The Men Who Sailed the Liberty Ships

During WWII, a quarter million men plied the dangerous waters between America, Europe, and Asia. Civilians, who sailed the rapidly built and defenseless "liberty" cargo ships, these "merchant marines" would sustain one of the highest casualty rates of the war. For their contributions to the war effort, these men would receive no pension, no workmen's compensation, and no benefits (unless disabled, in which case they received a $5,000 lump sum). Filmmaker Maria Brooks' The Men Who Sailed the Liberty Ships is an engaging account of the merchant marines during wartime that combines interviews with veterans, archival footage of the ships in action, and the sad story of the attack on the National Maritime Union by radio personality Walter Winchell (the NMU was denounced as a Communist front). As a result of being maligned by Winchell and others, many merchant marines were blacklisted after the war, and had difficulty obtaining any seafaring work. Finally, in 1988, the men who were still alive were accorded veteran status. An interesting, well-made documentary that is also very reasonably priced. Recommended. (R. Pitman)