Design 1023 ship

The Design 1023 ship (full name Emergency Fleet Corporation Design 1023) was a steel-hulled cargo ship design approved for mass production by the United States Shipping Board's (USSB) Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) in World War I. Like many of the early designs approved by the EFC, the Design 1023 did not originate with the EFC itself but was based on an existing cargo ship designed by Theodore E. Ferris for the United States Shipping Board (USSB). The ships, to be built by the Submarine Boat Corporation of Newark, New Jersey, were the first to be constructed under a standardized production system worked out by Ferris and approved by the USSB.

The first contract envisioned construction of fifty vessels and was placed by USSB with Submarine Boat Corp. on 14 September 1917 and included EFC hulls 547–596. Two months later, on 16 November 1917, USSB placed two additional optional orders with the same shipbuilder for sixty eight and thirty two vessels, respectively. This brought the total number of ships ordered from Submarine Boat Corp. to 150 and included EFC hulls 785–884. In addition on 8 November 1917 USSB also placed a small order for four vessels with Bayles Shipyard in Port Jefferson, New York (EFC hulls 773–776). USSB chose to exercise their first optional contract for sixty eight extra vessels planned for Submarine Boat Corp. and 118 ships, yard numbers 1–118, were completed for the USSB between 30 May 1918 and 27 Mar 1920.

The second optional contract for thirty two vessels was never exercised by USSB and the contract was officially rescinded by the Shipping Board on 28 February 1920.