Splinter fleet or Splinter navy was a nickname given to the United States wooden boats used in World War II. The boats served in many different roles during the war. These boats were built in small boatyards on the West coast and East coast, Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico. They could be built quickly, in just 60 to 120 days. Most of the boats were built by boatyards that already had the tools and knowledge from building yachts, sailboats and motor boats. Many were built by craftsmen in family-owned small businesses. Under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program and War Shipping Administration contracts went out to over fifty boatyards across the country. The boats were built for the US Navy, the United States Army Air Forces, United States Coast Guard, and US Army. Some of the wooden boats went to Allied nations on the Lend-Lease program.[1][2][3]
In addition to new boat construction, some wooden boats built between 1910 and 1941 were acquired for the war effort, some used as-is and others converted for war use. Wooden boats have lighter weight and are easier to repair than steel hull boats. These wooden boats ranged from 19 to 200 feet in length. Some worked near shore and others working in the open ocean, called the Blue-water navy. The Splinter fleet is in contrast to the more common steel hull war ships and Merchant Marine ships. After the war, many of these boats were deemed not needed. Many were abandoned or destroyed, a few served in the Korean War and a few in the Vietnam War, some sold to private and some donated. During World War I there was a debate as to if wooden boats and ships should be used in war time. William Denman, President of the Emergency Fleet Corporation supported the building of wooden ships for the war and General Goethals disapproved. In the end, both men turned in their resignation over the heated debate. During World War II the situation was different. There was a shortage of steel and steel shipyards, so there was no debate about the need for a vast wooden fleet of boats and ships.[4][5][6]
- ^ "BOATS OF WOOD: MEN OF STEEL". The National WWII Museum | New Orleans.
- ^ Christy, Gabe (December 19, 2016). "Although Steel Ruled The Waves, Wooden Boats Still Found A Place In WWII".
- ^ Hampton, Jeff (23 September 2017). "North Carolina boatyards built wooden boats crucial to allied effort in WWII". pilotonline.com.
- ^ "Wooden Ships and Barges". shipbuildinghistory.com.
- ^ "Ghost Fleet of MallowsBay" (PDF).
- ^ Wood Boats