Hulls were launched from shipways or dry docks, then moored alongside piers for completion. Here, yard workers, who labored round the clock during the war, outfit a Fletcher-class destroyer as night falls. At top, a five-inch gun is lowered by a mobile crane.
Destroyer (36 built)
A fast, versatile, relatively small ship, it was equipped for anti-submarine warfare, escort duty, scouting, antiaircraft warfare, torpedo or gun surface engagement, and shore bombardment.
LST (Landing Ship, Tank; 44 built)
This craft carried tanks and other vehicles for amphibious landings. The water ballast system allowed it to vary its draft: deep for stable ocean travel and shallow for moving in close to shore.
Destroyer Escort (62 built)