During World War II, the Brunswick shipyard of J.A. Jones Construction Company produced 99 cargo ships as part of the vital program to supply Allied troops overseas and win the war. The shipyard is best known for building 85 mammoth vessels known as Liberty ships. Not as much has been written about the remaining 14 smaller cargo carriers known as Knot ships. For comparison, the Liberty ship was 441 feet long and had a draft of over 27 feet, whereas the Knot ship was 338.5 long with a draft of 18 feet. These ships were especially useful in shallow harbors and for coastal runs and the “island hopping” that was a critical part of the war in the Pacific. They were named for nautical knots or given a two-word name that began with “Coastal.”
Image courtesy of the Coastal Georgia Historical Society
MS Lock Knot to the right of Liberty Ship SS Patrick B. Whelan
The Brunswick shipyard delivered its first two ships of this class, MS Lock Knot and MS Ring Splice, in June 1945, a month after victory was declared in Europe. At that time, there was no end in sight for the war in the Pacific. These ships had been launched in March and April respectively, then outfitted and tested before leaving the shipyard. The launchings were similar to those arranged for Liberty ships.
Image courtesy of Coastal Georgia Historical Society
Launch of MS Coastal Mariner
Co-sponsor Mary Louise Scarlett is shown with her hand on the launch switch for MS Coastal Mariner, the twelfth Knot ship built at the J.A. Jones Shipyard, on August 11, 1945.
Witnessed by crowds of dignitaries and spectators, a woman acting as sponsor christened the vessel with a ceremonial bottle of champagne.
Image courtesy of Coastal Georgia Historical Society
Launch of MS Crown and Diamond
At the launch of MS Crown and Diamond on April 28, 1945, sponsor Mrs. W.R. Cuthbertson proudly holds the ceremonial knot.
All of the Knot ships built in Brunswick survived the war. Several were scrapped in the 1970s, and others were sold to private companies, some being refitted as drill ships or floating storage.
One of this month’s images from the Coastal Georgia Historical Society archives shows MS Lock Knot to the right of the shipyard’s last Liberty ship, SS Patrick B. Whelan, demonstrating the difference in size. Also shown are two photographs from ship launchings. At the launch of MS Crown and Diamond on April 28, 1945, sponsor Mrs. W.R. Cuthbertson proudly holds the ceremonial knot. Co-sponsor Mary Louise Scarlett is shown with her hand on the launch switch for MS Coastal Mariner, the twelfth Knot ship built at the J.A. Jones Shipyard, on August 11, 1945.
Coastal Georgia Historical Society presents this article and images from our archives as part of our mission “to connect people to Coastal Georgia’s dynamic history.” The Society operates the iconic St. Simons Lighthouse Museum and the World War II Home Front Museum, housed in the Historic Coast Guard Station at East Beach. To learn more about the Society, its museums, diverse programs, and membership, please visit coastalgeorgiahistory.org.
