How many World War Two Liberty Ships were named after Confederate heroes?

major bill

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
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Aug 25, 2012
The spring issue of the Civil War Monitor arrived today. In the newest issue Noah Andre Trudeau has the article Rebel Armada 'How a Number of WWII Liberty Ships Came to be Named After Confederates. I did not know how many WWII Liberty Ships had been named after Confederates so I had to read the article to find out. Confederate army officers and politicians way out numbered the number of ships named for Confederate navy figures.
 
The article says there were 85 Liberty Ships named for Confederates. The fist ship was the SS Zebulon B. Vance. Politicians like Alexander H. Stephens had ships named after them. A few had names many people might not realized were Confederate heroes like the SS Uriah M. Rose and the the SS Charles M. Conrad. There were ships name for many Confederate generals like Ewell, Longstreet, Picket, A. P. Hill, Early, Pender, Fitzhugh Lee, and others.
 
Confederate army officers and politicians way out numbered the number of ships named for Confederate navy figures.
Odd— it never bothered me that many ships were named after Army officers.

I had to check the names of the 3 ships that took my Father’s 85th Infantry Division across the pond in 1944. Two of the ships---not Liberty ships--- were named for Army generals—- but NOT Confederate.
it is interesting both Army officers served in the 42 Infantry Division.

General Alexander E. Anderson (which carried my Father) was named after a Major in the 42 Division who earned the DSC in WW1.
General William A. Mann was named for a general who commanded the 42 Division in WW1.
 
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There was a liberty ship named Sambo.....

Also Natives we also had fought against like Black Hawk, Chief Joseph, and Geronimo.

Both the navy and merchant marine has historically used former enemy combatants as names with Native Americans as well as former Confederates.
 
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I just had to check this general.

Nathan B. Forrest was laid down on 2 October 1943, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 1539, by J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida; she was launched on 13 November 1943.

There are ships named “Midwestern Farmers”, the wife of Daniel Boone, the mother of Geo Washington, Paul Bunyan, Pocahontas, a province in the Philippines and a large variety of people.
 
I had the great pleasure of sailing on the John W Brown with my Father in Law Joe and Uncle Fred. Joe started as a Merchant Marine, and Fred was Navy all the way..a radio man. Oh and then there was the Landsdown, but I think that was just Fred.
 
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