maritime Commission designs, meant for shorter routes where high speed and capacity were less important. Only a handful were delivered prior to

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...

. But many C1-A and C1-B ships were already in the works and were delivered during 1942. Many were converted to military purposes including

troop transport Troop transport may be: * Troopship * Military Railway Service (United States) * Military transport aircraft A military transport aircraft, military cargo aircraft or airlifter is a military aircraft, military-owned transport aircraft used ...

s during the war. The Type C1-M ship was a separate design, for a significantly smaller and shallower

draft Draft, the draft, or draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a v ...

vessel. This design evolved as an answer to the projected needs for military transport and supply of the

Pacific Ocean theater of World War II The Pacific Ocean theater of World War II was a major theater of the Pacific War, the war between the Allies and the Empire of Japan. It included the U.S. Pacific Ocean Areas (command). which included most of the Pacific Ocean and its isl ...

. Type C1 ships under the control of the British

Ministry of War Transport The Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) was a department of the British Government formed early in the Second World War to control transportation policy and resources. It was formed by merging the Ministry of Shipping and the Ministry of Transpor ...

took an Empire name even if built with another name e.g. ''Cape Turner''.

Origins

The

(MARCOM) was an

agency of the United States government Legislative definitions of an agency of the federal government of the United States are varied, and even contradictory. The official ''United States Government Manual'' offers no definition. While the Administrative Procedure Act definition of " ...

that was created by the

Merchant Marine Act of 1936 The Merchant Marine Act of 1936 is a United States federal law. Its purpose is "to further the development and maintenance of an adequate and well-balanced American merchant marine, to promote the commerce of the United States, to aid in the nat ...

, passed by

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

on 29 June 1936 and replaced the

U.S. Shipping Board The United States Shipping Board (USSB) was a corporation established as an emergency agency by the Merchant Marine Act of 1916 (Alexander Act), 1916 Shipping Act (39 Stat. 729), on September 7, 1916. The United States Shipping Board's task was to ...

which had existed since

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. It was intended to formulate a merchant shipbuilding program to design and build five hundred modern merchant cargo ships to supplement and replace the World War I vintage vessels, including Hog Islander ships, that comprised the bulk of the

U.S. Merchant Marine The United States Merchant Marine is an organization composed of United States civilian sailor, mariners and U.S. civilian and federally owned merchant vessels. Both the civilian mariners and the merchant vessels are managed by a combination of ...

. These old standardized ship designs ranged in size from 5,075dwt to 7,500dwt, 8,800dwt and 9,600dwt for the most common mass-produced types. They either had steam turbines or triple expansion engines, burning oil their boilers. None of the World War I standard designs had diesel engines. From 1939 through the end of

, MARCOM funded and administered the largest and most successful merchant shipbuilding effort in world history, producing thousands of ships, including

Liberty ship Liberty ships were a ship class, class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Although British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost cons ...

Victory ship The Victory ship was a class of cargo ship produced in large numbers by American shipyards during World War II. They were a more modern design compared to the earlier Liberty ship, were slightly larger and had more powerful steam turbine engin ...

s, and others, notably type C1 ships,

type C2 ship Type C2 ships were designed by the United States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) in 1937–38. They were all-purpose cargo ships with five holds, and U.S. shipyards built 328 of them from 1939 to 1945. Compared to ships built before 1939, the C2s we ...

type C3 ships Type C3-class ships were the third type of cargo ship designed by the United States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) in the late 1930s. As it had done with the Type C1 ships and Type C2 ships, MARCOM circulated preliminary plans for comment. The desi ...

, type C4 ships,

T2 tanker The T2 tanker, or T2, was a class of oil tanker constructed and produced in large numbers in the United States during World War II. Only the T3 tankers were larger "navy oilers" of the period. Some 533 T2s were built between 1940 and the end of 1 ...

Landing Ship Tank A Landing Ship, Tank (LST) is a ship first developed during World War II (1939–1945) to support amphibious operations by carrying tanks, vehicles, cargo, and landing troops directly onto a low-slope beach with no docks or piers. The shallow d ...

(LST)s and patrol

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...

s. By the end of the war, U.S. shipyards working under MARCOM contracts had built a total of 5,777 oceangoing merchant and naval ships. The C series of ships differed from the Liberty and Victory ships. The first C series vessels were designed prior to hostilities and were meant to be commercially viable ships to modernize the US Merchant Marine, and reduce the US reliance on foreign shipping. The Liberty ships were a throwback to late 19th century British designs with reciprocating steam engines, but were very cheap to build in large quantities; Victory ships evolved from the Liberty ships but used modern turbine engines. The C series ships were more expensive to produce, but their economic viability lasted well into the late 1960s and early 1970s in military and merchant fleets. Several ships are still in operation.

Variations

The Type C1-A and C1-B ships were similar in design, All had a rated top speed of . The primary difference between them was that C1-A ships were shelter deck ships, while C1-B ships were full

scantling Scantling is a measurement of prescribed size, dimensions, or cross sectional areas. When used in regard to timber, the scantling is (also "the scantlings are") the thickness and breadth, the sectional dimensions; in the case of stone it refers t ...

ships. The C1-M was the type with the largest production; it was a significant variation from the original C1 design in size, performance and profile; these were shorter, narrower, slower and the superstructure was farther toward the stern. The C-1 (A and B variants) employed two kind of propulsion systems. One group comprising 19 C1-A, 85 C1-B and all 13 C1-S-AY1 used 4,000 hp

compound turbine In steam turbine design, compounding is a method of extracting steam energy in multiple stages rather than a single one. Each stage of a compounded steam turbine has its own set of nozzles and Turbines, rotors. These are arranged in series, eithe ...

s (one high pressure and one low pressure turbine) and turbo-electric generators for auxiliary power. The other group of 46 C1-A and 10 C1-B used two 2,000 hp diesel engines connected to a single reduction gearset via

magnetic coupling A magnetic coupling is a component which transfers torque from one shaft to another using a magnetic field, rather than a physical mechanical connection. They are also known as magnetic drive couplings, magnetic shaft couplings, or magnetic disc co ...

s, in the same family as the system used on various C3 ships where four such engines were coupled to one gearset for a total of 8,000 hp. The C1-M variant used diesel propulsion exclusively, but only a single 2,000 hp range engine and without magnetic couplings. All turbines and diesel engines were sourced from a variety of manufacturers. With the exception of ships built for specific shipping lines before the war, the majority of the C1-A and C1-B ships were given two-word names beginning with "Cape", such as .

C1-A

Forty-six Type C1-A ships were built at Pennsylvania Shipyards, Inc. in

Beaumont, Texas Beaumont is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, Jefferson County, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area, located in Southeast Texas on the Neches River about east of Houston (city ...

, with another 19 being built by

Pusey and Jones The Pusey and Jones Corporation was a major shipbuilder and industrial-equipment manufacturer. Based in Wilmington, Delaware, it operated from 1848 to 1959. Shipbuilding was its primary focus from 1853 until the end of World War II, when the comp ...

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...

(not to be confused with

Consolidated Steel The Consolidated Steel Corporation was an American steel and shipbuilding business. Formed on 18 December 1928, the company built ships during World War II in two main locations: Wilmington, California, and Orange, Texas. It was created by the me ...

Wilmington, California Wilmington is a neighborhood in the South Bay and Harbor region of Los Angeles, California, covering . Featuring a heavy concentration of industry and the third-largest oil field in the continental United States, this neighborhood has a high p ...

location). The majority were built with diesel motors, though 19 were built with steam turbine engines. These were shelter deck ships, having a very light upper deck, the sides of which are open ports to the second or main deck. The first

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element of a watercraft, important for stability. On some sailboats, it may have a fluid dynamics, hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose as well. The keel laying, laying of the keel is often ...

s were laid in 1939. Two of the Pusey and Jones ships were converted to

PT boat A PT boat (short for patrol torpedo boat) was a motor torpedo boat used by the United States Navy in World War II. It was small, fast, and inexpensive to build, and it was valued for its maneuverability and speed. However, PT boats were hampe ...

tenders before entering service, including . Some of the diesel vessels were powered by 2, 6-cylinder Nordberg 2-stroke engines (Sulzer type) driving the single shaft via magnetic couplings and a reduction gear-box. They were manufactured by

Nordberg Manufacturing Company Nordberg Manufacturing Company was a manufacturer of steam engines, large diesel engines, pumps, hoists and compressors for the mining and quarry industries located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. History The company was founded by Bruno V. Nordberg a ...

. The engine speed was 220 rpm and the shaft 110 rpm. This configuration made maneuvering very easy when entering port, as one engine was run in reverse and the other ahead; change of direction was simply performed by energizing the appropriate magnetic coupling. All auxiliary equipment was electric. The engine room was a pleasure to operate and the workmanship outstanding. * Pennsylvania Shipyards, Inc., TX: 46 (launched May 1941 — Dec 1944) *

, DE: 19 (Jan 1942 — May 1945) Converted to Troop Shipshttps://www.google.com/books/edition/Ship_Repair_Yards/h5-st_6fZ-0C p. 520 * (MC-301) at

Bethlehem Brooklyn 56th Street The Morse Dry Dock and Repair Company was a major late 19th/early 20th century ship repair and conversion facility located in New York City. Begun in the 1880s as a small shipsmithing business known as the Morse Iron Works, the company grew to ...

* (MC-300) at Cardinal Engineering Company * (MC-141) at Eureka Shipbuilding Company * (MC-296) at McNulty Shipyards * (MC-303) at Arthur Tickle 4 Modified and redesignated (to

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

) * Cargo ** (MC-138) as then then ** (MC-225) as * Motor Torpedo Boat Tender ** (MC-304) as ** (MC-891) as

C1-B

The Type C1-B ships were built in eight different yards, all but 15 in West Coast yards, all but 20 in California, the majority at

Consolidated Steel Corporation The Consolidated Steel Corporation was an American steel and shipbuilding business. Formed on 18 December 1928, the company built ships during World War II in two main locations: Wilmington, California, and Orange, Texas. It was created by the mer ...

. All but ten of the C1-B ships had steam turbine engines; the diesels were all built at Seattle-Tacoma SB Corp.,

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, Washington, Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia ...

and

Western Pipe & Steel The Western Pipe and Steel Company (WPS) was an American manufacturing company that is best remembered today for its construction of ships for the Maritime Commission in World War II. It also built ships for the U.S. Shipping Board in World War ...

, San Francisco, California, with each producing five ships. The C1-B were full scantling ships with three decks in which the frames hold the same dimensions as the upper deck. Full scantling ships have deck gear sufficient to completely unload their cargoes. A C1-B example and perhaps the most well-known was the . In 1939, under the

Long Range Shipbuilding Program The Long Range Shipbuilding program was implemented by the U.S. Maritime Commission shortly after its establishment in 1937 as part of the mandate of the Merchant Marine Act of 1936 which stated that: ''United States shall have a merchant marine' ...

, contracts for 38 ships in batches of 2 to 5 vessels were awarded after one round of competitive bidding. ''Bethlehem San Francisco'' and ''Bethlehem Staten Island'' only produced on this occasion for the Maritime Commission. For ''Seattle-Tacoma'', the C1-B contract prompted the reopening (and rebuilding) of the Tacoma yard. ''Consolidated Steel'' entered the shipbuilding business in 1939. Timing makes these ship constructions interesting, as they were on slipways when the U.S. shipbuilding industry was going through the transition of 1940/1941 towards war time production and many ships, whether afloat or building, were reassigned to fulfill new duties. Unsuccessful bids were made by the

General Engineering & Dry Dock Company General Engineering & Dry Dock Company was a shipbuilding and ship repair company in Alameda, California that was active from the 1920s through the 1940s. The company built ships for the Southern Pacific Railroad and the United States Coast Gua ...

, the Tampa Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, the Newburgh Shipbuilding and Repair Company of New York, the

Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Company (1917–1982) was a major shipbuilding company in Chester, Pennsylvania on the Delaware River. Its primary product was tankers, but the company built many types of ships over its 70-year history. During World W ...

, the Los Angeles Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company. Bids (for either C1-A or C1-B in either steam of diesel variants) were opened on 11 July 1939.

successfully bid on 2 C1-A ships. Contracts were awarded in September 1939. Two of these early-built ships joined the ship launching parade of the

Liberty Fleet Day Liberty Fleet Day was first observed on 27 September 1941, the day that 14 merchant ships were launched in shipyards across the United States under the Emergency Shipbuilding program. Among the ships launched was the first Liberty ship, SS ''Patr ...

on 27 September 1941. *

Federal Shipbuilding The Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company was a United States shipyard in New Jersey active from 1917 to 1948. It was founded during World War I to build ships for the United States Shipping Board. Unlike many shipyards, it remained active duri ...

, Kearny, NJ: 5 ** (MC-67) ... (MC-71) *

, Long Beach, CA: 4 ** (MC-75) ... (MC-78) * Bethlehem Sparrows Point, MD: 5 ** (MC-79) ... (MC-83) * Bethlehem San Francisco, CA: 5 ( details) *

Bethlehem Staten Island USS ''Bache'', Bethlehem Staten Island first Fletcher-class destroyer built in 1942 Bethlehem Staten Island also called Bethlehem Mariners Harbor was a large shipyard in Mariners Harbor, Staten Island, New York. The shipyard started building s ...

, NY: 5 ** (MC-89) ... (MC-93) *

, San Francisco, CA: 5 (diesel) ** (MC-94) ... (MC-98) * Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding, WA: 5 diesel ( details) after the Emergency Shipbuilding Program picked up momentum, ''Consolidated Steel'' remained the only manufacturer of the C1-B type. *

, Long Beach, CA: 14 (in addition to the original 4) *

, Wilmington, CA: 47 Converted to Troop ShipsRoland Wilbur Charles, Troopships of World War II, 1947, https://www.google.com/books/edition/Troopships_of_World_War_II/YzJKAAAAMAAJ (all steam turbine driven) * (MC-83) at Bethlehem Brooklyn 27th Street, New York * (MC-76) at Bethlehem Brooklyn 27th Street, New York * (MC-84) at Bethlehem Hoboken, New York * (MC-91) at Bethlehem Hoboken, New York * (MC-265) at Todd Hoboken, New York * (MC-71) at Zalud Marine Corporation * (MC-78) at Zalud Marine Corporation * (MC-87) at Arthur Blair * (MC-92) at Arthur Blair * (MC-503) at General Engineering & Drydock Company, Alameda * (MC-505) at Matson Navigation, San Francisco * (MC-502) at

Moore Dry Dock Company Moore Dry Dock Company was a ship repair and shipbuilding company in Oakland, California. In 1905, Robert S. Moore, his brother Joseph A. Moore, and John Thomas Scott purchased the National Iron Works located in the Bayview-Hunters Point, S ...

, Oakland * (MC-510) at

United Engineering Co. History United Engineering Co. (incorporated 10 October 1917, about six months after the sale of the predecessor company ''United Engineering Works'' to the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation where it became their Alameda Works Shipyard, Alame ...

, Alameda * (MC-504) at Todd Seattle * (MC-509) in San Francisco * (MC-1025) at Matson Navigation, San Francisco * (MC-263) completed as troopship by the

* (MC-264) 7 Modified and redesignated (to

) (all steam turbine driven) * ''SS Fred Morris'' (MC-70) as submarine tender and then as internal combustion engone repair ship * Navy troop transports ** ''SS Cape Johnson'' (MC-507) as at the Los Angeles Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, San Pedro ** ''SS Fred Morris'' (MC-490) as at Todd Hoboken * Cargo ships ** ''SS Alcoa Partner'' (MC-493) to US Navy as * Hospital ships ** ''SS Comfort'' (MC-1021) as at

Bethlehem Shipbuilding San Pedro Bethlehem Shipbuilding San Pedro was a major shipbuilding company on Terminal Island in San Pedro, California, owned by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation. To support the World War II demand for ships Bethlehem Shipbuilding San Pedro built: US N ...

** ''SS Hope'' (MC-1015) as at the U.S. Naval Dry Dock on

Terminal Island Terminal Island, historically known as , is a largely artificial island located in Los Angeles County, California, between the neighborhoods of Wilmington, Los Angeles, Wilmington and San Pedro, Los Angeles, San Pedro in the city of Los Angeles ...

** ''SS Mercy'' (MC-1022) as at the Los Angeles Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company ** these ships were originally ordered as uncompleted hospital ships from ''Consolidated Steel'' and completed at nearby facilities in the

Port of Los Angeles The Port of Los Angeles is a seaport managed by the Los Angeles Harbor Department, a unit of the Los Angeles, City of Los Angeles. It occupies of land and water with of waterfront and adjoins the separate Port of Long Beach. Promoted as "Amer ...

C1-S-AY1

The C1-S-AY1 subtype of thirteen ships built by

was modified from the C1-B design for use as troopships by Great Britain under

lend-lease Lend-Lease, formally the Lend-Lease Act and introduced as An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States (),3,000 Hurricanes and >4,000 other aircraft) * 28 naval vessels: ** 1 Battleship. (HMS Royal Sovereign (05), HMS Royal Sovereign) * ...

called '' Landing Ship Infantry, Large'' and they were originally ordered as troopships. These ships were all given two-word names beginning with "Empire", such as SS ''Empire Spearhead''. was lost at the

Normandy Invasion Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful liberation of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 ( D-Day) with the ...

, to a mine. was sunk by a torpedo from a German

U-boat U-boats are Submarine#Military, naval submarines operated by Germany, including during the World War I, First and Second World Wars. The term is an Anglicization#Loanwords, anglicized form of the German word , a shortening of (), though the G ...

on 28 December 1944. The original ''Cape'' names are what the ships were launched as and by which name they were known to the

Maritime Commission The United States Maritime Commission was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which was passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and was abolished on May 24, 1950. The c ...

. * ''Cape Berkeley'' / / * ''Cape Compass'' / / * ''Cape Gregory'' / HMS Empire Halberd / * ''Cape Marshall'' / * ''Cape Pine'' / HMS Empire Lance / * ''Cape St. Roque'' /

HMS Empire Mace HMS or hms may refer to: Education * Habib Medical School, of the Islamic University in Uganda * Hartley–Melvin–Sanborn Community School District of Iowa, United States * Harvard Medical School of Harvard University * Heidelberg Middle Sc ...

/ * ''Cape Turner'' / HMS Empire Rapier * ''Cape Argos'' / / * ''Cape Lobos'' / * ''Cape Girardeau'' / / * ''Cape St. Vincent'' / HMS Empire Arquebus / * ''Cape Comorin'' /

HMS Empire Gauntlet HMS or hms may refer to: Education * Habib Medical School, of the Islamic University in Uganda * Hartley–Melvin–Sanborn Community School District of Iowa, United States * Harvard Medical School of Harvard University * Heidelberg Middle Sc ...

/ * ''Cape Washington'' / /

C1-S-D1

Twenty-four concrete C1-S-D1 ships were made by

McCloskey & Company Shipyard McCloskey & Company Shipyard was a ship builder in Tampa, Florida. McCloskey & Company built 38 cargo ships, Type N3 ship for World War II founded in 1942. McCloskey & Company also built type C1-S-D1 concrete ships. Matthew H. McCloskey foun ...

in Hookers Point,

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

in 1944. Many were sunk during or after the as war as breakwater barriers. * Vitruvius Dec-43 Sunk as a breakwater at Normandy * David O. Saylor Nov-43 Sunk as a breakwater at Normandy * Arthur Newell Talbot Feb-44 Sunk as a breakwater at Kiptopeke VA * Richard Lewis Humphrey Mar-44 Sold in Mexico * Richard Kidder Meade Mar-44 Sunk as a breakwater at Kiptopeke VA * Willis A. Slater Feb-44 Sunk as a breakwater at Kiptopeke VA * Leonard Chase Watson Jun-44 Sunk as a breakwater at Kiptopeke VA * John Smeaton Apr-44 Afloat as a breakwater at Powell River BC * Joseph Aspdin May-44 Wrecked and lost 1948 * John Grant Jun-44 Sunk as a breakwater at Kiptopeke VA * M. H. Le Chatelier 1055 Jul-44 Afloat as a breakwater at Powell River BC * L. J. Vicat Jul-44 Afloat as a breakwater at Powell River BC * Robert Whitman Lesley 1057 Jul-44 Sunk as a breakwater at Kiptopeke VA * Edwin Thacher Jul-44 Sunk as a breakwater at Kiptopeke VA * C. W. Pasley Aug-44 Sunk as a breakwater at Newport OR * Armand Considere Sep-44 Afloat as a breakwater at Powell River BC * Francois Hennebique Sep-44 Sunk as a breakwater at Newport OR * P. M. Anderson Sep-44 Afloat as a breakwater at Powell River BC * Albert Kahn Oct-44 Abandoned and lost 1947 * Willard A. Pollard Nov-44 Sunk as a breakwater at Kiptopeke VA * William Foster Cowham Nov-44 Sunk as a breakwater at Kiptopeke VA * Edwin Clarence Eckel Dec-44 Scuttled 1946 * Thaddeus Merriman Nov-44 Afloat as a breakwater at Powell River BC * Emile N. Vidal Dec-44 Afloat as a breakwater at Powell River BC

C1-M

The

diesel Diesel may refer to: * Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression * Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines * Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine ...

(M for Motor) powered C1-M Type ships were a separate design from the C1-A and C1-B, meant for shorter runs and shallow harbors, either along the coasts, or for "island hopping" in the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

. These ships were shorter, narrower, and had less draft than the earlier C1 designs, and were rated at only . is an example of a C1-M ship. The C1-M-AV1 subtype, a general cargo ship with one large diesel engine, was the most numerous. About 215 of this type were built in ten different shipyards. Consolidated Steel Corp., Ltd. of Wilmington, California built the largest number – about a quarter of all built. These ships were either named for

knot A knot is an intentional complication in Rope, cordage which may be practical or decorative, or both. Practical knots are classified by function, including List of hitch knots, hitches, List of bend knots, bends, List of loop knots, loop knots, ...

s, such as , or with a two-word name beginning with "Coastal", such as ; a large number built for lend-lease were also given two-word names, this time beginning with "Hickory". About 65 of this subtype were complete for the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

, like the USS ''Gadsden'' built by Walter Butler Shipyard. Those ships were generally named after

counties A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the U.S. C1-M-AV1 ships are a ''Alamosa''-class cargo ships. One C1-ME-AV6 (also called C1-M-AV7) subype was built, . Instead of the diesel engine direct drive of the AV1 subtypes, it used diesel-electric drive. The diesel engine powered a generator to produce electricity, and an electric motor with actually propelled the vessel. Four of the C1-MT-BU1 subtype were built as lumber carriers, with twin screws. The lumber carriers were given U.S. State-and-tree names, such as . Built by Albina Engine & Machine Works, Portland, Oregon. The final subtype, C1-M-AV8, had a variable-pitch propeller. Only one ship was planned as this type, but five previously launched C1-M-AV1 ships were converted to this type for France. * Launched August 1944 — December 1945 *

, CA: 55 * Kaiser Richmond Shipyards, CA: 24 * Pennsylvania Shipyards, Inc., TX: 25 (1 AV8) * Walter Butler Shipbuilders Inc., WI: 22 * Walter Butler Shipbuilders Inc., MN: 18 *

Southeastern Shipbuilding Corporation The Southeastern Shipbuilding Corporation was formed in Savannah, Georgia, during World War II to build Liberty ships. Company history Work on the shipyard was begun by Savannah Shipyards Inc. in 1940. However, dissatisfied with progress, in early ...

, GA: 18 (5 AV8) *

Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding Company Bay Shipbuilding Company (BSC) is a shipyard and dry dock company in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, Sturgeon Bay, Door County, Wisconsin, Door County, Wisconsin. As of 2015, Bay Ships was a subsidiary of Fincantieri Marine Group and produces articulat ...

, WI: 17 (1 AV6) *

Froemming Brothers Froemming Brothers of Milwaukee, Wisconsin was a shipyard that built ships for World War II under the emergency shipbuilding program, War Shipping Administration and United States Navy. Froemming Brothers shipyard was opened in 1942 by Ben Froe ...

, WI: 14 *

J.A. Jones Construction J.A. Jones Construction was a heavy construction company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. Operating internationally since the 1950s, it merged with Germany's Philipp Holzmann AG in 1979. In 2003, the company ceased operations due to th ...

, GA: 14 *

Globe Shipbuilding Company Walter Butler Shipbuilders Inc. was a large-scale World War II ship manufacturing shipyard, located at Superior, Wisconsin, United States. Walter Butler purchased the shipyard from Lake Superior Shipbuilding in 1942. Walter Butler Shipbuilders ...

, WI: 11 * Albina Engine & Machine Works, OR: 4 (4 C1-MT-BU1) Modified and redesignated * Cargo - AK (63) ** 63 s *** (these ships probably were no different than defensively equipped C1-M-AV1 merchant vessels) *** MC-2101 ... MC-2112 to ... *** MC-2141 ... MC-2148 to ... *** MC-2374 ... MC-2377 to ... *** MC-2113 ... MC-2127 to ... *** MC-2151 ... MC-2169 to ... *** MC-2477 to *** MC-2323 to *** MC-2486 to *** MC-2172 to *** MC-2464 to *** MC-2329 to * Aviation stores issue ships - AVS (3AK) ** 3 *** AK-185 -> *** AK-199 -> *** AK-206 -> * Stores ships - AF (1) ** * Miscellaneous Auxiliary ships - AG (1 + 2APC) ** T-APC-119 -> ** T-APC-118 -> ** * Missile Range Instrumentation Ship - AGM (4 + 1AK + 1???) ** ** ** AK-212 -> ** ** (alamosa?) ** * Survey ship - AGS (1APC) ** T-APC-117 -> * Coastal Transport- APC (4) ** ** -> T-AGS-35 ** -> T-AG-171 ** -> T-AG-169

Final disposition

Many of these ships have been sold and scrapped but numerous examples are still in service with Non Governmental Organizations (NGO)s such as "Friend Ships". That organization used the ex "" built in Superior Wisconsin and renamed the "Spirit of Grace" until she was removed in 2006 and scrapped in 2008. Several are sailing in merchant service around the world making port calls and delivering cargo.

Type C1 specifications

Quantities of Type C1 ships

Note any ship in the control of the British

took an Empire name even if being built as another name e.g. ''Cape Turner''

Incidents

* ''Liscomb Lykes'' a C1-B, was wrecked and lost in

New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...

in 1943. * ''Elmer J. Burr'' a C1-M-AV1, renamed ''Crown Reefer'' was wrecked and scrapped in 1946. * ''Cape Constance'' a C1-B, was hit by

kamikaze , officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending to d ...

plane in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

on 4 November 1944 and was repaired. Later she was wrecked and abandoned in 1947. * ''Diamond Knot'' a C1-M-AV1, collided with the Fenn Victory in the

Strait of Juan de Fuca The Strait of Juan de Fuca (officially named Juan de Fuca Strait in Canada) is a body of water about long that is the Salish Sea's main outlet to the Pacific Ocean. The Canada–United States border, international boundary between Canada and the ...

and sunk in 1947. * '' Cape Kumukaki'' a C1-B, renamed ''Flying Enterprise'' was wrecked in the

English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

in a storm and sank on 10 January 1952. * ''Kenneth E. Gruennert'' a C1-M-AV1, renamed was wrecked in grounding near

Livorno Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 152,916 residents as of 2025. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn ...

on 15 December 1952 and then scrapped. * ''Sheepshank'' a C1-M-AV1, was wrecked and sank in 1961. * ''Idaho'' a C1-B, was wrecked and scrapped in 1962. * ''Traverse'' a C1-M-AV1, was wrecked and scrapped in 1962. * ''Rolling Hitch'' a C1-M-AV1, renamed MS ''Hoegh Aronde'' sank in 1963. She started leaking off the coast of

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

at 31.30N 10.45W, steaming from

Sassandra Sassandra is a town in southern Ivory Coast. It is a sub-prefecture of and the seat of Sassandra Department. It is also a commune and the seat of Gbôklé Region in Bas-Sassandra District. Sassandra lies on the Gulf of Guinea at the mouth of th ...

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

with a cargo of 3,000 tons of phosphates and 2,000 tons of logs. She sent out a SOS with a message "sinking fast", but of the Norwegian crew of 32, 14 survivors were found in the sea. * ''Cape Frio'' a C1-A, was wrecked and scrapped in 1964. * ''Fisherman's Bend'' a C1-M-AV1, was wrecked and abandoned in 1965. * ''Cape Avinoff'' a C1-A, renamed ''Tropicana'' was wrecked and scrapped in 1966. * ''Oregon Fir'' a C1-MT-BU1 wrecked and scrapped in 1967. * ''Star Knot'' a C1-M-AV1, was wrecked and scrapped in 1967. * ''Yard Hitch'', a C1-M-AV1, built by Froemming Bros. Inc., Milwaukee, Wisconsin which sank in 1967. * ''Gwinnett'' a C1-M-AV1, (USN AK 185) was wrecked and scrapped in 1968. * ''Rockdale'' a C1-M-AV1, (USN AK 208) was wrecked and scrapped in 1969. * ''Carrick Bend'' a C1-M-AV1, was wrecked and scrapped in 1969. * ''Hickory Beck'' a C1-M-AV1, was renamed ''Coastal Cadet'', was wrecked and scrapped in 1969. * ''Masthead Knot'' a C1-M-AV1, caught fire and sank in 1969. * ''Bight Knot'' a C1-M-AV1, was wrecked and scrapped in 1970. * ''Coastal Courser'' a C1-M-AV1, was wrecked and scrapped in 1970. * ''Hickory Glen'' a C1-M-AV1, was wrecked and abandoned in 1970. * a C1-M-AV1, sold and renamed ''Livdal'' or ''Løvdal'', was wrecked and abandoned in 1970. * ''Boatswain's Hitch'' a C1-M-AV1, sank in 1971. * ''Hickory Tor'' C1-M-AV1, renamed ''Coastal Skipper'', sank 1971. * ''Mariner's Splice'' a C1-M-AV1, was wrecked and abandoned in 1971. * ''Reeving Eye'' a C1-M-AV1, sank in 1971. * ''Crown Knot'' a C1-M-AV1, was wrecked and sank in 1974. * ''Long Eye'' a C1-M-AV1, renamed ''Almagro'', sank 1976.

Type C1 ships

* MV ''Cape Texas'', Type C1-A
American Merchant Marine at War: United States Maritime Commission C1 and C1-M Type Ships used in World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War, accessed July 2018.Alien Manifest List of M/V ''Cape Texas'' arriving 5 Sep 1946 at the Port of New York
via ancestry.com paid subscription site, accessed July 2018. * SS Flying Enterprise, SS ''Cape Kumukaki''/''Flying Enterprise'' * *

Citations

References

* * * * * including definitions of terms * * {{Authority control C1 Standard ship types of the United States