The EFC found that US shipyards were too few and small to meet the needs; contracts were awarded to foreign yards in Japan and China.

Hog Island in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was the first shipyard ever built for mass production of ships from fabricated parts and sub-assemblies, produced at dozens of subcontractors.

The vessels were fueled by oil rather than coal, with modern geared turbines of 2,500 shaft horsepower (1,900 kW) capable of producing up to 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).

The profile created a form of camouflage because the lack of sheer in the bow, high stern, and the evenly balanced superstructure, made it difficult for submarines to tell which direction the ships were going.

The Liberty ships built during World War II used a similar concept of production, but a completely different design.

Another twelve were built with 13,400-ton displacements, an example of which was the US Navy hospital ship USS Samaritan, which was active in World War II.