Standard designs offered by shipbuilders have now become very much a part of the global shipping scene.
We regularly see such examples as log ships built by Japanese yards, 2824 TEU Hyundai Mipo class container ships like Cap Cleveland built in South Korea and in port today, and 1118teu vessels such as the Chinese-built Vega Gotland. They represent designs developed and improved over the years.
But standard designs built in large numbers have been around for the best part of 100 years.
It was during World War 1 that yards in America, Canada, Japan and the United Kingdom built various classes of standardised types that were ordered by the British government's shipping controller.
Most of the production was from UK yards and the ships were completed from 1917-20. All except some of the later deliveries had names that included the prefix War.
The modern and larger standard types in existence today are surely the result of future planning that became apparent in the early 1960s. At that time there was still a large fleet of World War 2 standards in existence, and while many of these older ships were still trading, several were laid up in reserve fleets in American waterways.
To replace the obsolete tonnage, naval architects and shipyards came up with their Liberty replacement designs, vessels that were faster and had a greater deadweight capacity.
While European yards produced their versions, the most successful were the British SD-14s and the Japanese-built Freedom class.
Even these have now faded from the scene.
Locally, we have seen much larger Future 32 standard bulk carriers that were developed from the Freedom type.
But it was during World War 2 that the largest number of standard designs were produced. British yards will be remembered for their various "Empire" type motor ships and steamers, Canada for its "Forts" and "Parks", also steamers, and American yards for their prolific contribution to the war effort, including 60 "Ocean" type steamers built in 1942 on behalf of the British Government.
Many will still have memories of the T2-SE-A1 turbo-electric tankers that used to call here in Caltex and Stanvac colours. Five hundred and twenty-five were built between 1942-45.
However, the largest type ever built were the Liberty ships, of which 2710 were built by American yards from 1941-45. The basic design was the dry-cargo type. Like some of the British-built Empires, plus the Forts, Parks and Oceans mentioned above, it was a vessel of about 7200gt.
There were several variations from the original design, like the tanker version with machinery and accommodation amidships to the collier version that resembled a tanker. Others were fitted out for military or naval work.
After the war, many were sold off for commercial service in 1947. Among those seen here were Federal's Leicester and Stafford, Shaw Savill's Cufic and Tropic, and some from the Ellerman fleet.
Others that were not sold ended up in one of the eight reserve fleet sites. From 1957-66, 832 were sold for scrap, and by December 1968, 462 were still laid up in these fleets.
The Liberty was superseded by the Victory ship. More than 500 Victory ships were built in American yards in 1944-45. Of about 7600gt, their dwt was similar to that of the Liberty but single-screw steam turbine machinery gave them a speed of 15 knots.
There were also several variations on their basic VC2S-AP2 design. After the war, several attracted commercial buyers. Others went into reserve and from time to time were reactivated for special duties.
I read recently that the last two held in reserve by the US Maritime Administration are to be broken up at Brownsville, Texas. Both were built in Los Angeles by the California Shipbuilding Corporation, with Rider Victory being completed in April, 1945, and Winthrop Victory two months later.
