DISASTERS: Strange Cargo

The dangerous job began secretly in the first empty days of the war. It was a gallant thing then—dirty old "rust buckets" from West Coast bone yards taking aboard the tag end of a nation's aged and faulty munitions, bound for Pearl Harbor, Melbourne, the Philippines. But the munitions-loading grew. Slingloads of shells and high explosives were turning dozens of the new grey Liberty ships into floating bombs in scores of American harbors. Thousands of men & women spent their days & nights making and handling cordite and TNT.

It was a secret job. Only the cabled accounts of vast...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!