Betting On Lucky Number Six
Speed, Speed, and More Speed (Did I mention speed?)
Photo is property of J.A. Jones Construction Company collection,Special Collections, Brunswick-Glynn County Library, Marshes ofGlynn Libraries, as presented in the Digital Library of Georgia
All work and no play...
The J.A. Jones Shipyard was more than just an amalgamation of round-the-clock shipbuilders. In short time, the men and women of J.A. Jones formed a true community. The shipyard became a town unto itself.
To keep the morale high, the managers of the J.A. Jones Shipyard arranged activities, set up contests, and ensured that the workers had good grub. From baseball teams to live orchestra performances, the daily grind at this shipyard was anything but draggy.
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Take a trip back in time and look at the J.A. Jones Shipyard during the peak of Liberty Ship production.
The J.A. Jones Shipyard Gets the Job Done
The J.A. Jones Shipyard was built specifically for the construction of Liberty Ships. What currently exists of the defunct "Liberty Harbor" housing development project occupies the same space where the “South Yard,” as it was originally known, was built.
Importantly, the J.A. Jones Shipyard comprised six slipways. This large number of identical slipways facilitated the assembly line method of construction used in building Liberty Ships. Speed of construction is a constant theme in the story of the famed Liberty Ship and its contributions to Allied success in World War II.
Definition: Ways
The term "ways" is actually nautical shorthand for "slipways" or "shipways." So it's a nickname, but what does it actually mean? Let's take a look:
Wikipedia has this to say: A slipway, also known as boat ramp or launch or boat deployer, is a ramp on the shore by which ships or boats can be moved to and from the water. They are used for building and repairing ships and boats, and for launching and retrieving small boats on trailers towed by automobiles and flying boats on their undercarriage.
A Christmas Gift from the Men and Women of J.A. Jones
Rather than the six ships requested of them, the workers of J.A. Jones promised to deliver seven ships in the month of December 1944. In order to help deliver on this promise, the men and women of the shipyard agreed to work on Christmas Day. In fact, an astounding 1,300 workers clocked in on December 25, 1944.
To put the cherry on top, the workers decided to put in the hours without pay. Instead, they handed their collective wages of $16,080 over to the U.S. Treasury. This amount was matched by J.A. Jones as well.
You Serve by Saving
If you can't enlist, then invest!
The men and women of J.A. Jones consistently went above and beyond in their enterprising endeavors to support the war effort. One of those undertakings came in the form of an astounding seven war bond drives. These drives were so successful that J.A. Jones alone garnered enough money to fund the assembly of five B-29 bombers!
What exactly is a war bond? Investopedia defines it this way: A war bond is a debt security issued by a government to finance military operations during times of war or conflict.
