Liberty ships were cargo ships that were British in conception but adapted by the United States. They were built during World War II and came to symbolize US wartime industrial output. Eighteen American shipyards built 2,751 Liberties between 1941 and 1945, the largest number of ships produced to a single design. Liberty ships are often the subject of much study due to the immense effort to build them, the sheer number of ships built, and the fact that some of the ships survived far longer than the original design life of five years.

Liberty ships were constructed of welded sections that were then welded together. The workforce was newly trained; no one had any previous experience in building welded ships. Early on, each ship took about 230 days to build, but it eventually dropped to an average of 42 days. In 1943, three new Liberty ships were being completed every day. They were mostly named after famous Americans, starting with the signatories of the Declaration of Independence.

Early Liberty ships suffered hull and deck cracks, and a few were lost to such structural defects. During World War II, there were almost 1,500 instances of significant brittle fractures. Nineteen ships broke in half without warning, including SS John P. Gaines. Inexperienced workers and new welding techniques were suspected at first, but it was later found out by British metallurgist and crystallographer Constance Tipper that the fractures were caused by the grade of steel used which suffered from embrittlement.

Liberty ships initially had a poor public image because of their appearance. In a speech announcing the emergy shipbuilding program, President Franklin D. Roosevelt had referred to the ship as “a dreadful-looking object” and Time magazine called it an “Ugly Duckling”. To try to improve the ships' image, September 27, 1941 was designated Liberty Fleet Day, where the first fourteen vessels were launched. SS Patrick Henry was the very first, launched by President Roosevelt. During the ceremony, he said that this new class of ships would bring liberty to Europe, which gave rise to the name Liberty ship.

Many Liberty ships survived the war and a number were bought by Greek shipowners at low prices. As of 2005, only two operational vessels survive: SS John W. Brown and Jeremiah O'Brien. Both are now museum ships and still put out to sea regularly. SS Albert M. Boe survives as Star of Kodiak, a floating cannery docked in Kodiak Harbor.

With the Liberty wooden ship model, one can almost hear the roar of the ocean waves. It is an exact replica of the original, handmade with vigilance, from the very first to the last step. Master craftsmen diligently carve high quality mahogany to create the ship's form. After it is sanded and puttied, skilled artists paint on the intricate details. Hand-casted resin and handmade metal parts also constitute the model. Clear lacquer provides the finishing touch and long-lasting protection. Each ship comes on a a display base with brass pedestals and a brass name plate. All items then undergo quality control and are delivered to eagerly waiting customers in professionally-packaged wood crates via FedEx Next Day Air. More than just a display piece, the Liberty ship model is a work of art.