marad ship card notes

When looking at ship types and names on the U.S. Maritime Commission and U.S. Maritime Administration ship cards, there are clues to the ship's type depending upon the vessel's name.

Popular ship type shorthand

  • EC2 = Liberty Ship
  • VC2 = Victory Ship


Ship Names

  • "Cape" Name Prefix = C1 Cargo Ship
  • "Knot" Name Prefix = C1 Diesel Cargo Ship
  • "Marine" Name Prefix = C4 Cargo Ship
  • Clipper Ship Name = C2 Cargo Ship
  • Military Sea Transport Service "General" Named Ship = P2 Passenger Ship
  • All Lykes Lines Ships = Named for Lykes family members

thanks to Robert Sturm

Creator: White, Elmo ; United States. Maritime Commission ; U.S. G.P.O.

Title: Know your merchant fleet

Date: 1944

Material: 1 poster

Measurements: 67 x 49 cm.

Subject: United States.--Recruiting, enlistment, etc.--Posters ; World War, 1939-1945--United States--Posters ; War posters, American ; Recruiting

Description: "Ships for victory" emblem appears in lower left corner. ; A graphic chart illustrates the silhouette shapes of various types of merchant marine ships with Location: Washington, D.C. ; World War II Poster Collection at Northwestern University Library ; U.S. Superintendent of Documents Classification number: MC1.25:M53 ; DIL:inu:dil-e676b8c9-d9e9-4fb1-82c6-9e63d1011585 ; Voyager:2559647

from: https://images.northwestern.edu/multiresimages/inu:dil-e676b8c9-d9e9-4fb1-82c6-9e63d1011585

The MARAD ship cards also include pre-war vessels, and these followed the naming practices used by their owners before they were taken by "basis." The ship cards do not always state the previous owners, but hints as to their history can be had by looking at their names. As follows is a guide for these ships.

The following is a list of the naming conventions of steamship lines operating on the West Coast of the United States in 1922.

United American Lines subsidiary
American-Hawaiian Steamship Company
Names of states and territories with the suffix "an" oe "n."
e.g. Alaskan, Floridian, Kentuckian.

Associated Oil Company
Officials of the company.
e.g. Frank G. Drum, Wm. F. Herrin
Small vessels follow no system.

J. H. Baxter & Company
The Baxter surname.
e.g. Fred Baxter, Horace X. Baxter

Blue Funnel Line subsidiaries
Holt Company
Characters of Homeric or other Greek myths.
e.g. Achilles, Atreus, Agamemnon, Hector
Atalanta, Medusa, Circe, Eurypylus

China Mutual Steam Navigation
Chinese names.
e.g.: Pak Ling, Yang-tse

Ocean Steamship Company
Names prefixed with "Knight."
e.g. Knight of the Garter, Knight Companion

Canadian Government Merchant Marine
Adjective Canadian followed by a noun with the suffix "er."
e.g.: Canadian Adventurer, Canadian Miner
(with the exceptions: Canadian Scottish, Canadian Recruit)

Canadian National Railways, Steamship Department
Grand Trunk Pacific Coast Steamship Company
Names of preceded with "Prince."
e.g. Prince Rupert, Prince George

Canadian Pacific Railway
Prefix of "Princess"
e.g.: Princess Louise, Princess Charlotte

Canadian Pacific Steamship, Limited
Prefix of "Empress"
e.g. Empress of Russia, Empress of China
"Empress class" vessel begin with "M."
e.g. Moteagle, Methven
Freight begins with "B."
e.g. Bosworth, Bothwell

Compagne Generale Transatlantique
Geographic names, cities, provinces, states, and countries.
e.g. Chicago, La Navarre, Alamba, Venezuela

Coos Bay Lumber Company
Names with the surname Smith.
e.g.: C. A, Smith, Johanna Smith

The Robert Dollar Company
Named for members of the Dollar family.
e.g. Robert Dollar, Harold Dollar, M. S. Dollar
(except sailing vessels)

The East Asiatic Company
Names of geographic locales.
e.g. Afrika, Java, Jutlandia, Malaya, Peru

Ellerman Wilson Line subsidiaries
Ellerman & Bucknall Steamship Company, City Line
"City of" prefix
e.g. City of Benares, City of York

Ellerman & Bucknall Steamship Company, Hall Line
"Hall" suffix
e.g.: Branksome Hall, Crosby Hall

Ellerman & Bucknall Steamship Company, Wilson Line
Names end with "o"
e.g. Aleppo, Claro, Leo, Tasso

Forest Line
"Forest" prefix
e.g. Forest King, Forest Dream, Forest Pride, Forest Friend (how cute)

S. S. Freeman & Company
Prefix of "Daisy" or "Daisy" alone.
e.g. Daisy, Daisy Gadsby, Daisy Matthews

Furness, Withy & Company subsidiaries
Prince Line
"Prince" preceded by an adjective of nationality
e.g. Algerian Prince, Manchurian Prince, Trojan Prince
(also Black Prince, Royal Princem Soldier Prince)

Johnson Line
End in "more"
e.g. Barrymore, Cedarmore, Pinemore

Manchester Liners, Ltd.
"Manchester" followed by a noun.
e.g. Manchester Brigade, Manchester City

Rio Cape Line, Ltd.
"Glen" as the first syllable.
e.g. Glenaffric, Glendu

Quebec Steamship Company
Two or three words, the first of which is "Fort"
e.g. Fort Hamilton, Fort St. George

Empire Transport Company
End in "Transport"
e.g. American Transport, British Transport

Houlder Line, Ltd.
End in "Grange"
e.g. Oaklands Grange, Thorpe Grange

Neptune Steam Navigation Company, Ltd.
End in "Range"
e.g. Alpine Range, Malvern Range

Norfolk & North American Steam Shipping Company, Ltd.
End in "Point" or :Miller."
e.g. Cornish Point, Northwestern Miller

Gulf Line, Ltd.
End in "no."
e.g. Ariano, Castellano

British Empire Steam Navigation, Ltd.
End in "River."
e.g. Derwent River, Fraser River

Furness-Houlder Argentine Lines
"esa" vessels are refrigerated steamers.

British & Argentine Steam Navigation Company, Ltd.
"El" vessels are refrigerated steamers.
e.g. El Cordobes

W. R. Grace & Company
Spanish names of women saints.
e.g. Santa Rita, Santa Inez, Santa Alicia, Santa Cruz(?)
(except Colusa, Bark Belfast)

James Griffiths & Sons
First syllable is "Griff."
e.g. Griffco, Griffson, Griffdu

Harrison Direct Line subsidiary
T. & J. Harrison
Arts and Letters, learned professions, statescraft, military science, "adventerous callings."
e.g. Actor, Author, Musician, Architect, Diplomat Senator, Centurion, Matador, Custodian

Hind, Rolph & Co.
Largely Hawaiian names.
e.g. Hawaii, Honoipu, Lahaina, Makaweli, Puako, Robt. R. Hind

Holland-America Line
Freight ends with "dijk" or "dyk."
e.g. Eemdijk, Moerdijk
Passenger vessels end in "dam."
e.g. Leerdam, Noordam, Rotterdam, Nieuw Amsterdam, Edam

Inter-Island Steam Navigation
Hawaiian mountains.
e.g. Kilauea, Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea, Claudine(!)

(in progress) 

"What's in a Name?" Pacific Marine Review, January 1922. pp 24-28