Abstract:
The outbreak of World War II caught the United States short of cargo ships to send vital war supplies to the Allies, along with a means to protect them. Knapp discusses shipbuilding in the state during the war, particularly in Wilmington where 243 ships were constructed. He also discusses the blimp station in Weeksville in Pasquotank County, where the lighter-than-air aircraft that patrolled the Atlantic for submarines were based.