Liberty ships were not armored, but they were subdivided to limit flooding and preserve buoyancy after damage. The torpedoed William Williams provides an example of punishment that a typical prewar merchant ship was not expected to survive. Keeping the hull afloat protected both the cargo mission and a crew whose experience could not be replaced quickly. The example reinforces the maxim that the damaged ship itself remains the crew's best lifeboat.
Notable Point · 38:17-39:24
Subdivision keeps William Williams and her crew afloat
The torpedoed William Williams demonstrates why internal subdivision mattered even in an unarmored mass-produced freighter.