Posted by Emmett Mathews on January 25, 2012, 2:14 pm
looking for info or pictures of the Berkley
Re: S.S. George Berkley
Posted by Ron Carlson on January 30, 2012, 11:53 am, in reply to "S.S. George Berkley"
Emmett,
GEORGE BERKELEY (note correct spelling) was a Liberty ship (cargo ship or cargo/troop transport) that was constructed in 35 days in May-June 1943 by the Kaiser Permanente Shipyard No. 2 in Richmond, CA. Her keel was laid May 10, she was launched June 3, and she was completed and delivered for service on June 14. She may have had an uneventful wartime career as I can find nothing significant online about her. She was scrapped in 1960 in Kobe, Japan. See http://shipbuildinghistory.com/history/shipyards/4emergencylarge/wwtwo/kperm2.htm and scroll to hull number 1568. Also see http://www.mariners-l.co.uk/LibShipsG.html and scroll to the name of the ship.
If you wish to obtain a photograph of this ship, please see this webpage for sources of photographs of World War II-era merchant ships: http://www.usmm.org/photosource.html. I especially recommend Mr. Hultgren, who specializes in photographs of Liberty ships. I am familiar enough with his collection to know that he apparently has a photograph of GEORGE BERKELEY. Mr. Hultgren is quite elderly but at last report was is still actively managing his collection.
Good luck.
Ron Carlson, Webmaster Armed Guard / Merchant Marine website www.armed-guard.com